Communicative Competence

Strategies In Various Speech

Situations

Prepared by:

MARIAN A. HABLA
BNHS
Let’s Converse!

 Work in groups of eight and read the following scenes.

• Scene 1: Someone making an announcement to the public
• Scene 2: Two small groups of people discussing something
separately
• Scene 3: One person talking to himself
• Scene 4: Two people speaking with each other on the phone
• Scene 5: A reporter appearing live on screen
 Weave the scenes together into a story. You are free to interchange
the order of the scenes.
 Act out your story and present it to the class within five minutes.
Types of Speech Context

 Intrapersonal
This refers to communication that
centers on one person where the speaker
acts both as the sender and the receiver of
message.
Types of Speech Context

 Interpersonal
This refers to communication between
and among people and establishes personal
relationship between and among them.
Types of Interpersonal Comm.

Dyad Communication - communication that

occurs between two people.
Types of Interpersonal Comm.

Small Group - communication that involves at least three

but not more than twelve people engaging in a face-to-
face interaction to achieve a desired goal. In this type of
communication, all participants can freely share ideas in
a loose and open discussion.
Types of Interpersonal Comm.

Public – communication that requires you to

deliver or send the message before or in front of
a group. The message can be driven by
informational or persuasive purposes.
Types of Interpersonal Comm.

Mass Communication – communication that

takes place through television, radio,
newspapers, magazines, books, billboards,
internet, and other types of media.
Types of Speech Style

 According to Joos (1968), there are five speech

styles. Each style dictates what appropriate
language or vocabulary should be used or
observed.
Intimate

This style is private, which occurs between or

among close family members or individuals. The
language used in this style may not be shared in
public.
Casual

This style is common among peers and friends.

Jargon, slang, or the vernacular language are
used.
Consultative

This style is the standard one. Professional or

mutually acceptable language is a must in this
style.
Formal

This style is used in formal settings. Unlike the

consultative style, this is one-way.
Frozen

This style is “frozen” in time and remains

unchanged. It mostly occurs in ceremonies.

Common examples are the Preamble to the

Constitution, Lord’s Prayer, and Allegiance to
country or flag.
Definition of Speech Acts

A speech act is an utterance that a speaker makes to

achieve an intended effect. Some of the functions which
are carried out using speech acts are offering an
apology, greeting, request, complaint, invitation,
compliment, or refusal. A speech act might contain just
one word or several words or sentences.
Three Types of Speech Act

According to J. L. Austin (1962), a philosopher of

language and the developer of the Speech Act
Theory, there are three types of acts in every
utterance, given the right circumstances or
context. These are:
Three Types of Speech Act

 Locutionary act is the actual act of uttering.

“Please do the dishes.”
 Illocutionary act is the social function of what is said.
By uttering the locution “Please do the dishes,” the
speaker requests theaddressee to wash the dishes.
 Perlocutionary act is the resulting act of what is said. This effect
is based on the particular context in which the speech act was
mentioned.
“Please do the dishes” would lead to the addressee
washing the dishes.
There are also indirect speech acts which occur when there is no
direct connection between the form of the utterance and the
intended meaning. They are different in force (i.e., intention) from
the inferred speech act.

For example, read the following utterance.

 “Can you pass the rice?”
 Inferred speech act: Do you have the ability to hand over the rice?
 Indirect speech act: Please pass the rice.

So while the utterance literally asks the addressee if he or she has

the ability to hand a plate of rice, it actually indirectly requests the
addressee to pass the rice to the speaker.
Performatives

Austin also introduced the concept of performative

utterances: statements which enable the speaker to
perform something just by stating it. In this manner,
verbs that execute the speech act that they intend to
effect are called performatives. A performative
utterance said by the right person under the right
circumstances results in a change in the world. Note
that certain conditions have to be met when making a
performative utterance.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

As a response to Austin’s Speech Act Theory,

John Searle (1976), a professor from the
University of California, Berkeley, classified
illocutionary acts into five distinct categories.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

Assertive – a type of illocutionary act in which

the speaker expresses belief about the truth of
a proposition. Some examples of an assertive act
are suggesting, putting forward, swearing,
boasting, and concluding.
Example:
No one makes better pancakes than I do.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

Directive – a type of illocutionary act in which the

speaker tries to make the addressee perform an
action. Some examples of a directive act are
asking, ordering, requesting, inviting, advising,
and begging.
Example:
Please close the door.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

Commissive – a type of illocutionary act which

commits the speaker to doing something in the
future. Examples of a commissive act are
promising, planning, vowing, and betting.
Example:
From now on, I will participate in our group
activity.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

Expressive – a type of illocutionary act in which

the speaker expresses his/her feelings or
emotional reactions. Some examples of an
expressive act are thanking, apologizing,
welcoming, and deploring.
Example:
I am so sorry for not helping out in our group
projects and letting you do all the work.
Searle’s Classifications of
Speech Act

Declaration – a type of illocutionary act which brings a change

in the external situation. Simply put, declarations bring into
existence or cause the state of affairs which they refer to.
Some examples of declarations are blessing, firing, baptizing,
bidding, passing a sentence, and excommunicating.
Example:
You are fired!
By saying that someone is fired, an employer causes or brings
about the person’s
unemployment, thus changing his external situation.