INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 03,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 690
THE ROLE OF LANGUAGE IN SPEECH ACT
Isaeva Donokhon Anvarovna
1
st
year Master’s degree student,
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek
Abstract:
This study examines the complex relationship between language and speech acts by
focusing on theoretical, psychological and linguistic aspects. It explores the ways in which
language functions as an ordered system that makes human communication easier by enabling
people to carry out speech acts including instructions, declarations, promises, and requests. By
providing insights from linguistics, psycholinguistics, pragmatics, and intercultural studies, it
enriches our knowledge of language as a dynamic tool for interaction and communication.
Keywords:
language, speech act, speech production and comprehension, speech act theory,
pragmatics, cognitive functions.
Аннотация
:Данное исследование рассматривает сложную взаимосвязь между языком и
речевой деятельностью, уделяя особое внимание теоретическим, психологическим и
лингвистическим аспектам. Оно исследует как язык функционирует как упорядоченная
система, облегчающая человеческое взаимодействие, позволяя людям выполнять речевые
акты, такие как инструкции, заявления, обещания и просьбы. Предоставляя знания из
лингвистики, психолингвистики, прагматики и межкультурных исследований, оно
углубляет наше понимание языка как динамичного инструмента взаимодействия и
общения.
Ключевые слова:
язык, речевой акт, производство и восприятие речи, теория речевых
актов, прагматика, когнитивные функции.
Annotatsiya:
Ushbu tadqiqotda til va nutq faoliyati o‘rtasidagi murakkab munosabatni nazariy,
psixologik va lingvistik jihatlarga alohida e’tibor qaratgan holda o‘rganilgan. Tilning insonlar
o‘rtasidagi o‘zaro ta’sirni osonlashtiradigan, odamlarga ko‘rsatmalar, bayonotlar, va’dalar va
iltimoslar kabi nutqiy harakatlarni amalga oshirishga imkon beradigan tartibli tizim sifatida
ishlash o‘rganilgan. Tilshunoslik, psixolingvistika, pragmatika va madaniyatlararo tadqiqotlar
orqali nutq faoliyati tilni o‘zaro ta’sir va muloqotning dinamik vositasi sifatida tushunishimizni
kengaytiradidi.
Kalit so‘zlar:
til, nutq harakati, nutqni ishlab chiqarish va idrok etish, nutq harakatlari nazariyasi,
pragmatika, kognitiv funksiyalar.
INTRODUCTION
Language is an important tool for human communication. It acts as the primary
mechanism that allows thoughts, emotions, and ideas to be expressed. It helps people to carry out
actions using speech which are also known as speech acts. Since language serves as a device for
expressing orders and completing requests, the relationship between speech acts and language is
fundamental to human interaction. Speech act theory proposed by philosophers J.L. Austin and
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 03,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 691
John Searle, highlights the importance of language as an action-oriented phenomena.[5]
According to this theory, people can execute three types of acts through speech: perlocutionary
act which influences the listener, illocutionary act which holds the intention behind the speech
and locutionary act which expresses the literal statement.[3] The dynamic role that language
plays in holding meaningful communication and attaining desired results in social interactions is
highlighted by this theoretical model.[8] With an emphasis on how language structures and
cognitive processes facilitate the performance of speech acts, this thesis seeks to investigate the
theoretical underpinnings of this interaction. It will also discuss the linguistic and psychological
processes that go into speech act, providing information on how language is the main instrument
for efficient communication.
Defining the fundamental ideas of language and speech acts is crucial to analyze the
function of language in speech acts by looking into speech act theory. Speech acts are language-
based communicative behaviors. The theoretical foundation of this work is speech act theory that
states that language is a tool for enacting reality as well as for explaining it. According to Jerrold
Sadock, J. Austin’s monograph, How to Do Things with Words, is considered to be the
foundation of modern study of speech acts and was reprinted version of his William James
Lectures given at Harvard in 1955. He highlights that Austin explains locutionary acts as acts of
speaking that include the production of sounds or marks, the selection of specific words, their
usage with regards to grammatical conventions of a language as well as the meanings and
references outlined by linguistic rules of the chosen language. Sadock mentions that Austin's
fundamental innovation, illocutionary acts, refers to acts performed while speaking, particularly
those that seem to be the reason for using a performative sentence which requires the
performance of a certain action. Additionally, he points out that Austin's third category of actions
is the perlocutionary act which refers to the consequences or by-products of speech, regardless of
intent and that they have an impact on feelings, thoughts or behaviors of the person giving the
speech, the addressee or the audience.[9]
According to Richard Nordquist, Austin makes his case for the five most popular
classes once more using "How to Do Things With Words":
Verdictives
that provide results or findings;
Exercitives
that demonstrate authority or influence;
Commissives
are statements that involve making a commitment or promise to accomplish
something;
Expositives
which describe how a language engages with itself;
Behabitives
which deal with social activities and attitudes such as celebrating and promising.
Nordquist also mentions that these categories are also supported by David Crystal in his work,
"Dictionary of Linguistics" where he suggests a number of categories, such as "directives
(speakers try to get their listeners to do something, e.g. begging, commanding, requesting),
commissives (speakers commit themselves to a future course of action, e.g. promising,
guaranteeing), expressives (speakers express their feelings, e.g. apologizing, welcoming,
sympathizing), declarations (the speaker's utterance brings about a new external situation, e.g.
christening, marrying, resigning)."
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 03,2025
Journal:
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page 692
Nordquist emphasizes that these categories of speech acts are neither optimal nor unique and
mentions how Kirsten Malmkjaer notes in "Speech-Act Theory", "There are many marginal
cases, and many instances of overlap, and a very large div of research exists as a result of
people's efforts to arrive at more precise classifications."[7] Moreover, the further study of
pragmatics, or language in context, provides additional evidence of how listener’s perception and
speaker’s intention influence meaning.
A range of linguistic systems and psychological processes support the efficient delivery
of speech acts. Licea-Haquet G.L., et al. highlight that according to psychological research,
people use online speech act information to recognize and understand speech acts. In 2008,
Holtgraves investigated whether understanding a sentence such as "Don't forget to go to your
dentist" (an "implicit speech act") implies automatic activation of the speech act performed
(reminding) using a recognition probing test and lexical evaluation test. By measuring accuracy
and reaction times, he found that speech acts are automatically recognized in both written and
spoken utterances. He came to the conclusion that speech acts effectively process conversation
turns by conveying the action a speaker is performing with an utterance (intention) in a single
word (a verb). These systems enable listeners to understand and react correctly while speakers
are able to create and convey their intended messages. Speech acts are cognitive processes that
demand the active involvement of the brain in addition to being linguistic utterances.[6] For
example, memory, attention and conceptualization are the fundamental psychological processes
that support cognition of the utterances. Also, long-term and short-term memory are both
essential: while long-term memory keeps language and linguistic rules, short-term memory
preserves the current context of conversation.[2] Focused attention to the context, the speaker's
aims, and the listener's reactions is necessary for both effective speech production and
comprehension. Furthermore, it is supported by conceptualization which is the process of
coming up with an idea or a purpose behind a speech act, like a request or a promise. The
structural and functional components of language, which include syntax, phonology, semantics,
and pragmatics, are also essential to speech acts. Language's sound system is governed by
phonology, which makes speech acts understandable and communication efficacy is influenced
by intonation, stress, and pronunciation. For example, a query may be indicated by a rising
intonation in English, which is consistent with the illocutionary effect of a request or inquiry.[4]
Additionally, while expressing certain intentions, speech acts highly rely on the semantics of
words and phrases. For instance, "I promise" clearly conveys a commitment through its semantic
content. The usage of pragmatics examines how context determines meaning. Speakers with
pragmatic knowledge are able to recognize that "Can you pass the salad?" is a courteous request
rather than a direct question concerning someone’s ability.
Language plays an immense part in speech acts in a variety of real-world contexts.
According to Bauler C., the subject of pragmatics has expanded to examine speech acts from the
viewpoint of language users by paying attention to societal and cultural issues, as a result of an
increase in cross-cultural studies. Cultural comparisons of speech acts have shed light on the
causes of misunderstandings. Research has also shown that cultural attitudes, values, and beliefs
influence and inspire our language use. Understanding the subtleties of speech acts in cross-
cultural communication might help to avoid misunderstandings and promote productive
exchanges. She makes an example to point out how other languages' expressions of the
connection between indirectness and politeness differ from English's: “When asked whether they
would like some juice, children in other languages, such Portuguese or Spanish, are more likely
to respond with the more straightforward "no," whereas in English, they are required to say "no,
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
ISSN: 2692-5206, Impact Factor: 12,23
American Academic publishers, volume 05, issue 03,2025
Journal:
https://www.academicpublishers.org/journals/index.php/ijai
page 693
thank you."”.[1] Teaching the basics of speech acts to language learners improves their
pragmatic ability, enabling them to employ the target language in a variety of settings. This is
especially important in contexts where students are learning English as a foreign language (EFL),
as they frequently have trouble comprehending and executing speech acts.
CONCLUSION
In summary, the expression of speech acts is a complex process that initiates the smooth fusion
of linguistic and psychological factors. Successful communication in a variety of circumstances
is ensured by these systems which allow people to accurately produce, comprehend, and respond
to speech acts. This analysis may have important future applications for domains such as
language learning, intercultural communication and artificial intelligence.
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2. Cowan N., (2009). What are the differences between long-term, short term, and working
memory?, National Library of Medicine
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2657600/
3. Félix-Brasdefer
C.,
Speech
Acts,
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https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0306452221003742
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https://www.thoughtco.com/speech-act-linguistics-1692119
8. Nordquist R. (2013). Speech-Act Theory: Definition and Examples, ThoughtCo.
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