Request is the act of asking the speaker to do something or to the addressee to do something and expect to be accepted. There are
two categories of request, which are action request and permission request.
1. Action request
Action request is the act of telling somebody to do something E.g. A: could you give me another recommendation?
B: oh yes Action request is realized by interrogative, declarative, and
imperative utterances. E.g. Interrogative: Could you give an example?
Declarative: I want you to get back as quickly as you can Imperative: Give it to him
2. Permission request
Permission request is the act for a go a-head E.g. A: can I smoke in here David?
B: yes of course old fellow Permission request is also realized by interrogative,
declarative, and imperative utterances like the action request does. E.g. Interrogative: May I read your message?
Declarative: I would like, if I may, to turn to two points. Imperative: Let me finish
The fact that both categories of request can be answered by yes or no seems to indicate that they are basically polarity question. What
decides the interpretation is only the actual situation. In the example can I smoke here can either ask whether it is possible to smoke or
whether one is allowed to smoke. However, in the example could you give me another recommendation would probably be interpreted as
asking for action in the first place, since could you is a conventional marker of request function.
2.2.1.2 Responding Act
In this case it can be both the broadcaster and the callers, produces an initiation, then, the addressee, the broadcaster or the
callers, and is expected to respond to what the speaker has said before by producing a response.
According to Stenstrom 1984 responding act is the signal what the addressee wishes to continue or terminate the exchange. The way
people respond is a result of what has been done in the initiating move. If the previous speaker made a statement, the addressee will have to
respond to it by acknowledging, agreeing or objecting the statement; if she asked a question, the addressee will have to respond to it by
complying, implying, supplying, evading or disclaiming the question;
