Analysis of Speech Acts - Case Study Example

?Conversation Speech acts and moves Speech acts are analysed at three different levels as follows: At the level where the speaker is observed as performing the speech or the locutionary act; at the level when the speech is actually performed and which consists of the phenotics and the verbal and syntactic aspects of meaningful language; and at the level of the meaning of the speech or the illocutionary act. Some scholars also define speech act at a further level, the perlocutionary level which implies the practical affect on the listener and comprises of pursuasion, enlightening, scaring, inspiring etc. (Austin 1962). On the other hand, some scholars like (Searle, 1969) postulate that speech primarily consists of the illocutionary act. However, illocutionary act is largely said to occur when the meaning of the speech is to promise, order or bequeath (Austin 1962). In the case of the conversation 1, the speech act happens is illocutionary as the speech is intended at ordering the other person to get something – the price of the paint. For example, “A: Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh” uses the imperative type of clause to ask the question. While the participant A, starts the conversation with a simple statement (A I ordered some paint from you uh a couple of weeks ago some vermilion), what he wanted to know was : 1. If the vermillion paint was still available with the shop 2. If the price with VAT would be affordable for him to buy Turn-Taking and Pauses Pauses are considered as speech irregularities or breaks in otherwise smooth conversation. Pauses occur because of different reasons like to act as fillers when the speaker is unsure of what to say or how to shape his speech; when the speaker is slow in thinking the best words to use; when the speaker wants to use the pause to mean something like give a cue to the listener to start the conversation or decide about his answer; or when the speaker is not sure if its his turn to start talking. Most of the literature on conversation analysis seggregates pauses into pauses related to turn taking – as in the case of giving both the speakers cues to take up the speech; or in the form of fillers. In the case of conversation 1, there are several pauses used by A: 5 A [An- 6 A Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh The pause in speech of A shows that the customer wants to place a request – to check with the price inclusive of the VAT and thinks that his request will require the other person to make some effort. 8 A Thanks (10 second pause) This pause is simply a turn pause as the speaker A waits for the speaker B to give an answer to his query. 12 A Eh (1.0) yes u:hm (dental click) jus - justa think That's what three nineteen The pause shown in the above sentense is indicative of the fact that the speaker is hesitating and making mental calculation or processing the information given my B. 15 A Er, hh I'll tell you what I'll just eh eh ring you back I have to work out how many 16 I' 11 need Sorry I did - wasn't sure of the price you see In the above example again, the speaker is showing uncertainty and some shyness as he feels that B may think bad of him when he reveals that he will actually not buy the paint because of price. 7 B Er I'll just work that out for you This pause is used by B as a filler, to tide over the fact that he wants the other person to wait a bit while he checks the required information. It also conveys tha meaning that B has accepted to do what A has asked him to. Adjacency Pairs Adjacency pair is a way of continuing the conversation through turn taking. It is an essential part of dialogue and it takes place when two people speak one after the other. The adjency pair is guided by the Grice's conversational maxim of manner (1991), which requires that the second speaker has to make an utterance that has a relevance to the theme of the speech used by the first. The first speaker sets the pace of the conversation and gives cue to what the other person is needed to say in return. The example of adjacency pairs in conversation 1 are: 6 A Uhm ... what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh 7 B Er I'll just work that out for you 8 A Thanks (10 second pause) 9 B Three pounds nineteen a tube sir 12 A Eh (1.0) yes u:hm (dental click) jus - justa think That's what three nineteen 13 That's for the large tube isn't it 14 B Well yeah it's for the thirty seven cc's Co-operative Principle Co-operative Principle is a term used to explain the need for making relevant contribution to the conversation by both the partners. It means that there is need to use utterances that further the flow of the conversation. The Co-operative Principle consists of the four Grice's conversational maxim – of manner, relation, quality and quantity. In the case of conversation 1, the following examples reflect the Co-operative Principle: 4 B Yes [how many tubes would you like sir 5 A [An- 6 A Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh 7 B Er I'll just work that out for you 8 A Thanks (10 second pause) 9 B Three pounds nineteen a tube sir Politeness Principle The Politeness Principles is postulated by Geoffrey Leech and it is characterized by tact, generosity, approbation, modesty, agreement, and sympathy. These are the value attributes of the speech and these are an essential part of making sense or meaning of utterances. In conversation one, some of the sentences that reflect the police principle are: A Uhm .. what's the price now eh with VAT Do you know eh 7 B Er I'll just work that out for you 8 A Thanks (10 second pause) and 15 A Er, hh I'll tell you what I'll just eh eh ring you back I have to work out how many 16 I' 11 need Sorry I did - wasn't sure of the price you see Conversation 2: Speech Acts and Moves 1 A Now I think you'd better start the rice 2 B Yeah ... what you got there? 4 B Will it all fit in one? 5 A No you'll have to do two separate ones 6 C Right... what next? C Oh is it oh it's rice with rai[sins is it? 11 B [No no no it'snot supposed to be The above three examples showcase the illocutionary speech act where the theme of question-answer is being followed (except in the case where C says right, what next). However, the intention of the speech is to get information or to order the other persin to say or do something and this fits the illocutionary speech act. 13 C There must be a raisin for it being in there This again is speech that is aimed at getting some response, some act of speech from the others. 16 B Biscuit? The intention here is to request for consent or willingness from the other people. A Didn't know you used boiling water 23 B Pardon 24 A Didn't know you used boiling water 25 B Don't have to but it's erm... they reckon it's quicker This again is an example of A asking for information that B supplies, hence it is showing both illocutionary and perlocutionary speech acts. Turn-taking and Pauses The conversation has several pauses and these range from fillers, action and to turn taking. For example, in the following case, the pause is intended to show that some action is taking place in response to the question by B and C respectively. B Yeah ... what you got there? 3 (4 sees) 4 B Will it all fit in one? And 6 C Right... what next? 7 (17 sees) In the following example, the pause again depicts an action, but not in response to anything said by C. 20 C Yeah 21 (10 sees) The following are examples of pauses that are fillers: 11 B [No no no it'snot supposed to be 12 [laughs] erm And 14 B D'youwant a biscuit? 15 C Erm 16 B Biscuit? 17 C Eryeah Adjacency Pairs The following pairs of conversation show that two people are fiting into a rythm and the second speaker is following the line of thought of the first one. B Will it all fit in one? 5 A No you'll have to do two separate ones and 8 C Foreign body in there 9 B It's the raisins 10 C Oh is it oh it's rice with rai[sins is it? 11 B [No no no it'snot supposed to be Co-operative Principle 1 A Now I think you'd better start the rice 2 B Yeah ... what you got there? 4 B Will it all fit in one? 5 A No you'll have to do two separate ones 6 C Right... what next? 8 C Foreign body in there 9 B It's the raisins 10 C Oh is it oh it's rice with rai[sins is it? 11 B [No no no it'snot supposed to be 16 B Biscuit? 17 C Eryeah A Didn't know you used boiling water 23 B Pardon 24 A Didn't know you used boiling water 25 B Don't have to but it's erm... they reckon it's quicker Politeness principle A Didn't know you used boiling water 23 B Pardon References Searle, J. R. .(1969). Speech Acts. Cambridge University Press. Paul G. (1991). Studies in the Way of Words. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 78-79. Grice, P. (1975). Logic and conversation. Syntax and Semantics, 3: Speech Acts, ed. P. Cole & J. Morgan. New York: Academic Press. Cutting, J. (2002). Pragmatics and Discourse. London: Routledge. Read More