Collaborative The Functions of Illocutionary Act Performed by the Main Characters in
person’s cab like what she did to him. Another dialogue which contains competitive function is presented below.
The above dialogue happened when Stan shocked Zoe with his sudden appearance at her pet store. Since Zoe did not expect his appearance at all, she then
asked Stan how he could know that she worked there. Zoe’s utterance is interrogative and it contains a question. Questioning employs
competitive function since it aims at the social goal in which the speaker wants an answer from the hearer. By performing the utterance, Zoe wants Stan to explain how
he could know about the place where she worked. Therefore, her utterance belongs to competitive function. Another example of competitive function is presented in the
following conversation. 4: 60
Stan : I’m confused. Why did you say you would come witness this birth in the first place?
Zoe : I don’t know. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I was trying to get
back in their good graces. Go home. I’ll meet you there. I don’t want them to see you anyway.
P: Zoe and Stan S: Lori’s apartment building lobby, night
IAS-30P84D-63dDiCP 4: 59
Zoe : I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you, or hurt your dog. Don’t worry. I’m not a stalker.
Zoe : How’d you know I worked here?
Stan : I followed you after the subway. That sounds like a little stalkery, huh? P: Zoe and Stan
S: Hudson Pets, night IAS-5P13D-11aDiCP
The above dialogue took place when Zoe and Stan were on their way to Lori’s apartment to witness her birth delivery. Stan was planning to accompany Zoe until
the end of the delivery process but she refused it and commanded Stan to go home. In reference to this context, Zoe’s utterance belongs to competitive function since it is
an imperative sentence in the form of command. Zoe wants Stan to go home despite his request to accompany her. Therefore, the function of her utterance is competitive.
Competitive function is purposed to compete with the social goal. It is intended to produce some effects on the hearer. In the example above, Stan and Zoe’s
utterances are statements which are intended to make the hearer do something that the speaker wants to achieve.