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3.1. The Categories of Illocutionary Act
Searle proposes five categories of speech act: 1 Declaratives, 2 Representatives, 3 Commissives, 4 Directives, and 5 Expressive.
In this thesis, the writer is going to elaborate those five categories of illocutionary act based on performative verbs, the relation between the words and the
world fact, the responsibility for the action and the typical expression of each illocutionary act. But, in analyzing the script film, the pursuit of happiness, the writer
will only find out the Directives illocutionary act.
3.1.1. Declaratives
Declarative illocutionary act is a special type of illocutionary act that bring extra linguistic states of affairs into existence since it deals with a special authority or
institution, such as declaring war, naming and the like. As we know that not everyone can declare war or give a name. In this act, the words of the speaker change the world
and the speaker is responsible for this action. Example:
a. I name this dog Mike
b. I pronounce you as man and wife
c. You are fired
3.1.2. Representatives
Representatives are the acts of representing a state of affairs. This type is also sometimes called assertives. The relation between the words and the world is the
words fit the world and the speaker is responsible for the action. For example:
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Barack Obama is the president of United Sates b.
Bali is in Indonesia For those sentences, the speaker is responsible for the truth of the statements.
It means, in reality, Barack Obama must be a president of United States and Bali must be in Indonesia. Typical examples of this illocutionary act are: stating, asserting,
describing, affirming, explaining, etc.
3.1.3. Commissives
Commissive illocutionary act is an act that commits the speaker to do something in the future. The typical examples of this act are promising, vowing,
offering, threatening, etc. Contrast to directives, commissives tend to function as rather to be convivial than to be competitive. Thus they involve more positive
politeness, because commissives do not refer to the speaker’s importance but to the hearer’s expectation. The speaker of commissive often tends to find the chance to
convince the hearer. Examples: a.
She will arrive on time b.
I will find my true love The examples above show the act of promising carried out by the speaker and
he is responsible for it. Contrast to directives, commissive tend to function as rather to be convivial than to be competitive. Thus they involve more positive politeness,
because commissive do not refer to the speaker’s importance but to the hearer’s expectation. The speaker of commissive often tend to convince the hearer.
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3.1.4. Directives
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