Topic 1 worksheet 1

TOPIC 1: WORKSHEET 1

1. Discuss the intended meaning of the following utterances and say whether there is a mismatch between the literal meaning and the intended meaning (i.e whether you are facing a direct or an indirect speech act); it will help you to imagine the context of situation where the utterances may be situated:

1. Would you like me to pick you up at eight. (to his wife)

• Intended meaning: to wife his wife a lift to take her somewhere else (illocution)
• Literal meaning: to elevate her (locution)
• Speech act: direct speech act

1. I won’t be there before 9:00 o’clock

• Intended meaning: I will be late (illocution)
• Literal meaning: it won’t be possible for me to arrive there before 9:00 o’clock (locution)
• Speech act: indirect speech act

1. This is a no smoking zone (in a public building)

• Intended meaning: you can’t smoke here (illocution)
• Literal meaning in this zone smoking is not allowed (locution)
• Speech act: indirect speech act

1. Do you know about our offer on oil? (in a petrol station)

• Intended meaning: to tell the client about the offer (illocution)
• Literal meaning: ask about the offer (locution)
• Speech act: indirect speech at

1. Discuss the following pairs with regard to their differences as performative utterances or non-performative utterances and as direct or indirect speech acts:

1. a. Wash the dishes! - Performative/Direct speech act

1. I order you to wash the dishes - Performative/ Direct speech act

1. a. I won’t be late - Non-performative/Direct speech act

1. I promise that I won’t be late - Performative/Direct speech act

C) a. Don’t come close to me - Performative /Direct speech act

1. I warn you not to come close to me - Performative/Direct speech act

1. a. Please close the door - Performative/ Direct speech act

1. I request you to please close the door - Performative/Direct speech act

1. a. What time is it? - Performative/Indirect speech act

1. Can you tell me the time? Performative/Indirect speech act
2. I’ve no idea what time is it? - Non-performative/Direct

1. Identify the speech event type of the following exchange:

1. So I was wondering would you be in my office on Monday by any chance? Probably not - Expressive Speech act
2. Hmm yes - Commisive Speech Act

1. You would? - Expressive Speech act
2. Yeah - Comissive Speech Act

A) So if we came by you could give us ten minutes of your time? - Expressive Speech act

1. Compare the following two warnings appearing on the brown paper wrapping bags that the OLLB (Ontario Liqour Licening Broad) provides its customers:

(English): Don’t drink and drive

(French): Si vous bouvez, ne conduisez pas.

What is the illocutionary force involved? Is there a difference between the English and the French texts? If so, what is the difference?

Both sentences have a Directive Illocutionary Force. Nevertheless, there is a difference: for the English sentence, we find it written as an statement, kind of an order. While, for the French sentence, it is a conditional sentence more than a command one.

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