The particular dialect or language that a person chooses to use on any occasion is called a code


 

538 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

Copyright © 2021 The Author 
IDEAS is licensed under CC-BY-SA 4.0 License 

 

Issued by English study program of IAIN Palopo 

IDEAS  
Journal of Language Teaching and Learning, 
Linguistics and Literature 
 

ISSN 2338-4778 (Print) 
ISSN 2548-4192 (Online) 

Volume 9, Number 2, December 2021 
pp. 538 – 542 

Speech Act of Pragmatic 
Novia Widyasari Rahayu 

noviawidyasarirahayu@gmail.com  

FIB, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia  

 

Received: 2021-06-11 Accepted: 2021-12-15 

DOI: 10.24256/ideas.v912.1924 

 

Abstract 
When a speaker says anything, there are specific goals beyond the words or phrases. This is an 

aspect of pragmatics. The activity performed by generated utterances is referred to as speech 

actions. Saying something can be used to perform an action. Speech actions allow the speaker to 

portray physical activity using just words and phrases. The acts taken are mostly determined by 

the words spoken. There are several things to consider when it comes to English as a foreign 

language. If utterances are delivered in the mother language, it is simple for speakers or listeners 

to figure out what they imply. 

 

Keywords: Pragmatic, Speech act, Utterances 

 

 

 

Introduction 

Pragmatics is a study in belief is what is communicated is more than what is said, 

there are two types of communication, they are verbal and nonverbal 

communication. Verbal communication is the way of communicating messages by 

using words as elements. Nonverbal communication is the way of communicating 

messages by using gesture, body movements, eye contact, facial expression, or 

general appearances as the elements. Pragmatics is a branch of linguistics and 

semiotics concerned with how context affects meaning. In philosophy, sociology, 

linguistics, and anthropology, pragmatics includes speech act theory, conversational 

implicature speaking in interaction, and other approaches to language behavior. 

Unlike semantics, which analyzes conventional or "coded" meaning in a given 

language, pragmatics investigates how the transmission of meaning is influenced not 

only by the speaker's and listener's functional and linguistic knowledge (grammar, 

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lexicon, etc. ), but also by the context of the utterance, any prior knowledge about 

those engaged, the speaker's inferred motive, and other variables. 

 

Description of Speech Act 

Speech acts is when a speaker says something, there are specific goals beyond 

the words or phrases. This is an aspect of pragmatics. According to (Hidayat, 2016) 

In human life, communication has always been a requirement, communication 

allows for the exchange of ideas among individuals, which directly contributes to the 

improvement of the quality of life. The ability to perceive communication statements 

can influence the actions taken. According to Buck (2002), there are two modes of 

communication: verbal and non - verbal interaction. Speech act is a type of verbal 

communication and a subset of pragmatics that occurs frequently in both verbal and 

non - verbal. Speech actions, according to Yule (1996), are a study of how speakers 

and hearers utilize language. According to Bach (1979), an action in verbal 

communication has its own message, therefore interaction is not just about language 

but also about action. Finally, a speech act is an utterance that occurs, and an act is 

an action. 

Types of Speech Act 

Locutionary 

The act of locutionary speech is basically comparable to making a specific 

utterance with a specific sense and reference, which is roughly comparable to 

meaning in the traditional sense (Austin, 1962: 108). Cutting (2002: 16) agrees, 

stating that locutionary refers to what is stated. The locutionary act, as defined by 

Yule (1996), is the act of making meaningful utterances. 

Illocutionary 

The illocutionary act is carried out through the communicative energy of a word, 

such as promising, apologizing, or offering (Yule, 1996:48). This is also known as the 

act of saying something while doing something. The illocutionary act is the most 

important degree of action in a speech act since it is determined by the force desired 

by the speakers. 

Perlocutionary 

According to Hufford and Heasley (1983:250), a speaker's perlocutionary act is 

the act of making an utterance that has a specific effect on the hearer and others. The 

act of offering someone is also known as a perlocutionary act. The effect of an 



Novia Widyasari Rahayu  
Speech Act of Pragmatic 

540 
 
 

 
 
 

 
 
 

utterance on the other person's ideas or behavior is referred to as a perlocutionary 

act. A perlocutionary act is unique to the circumstances of issuance, and hence 

cannot be accomplished simply by speaking that particular utterance. It 

encompasses all of the effects, intentional or unforeseen, and frequently 

undetermined, that a certain speech in a specific occasion has. 

 

Speech Acts Classification  

Representatives, instructions, commissives, expressive, and declarations are the 

five kinds identified by Searle in Levinson (1983: 240). 

 

Speech Act in a Second Language  

When it comes to speaking act in a second language context, there are a few 

things to keep in mind. If utterances are spoken in the mother tongue, it is simple for 

speakers or listeners to figure out what they imply. Idiomatic terms and cultural 

conventions do not serve as roadblocks in determining the intended meaning. When 

it comes to foreign languages, such characteristics may make it difficult for someone 

to properly comprehend what is being said. 

The SPEAKING model of speech analysis was proposed by Hymes (1974). 

According to Hymes, learning a language requires not just learning its vocabulary 

and syntax, but also understanding the context in which words are employed. 

Aspects of the linguistic situation are considered and applied to various components 

of a speech sample or communicated message in the speaking model. 

SPEAKING model of speech analysis (Hymes, 1974): 

1. S - Setting and Scene - Setting relates to the time and place, whilst scene 

specifies the scenario or activity's environment. (morning, amicable 

discussion at a school, bar, or coffee shop) 

2. P - Participants - This refers to the people who are involved in the speech, 

such as the speaker and the audience, as well as the interrogator, caller, and 

performance. 

3. E - Ends - The speech's aim and objectives, as well as any consequences, 

functions, or impacts. 

4. A - Act Sequence - The order in which events occurred during the speech, 

both in terms of form and substance. 

5. K - Key - The speech's general key, tone, mood, or manner. (formal, serious, 

caustic) 

6. I - Instrumentalities - The speech's shape and style. Stream (verbal, 

nonverbal, face to face, telephone, SMS,) If you want to be more formal, you 

(emoticons, dialect or language variety) 



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7. N - Norms - Establishes what is socially acceptable during the event, as well 

as the rules that govern interaction and interpretation. 

8. G - Genre - The speech's style. (hello, joke, apologies, lecture) 

 

English Language Teaching (ELT) Speech Acts 

Since English is a foreign language for Indonesian students, the teacher or 

instructor should keep certain points in mind when teaching the Speech Act in the 

classroom. 

Depending on the amount of time available and the level of comprehension that 

teachers want their students to gain, there are three different degrees of goals that 

can be attained in teaching speech acts in the classroom. Fujimori (2004) proposes 

three goals:  

1. Conscious Rising,  

2. Knowledge Building, and  

3. Productive Development. 

 According to the explanations on speech acts and , some individuals 

comprehend and comprehend the responses that are accompanied with 

explanations, and they are particularly interested in responses that include 

meanings, such as "I'm thirsty," which implies that I'm asking you to drink, which is 

ambiguous. But it naturally acts beyond grammar (or any rules). In the context of 

foreign language learners students must be equipped with adequate vocabularies so 

that they can express ideally, to fully understand the language (linguistic rule). 

 

Conclusion 

 The capacity to decipher the hidden message of a speech is extremely valuable. 

If we are not careful, certain words or expressions may be diverted into something 

terrible. We can have a better grasp of utterances through knowing Pragmatics and 

speech acts. English is the official foreign language in Indonesia. There are several 

things in English that Indonesians don't have, such as some idiomatic idioms. Those 

phrases are obstacles that may prevent someone from properly comprehending the 

true meaning of words or utterances. Speech actions might be socialized in the 

classroom as part of this endeavor to raise awareness of those barriers. 

 

 



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References 

 

Austin, J. L. (1962). How to Do Things with Words. Oxford: Oxford University Press 

 

Bach, K. and R. M. Harnish. (1979). Linguistic Communication and Speech Acts, 

Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press. 

 

Bach, K. (2003). Speech acts and pragmatics. Blackwell. Guide to the philosophy of 

language, 147-167. 

 

Buck, R and Vanlear C. Arthur. 2002. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication: 

Distinguishing Symbolic, Spontaneous, and Pseudo-Spontaneous Nonverbal 

Behavior. Journal of Communication. 15, 522-528. Retrieved November12, 

2012 

 

Fujimori. John. (2004). Practical Criteria for Teaching Speech Acts. Tokyo: JALT 

Publications. 

 

Hymes, D. (1974). Foundations of Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach. 

Philadelphia 

 

Ohmann, R. (1971). Speech acts and the definition of literature. Philosophy & 

Rhetoric, 1-19. 

 

Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. Oxford: Oxford University Press