4.2 Analysis of Indirect speech acts 4.2.1 Indirect Speech Acts in Declarative Sentence Type as a Request
In the interview transcript, Sheryl Sandberg uttered some utterances which have function as request for women and society. The context of the interview is
Sandberg who was being interviewed is the COO Chief Operating Officer of Facebook and also an outspoken advocate for women aspiring to leadership positions.
She also wrote a book entitled ‘Lean in’ which she describes as ‘sort of a feminist manifesto’ as a media to help women to act in their own behalf to overcome
institutional and personal barriers to success. She told about her life, book and experiences in the interview and also about how to be a leader according to her
experiences. Sandberg request women to do things like what she had done to be a leader like her and society to help women to be a leader indirectly.
4.2.1.1 Declarative Sentence Type as a Request for Women
1. If we want to balance out leadership roles in the workplace, we have to balance
out responsibilities in the home.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for women. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to balance out responsibilities in the home so they can balance out the leadership roles in the
workplace too. Sandberg requests women indirectly by giving a suggestion about what they, Sandberg and other women have to do if they want to balance
out leadership roles in the workplace. She not only gives a solution according
to her experiences but also request women indirectly by using the utterance.
Sheryl Sandberg has already balance out responsibilities in her home and also has already balance out the leadership roles in the workplace, so she doesn’t
need to be included in the utterance. She still used the word ‘we’ to make the utterance sounds more polite. It is contextually inappropriate to use the word
‘we’ in the utterance and it is also contextually inappropriate for Sheryl Sandberg to just give a suggestion while her purpose is actually to make
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women to be a leader. Based on the sentence type and the function, the
utterance is an indirect speech act.
2. We have to be realistic about our choices.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for women. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to be realistic about their choices. Sheryl Sandberg shared her experiences and she actually has
been being realistic about her choice so she can be a leader. She still used the word ‘we’ to make the utterance sounds more polite. Actually, it is
contextually inappropriate to use the word ‘we’ in the utterance because Sandberg doesn’t need to be included in the utterance. Sandberg wants other
women to be realistic so they can be a leader like her so she requests them indirectly by saying what they, Sandberg and other women have to be. Based
on the sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
3. We need to recognize that we cant do it all, that we face trade-offs every single
minute of the day.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for women. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to recognize that they can’t do all because they face trade-offs every single minute of a day. Based on
Sandberg experience, she faces trade-offs every single minute of the day so she recognized that she cant do all so she request them to recognize that they can’t
do all too indirectly by saying what they, Sandberg and other women need to do. Actually, it is contextually inappropriate to use the word ‘we’ in the
utterance because Sandberg doesn’t need to be included in the utterance. She still used the word ‘we’ to make the request sounds more polite. Based on the
sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
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4. We have to stop beating ourselves up for not doing everything perfectly.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for women. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to stop beating them selves because they don’t do everything perfectly. Sheryl Sandberg uttered the
utterance based on her experience. It means that she had done what she request women to do. She still used the word ‘we’ to make the request sounds more
polite. It is contextually inappropriate to use the word ‘we’ in the utterance because Sandberg doesn’t need to be included in the utterance. It is
contextually inappropriate for her to do what she had to do when she had already done it. She doesn’t request them directly but instead request them
indirectly by saying what they, Sandberg and other women have to do. Based on the sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
5. We need to explicitly encourage men to sponsor women.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for woman. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to explicitly encourage men to sponsor them. Sheryl Sandberg shared her experience as a leader and
she had encouraged men to sponsor her. She had been successes to encourage her husband, her friends and all man around her to sponsor her. She has already
done what she requests them to do for, so Sandberg doesn’t need to be included in the utterance. It is contextually inappropriate to use the word ‘we’ in the
utterance but she still used the word ‘we’ to make the request sounds more polite. She doesn’t request them directly but instead request them indirectly by
saying what they, Sandberg and other women have to do. Based on the sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
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6. You have to find ways to build a relationship.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for woman. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to find ways to build a relationship. Sheryl Sandberg has already done what she request women to do
for. She has find ways to build a relationship, but she instead using ‘we’ to make the request sounds more polite. She doesn’t need to be included in the
utterance because it is contextually inappropriate. She doesn’t request them directly but instead request them indirectly by saying what they, Sandberg and
other women have to do. Based on the sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
7. We should all find ways to do the things we want to do in our lives.
Declarative sentence type; Request
The utterance above is produced in declarative sentence type which has function as a request for woman. The person deixis ‘we’ refers to women. The
speaker uses the utterance to request women indirectly to find ways to do the things that they want to do in their lives. Sheryl Sandberg has already done
what she request women to do for so she doesn’t need to be included in the utterance. She had already find ways to do things that she wants to do in her
live, but she instead using ‘we’ to make the request sounds more polite. It is contextually inappropriate for Sandberg to say something she has to do when
she has already done it. She doesn’t request them directly but instead request them indirectly by saying what they, Sandberg and other women should to do.
Based on the sentence type and the function, the utterance is an indirect speech act.
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4.2.1.2 Declarative Sentence Type as a Request for Society
