c. Types of Speech Acts in Terms of Directness
1 Direct Speech Acts
Searle in Cutting 2002: 19 says that a speaker uses a direct speech act to communicate the literal meaning that the words conventionally express. In
this sense, there is a direct relationship between the form and the function. Example:
I want some fruit cakes. a declarative form Can you get me some fruit cakes? an interrogative form
Get me some fruit cakes an imperative form Based on the examples above, it can be concluded that there is a
different approach to distinguish types of speech acts, and that is by the basis of structure. Thus, there are three structural forms; declaratives, interrogatives,
and imperatives and they are in the communicative functions; statements, questions, and commandsrequests.
2 Indirect Speech Acts
This is somehow on the contrary to a direct speech act. Still, Searle in Cutting 2002: 19 explains that an indirect speech act wants to communicate a
different meaning from the apparent surface meaning; so the form and function are not directly related. There is an underlying pragmatic meaning, and one
speech act is performed through another speech act. Example:
Will you be here at my sister‘s birthday party? The example might look simple by its structure, it shows only an
interrogative form. However, if we look at a deeper meaning of words, it has the function of a request or an invitation. Thus, indirect speech acts are another
speech acts which are implied more that the basis of communicative functions in direct speech acts.
d. Felicity Condition
In order for speech acts to be appropriately performed, certain felicity conditions have to be met. According to Austin in Cutting 2002:18, the
felicity conditions are that the context and roles of participants must be recognised by all parties; the action must be carried out completely, and the
persons must have the right intentions. While Searle in Cutting 2002:18 states that there is a general condition for all speech acts, that the hearer must hear
and understand the language, and that the speaker must not be pretending or play acting. For declarations and directives, the rules are supposed to be the
speaker must believe that it is possible to carry out the action because they are performing the act in the hearer‘s best interests.
According to Searle in Renkema 2004: 14, felocity conditions consist of four formula that illocutions must meet. They are:
1 The propositional content
In the case of ―promising‖, for example, the act that the speaker commits himself or herself to the proposition must be a future act to
be carried out by the speaker himself. One cannot make a promise for someone else or promise to do something that has already been done.
Yule 1996:50 also defines this as content conditions, a further content condition for a promise requires that the future event will be a
future act of the speaker. Example:
I promise I‟ll be there at 5.
Thus, the speaker knows that she carries out a future act; she will be at some place that the speaker and the addressee have talked
about, and the addressee will also be there.
2 The preparatory condition
This condition concerns to those circumstances that are essential for the uptake of an illocution as the intended illocution. For
example, in ―promising‖ case, these circumstances require the content of the promise which shall not be disadvantageous to the addressee.
3 The sincerity condition
This is the condition in which the speaker must honestly be willing to fulfil the future act. For example, in a promise, the speaker
genuinely intends to carry out the future promise, or for a warning, the speaker genuinely believes that the future event will not have any
beneficial effects towards the addressee.
4 The essential condition
Finally, this is the condition that separates the illocution in question from or other illocutions. In ―promising‖ case, that means the
speaker takes upon himself the responsibility of carrying out the act stated in the content of the promise. Or in other words, the speaker
intends to create an obligation to carry out the action as promise. Thus, this essential condition combines with a specification of what must be
in the utterance content, the context, and the speaker‘s intentions, in order for a specific speech act to be performed.
4. Discourse
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