INTRODUCTION.

Speech Acts is the actual communicative function of language as it tries to answer the question, to what
extent is impartial interaction possible to the speaker?

Speech Acts can be defined as an utterance that has a performative functions in language and
communication. It is mainly concerned with how words are used to perform functions. According to
Kent Bach; "almost any special act is really the performance of several acts at once, distinguished by
different aspects of the speaker's intention: act of saying something, what one does in saying it such as
promising, requesting e.t.c, how one is trying to affect one's audience." This would relate to the levels of
speech acts : locutionary, illocutionary and perlocutionary respectively. Speech Acts also perform
various functions :

1. Controls people's physical behaviors.

2. Influence thoughts rather than the actions of the listener.

3. Reinforces social relation to recognize the presence of each other that is to ask someone to do
something, get information about something, expression of emotion for its own sakes.

Austin classification of speech Act.

Austin observers statements are not only to state a fact either truly or falsely as observed by other
[Link] observes the following:

Constatives-They look like statements that are not intended to impart facts For example: kihika is bald.
This is strictly nonsense despite the correct grammatical form.

Performatives -Saying of words which constitute performing of an action. For example 'I pronounce you
man and wife'. Although most performatives utterances have first person singular subjects there are
[Link] most reliable test to determine whether an utterance is performative is to insert
adverbial word 'here by' before the verb and see whether the modified utterance is acceptable. For
example 'i hereby declare you man and wife'.The verbs in performatives should be in simple present
active [Link] example :name,pronounce,declare.

Austin (1962), said that in using speech acts one has to fulfill certain conditions regarding the act that is
being uttered. For example, when one is making a promise to another person, he/she has to fulfill the
condition of that the hearer or the promisee to have a need something to be promised, and the speaker
or the promiser will have the intention to fulfill that need; therefore the act of promising will be valid to
be regarded as felicitous condition. In definition felicity condition is a state when the utterances made
has met the appropriate conditions as discussed below;

1)There must be an acceptable conventional procedure. For example one cannot divorce his wife by
simply saying 'I divorce you now'.
2)Appropriate [Link] particular persons and circumstances in a given case must be appropriate for
the invocation of the particular procedure [Link] example A student may read marriage vows of
his friends but the ceremony is still invalid.

3)Speaker sincerity .The procedure must be executes by both participants correctly. For example The
wedding

4) Authority. For example A priest is the appropriate person to perform a wedding ceremony.

For According to Yule (1996), there are several types of pre-conditions

1)General conditions which referred to the participants, for instance, the language used must be
understood by both speaker and hearer and it is used in serious matter.

2) conditions which concern the content of the utterance; it has to be about future matter which affects
the future act of the speaker.

Austin reconsiders the senses in which to say something and concludes that in issuing utterance .A
speaker can perform speech acts in 3 levels.

a)Locutionary act

It is a linguistic act performed by uttering certain words in a given context.

This is the act of saying [Link] example He said to me 'shoot her' meaning by 'shoot' shoot and
by 'her' he means referring.

b) illocutionary act

This is an act by saying [Link] reflects the intention of the speaker in making an [Link]
example .He urged me to shoot her.(ordered)

are defined by social conventions such as accusing, admitted,congratulating, complaining,

For example:

A:Hello(greetings)

B:Hello too(greetings)

A:You took last biscuit(accusation)

B:No I didn't ( denial)

Types of illocutionary acts according to Austin,

a)verdictives-one can exercise judgement . For example: analyze, describe

c)Commissives-This is to declare an intention. For example vow

d)Beharitives-They adapt attitude or express [Link] example: congratulating

e)Expositives-They clarify reasons , arguments or [Link] example :report

c) Perlocutionary act

This is a non-linguistic act performed as a consequence of performing Locutionary and illocutionary

I) Perlocutionary object- The intended results of illocutionary act

ii) Perlocutionary sequel - Unintended or secondary result.

They are carried by a speaker making an [Link] is the act of causing a certain effect on the hearer
or [Link] example:

[Link] to Wanjiku a bereaved widow:'I was sorry to hear about your loss'

Possible effects: Awareness of wanjiku's grief floods back into her mind and she begins to [Link]
possible effect is that Wanjiku will reply let's say'Thankyou it was God's doing'

[Link] chess player to another: 'i have just made a bad move'

Possible effects: other player realises his opponent has made a mistake , other player wonder if really he
is now in advantageous position,other player wonder quietly whether his opponent is trying to lull him
into a false sense of security.

Searle classification of speech Act.

Searle (1969) has set some more detailed rules concerning felicity condition for each illocutionary acts.
In his accordance, several conditions have to be fulfilled for a sentence to be felicitous. These rules
mostly regarding with psychological and the beliefs of the speaker or hearer and each one of them has
to be fulfilled in order to create a felicitous act. Searle focused on the illocutionary act of promising and
tries to point out the necessary conditions for the performance of this [Link] is a commissive act
whose illocutionary force is that the speaker commits to doing the future action.
These rules are prepositional content, preparatory condition, sincerity condition, and essential condition
as explained in the following:

There are four Felicity conditions:

Essential conditions - in this condition, the speaker intends that an utterance be acted upon by the
addressee. Both parties take the utterance to be performative. However it fails to be performative if a
third party is included. For example : In a classroom context, when the student says to a teacher, " I
promise to do my assignment.". Both the teacher and student will take it as a promise. However, if the
student quotes this statement to his friend after saying, " I told the teacher I promise to my
assignment." it fails to act as a promise because it has become part of the representation act reporting
the promise.

Sincere conditions - speech acts is performed seriously and sincerely in this condition. The utterance by
the speaker is intentional and it accurately represents the wishes of the speaker and listener's
understanding. The expression 'in good faith' explains this condition in basic terms. For example : In a
classroom context, when the student says to a teacher, " I promise to do my assignment.". The speaker
means what he has just promised. He will do the assignment as he has promised.

Preparatory conditions - in this condition, the authority of the speaker and the circumstances of the
speech acts are situationaly appropriate to its being performed successfully. In basic terms it can be
interpreted to ' You can do what you say'. For example : in a classroom context, when the student says
to the teacher, " I promise to do my assignment". This means that the student will do the assignment
because he is actually a student of that class and he has been assigned work to do. If these conditions
were not met, he'd have no assignment thus no need for any promises.

Prepositional conditions - this requires the participant to understand language and not act like actors.
Both the speaker and listener should be able to understand language.

has a specific point to which people place the ring on the finger . Should it be placed on the finger
earlier or after the point the act will misfire.

According to Searle performatives may be used to used to accomplish several actions and these actions
may be categorised as follows:

a)Assertives
They commit the speaker to the truth of the expressed [Link] therefore state , suggest,claim
report and [Link] example :I suggest we go to the Library. Assertives do the actions.

b)Directives

They have intentions of eliciting some sort of actions on the part of the hearer.(Triggers or make it
happen).They may be used to order ,command , request,advice,beg. For example :Get out of my class!
(command)

c)Commissives

They commit the speaker to future [Link] to offer, promise, [Link] example:I promise to do my
best in the next examination.

d)Expressives

It's states the feeling of the [Link] are used to thank ,congratulate,praise forgive,blame ,pardon.
For example:I thank you so much for the gift.

e)Declaratives

They bring out change in [Link] are considered to have [Link] to name
sentence,resign,dismiss and declare. For example: I fully resign from a secretarial position.

In each of these speech acts levels, there are classifications that quantify how effective the levels are at
conveying the speaker's message to its intended audience. Speech Acts can be classified into two: Direct
and Indirect speech acts.

Direct and indirect speech Acts.

Direct speech Acts shows the direct relationship between the structure of the utterance and the
function of the utterance while Indirect speech Acts focuses on the indirect relationship between the
structure of the utterance and the function of the utterance. For example : Open the window. (Direct
relationship)

The above statement can act as both a request and a command. The structure is a statement which
makes it a request. However, the statement can also be a command. The word 'open ' can sound as a
command depending on the tonal variation of the speaker's utterance to the intended listener.

Another example to show indirect speech act is ' It is cold inside here's( indirect relationship)

It's can be used to declare if there is any opening the for it has to be closed.