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Since the indirect speech act is an utterance which is different from the sentence mood, the purpose or the intention of the indirect speech act may be
different depending on the context. For example: 4
“Can you move forward?” is an indirect speech act. The mood of the utterance is an interrogative sentence but the purpose is to ask someone to
do something. 5
“I don’t have anyone to go with”. The mood of the utterance is a declarative sentence but the purpose is to ask for someone to go together with the
speaker.
2. Directive Speech Act
One of the speech acts classified by Searle 1969 is directive. Yule 1996:54 explains directive as a kind of speech act that speakers use to get someone else to
do something. They express what the speakers want. They are commands, orders, requests, suggestions, stc. In using a directive, the speakers attempt to make the
world fit the words and the listener is responsible for the realization of the changes.
The directive speech act uses not only imperative structure but also integorative and declarative ones, for example: 1 Could you please sign this
paper?, 2 You had better take a taxi, 3 Wash your hands The mood of utterance 1 is an interogative sentence but its function is requesting, the mood of
utterance 2 is a declarative sentence but its function is suggesting, and the mood of utterance 3 is an imperative sentence but its function is warning. The purpose
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of the three utterances is asking the listener to do something which are sign the paper, take a taxi, and wash hands.
3. Acts of Refusal
Refusing is included in the illocutionary act of commissive, just like rejecting, promising, commiting, threatening, etc. Vandervaken 1990:185 defines the
speech act of refusal as follows: the negative counterparts to acceptances and consents are rejections and refusals. A refusal is the illocutionary denegation of
the acceptance of a request while rejection is the illocutionary denegation of acceptance of an offer.
Al Kahtani, 2005:37 considered that refusal is a face-threatening act among the speech acts for it threatens the face wants of the speaker and the hearer
by running contrary to their face wants. The face of the speaker or listener is risked when a refusal is called for or carried out. Consequently, refusals, as
sensitive and high-risk, can provide much insight into speaker’s pragmatics. To perform refusals is highly indicative of ones non-native pragmatic competence.
In many cultures, how one says no is probably more important than the answer itself. Therefore, sending and receiving a message of no is a task that needs
special skill. The interlocutor must know when to use the appropriate form and its function depending on each group and their cultural-linguistic values.
Refusals are complicated because they are influenced by several social factors including gender, age, levels of education, power, and social distance
Fraser 1990; Smith 1998 in Wannaruk, 2008.
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4. Face Threatening Acts FTAs
