 Formal language is characterized by the use of standard

English, more complex sentence structures, infrequent use of

personal pronouns, and lack of colloquial or slang terms.
 Informal language allows the use of nonstandard English
forms, colloquial vocabulary and typically shorter sentence
structures.
 According to Martin Joos (1976), is a linguist who introduced
speech styles, speech style refers to the form of language used
by a speaker in terms of the degree of formality.
 Frozen Speech Style – it is used in very formal situations,
following a pattern that cannot be changed. These are evident
in respectful events and ceremonies. The language used in
the frozen speech style is evident in Scripture and in legal
documents.
 Formal Speech Style – follows patterns and standard
language, but participants can construct their own thoughts
to achieve their goals in the conversation. It also allows the
open exchange of messages among participants while
maintaining a high degree of formality.
 Consultative Speech Style – The consultative speech style is
also evident in organizations as this is used in conducting
business or discussion. The formality is more relaxed and it
takes into consideration the kind of participants present,
giving them a voice and allowing them to communicate in a
language that is more accessible to them. Consultative
speech style is also used in informal situations. The goal in
communication is functional, which means that people
communicate because they want to know or discuss
significant information.
 Casual Speech Style – The engagement becomes even more informal
because this is used for participants who belong in the same group or
circle. Formalities are taken away because these participants are already
familiar with background information about each other. The listener is
focused on the speaker's message rather than how they express it.
 Intimate Speech Style – is closely similar, but what makes intimate
speech style different is the kind of relationship that participants
have. In intimate speech style, participants have very close relationships
with each other, such as significant other, family members, and close
friends. It used very informal, with slang, shortened statements, and
intimate articulations.
 When we communicate, we use language. It is the tool employed in
accomplishing certain kinds of acts which is known as speech acts. In
linguistics, it is an utterance defined in terms of a speaker’s intention
and the effect it has on the speaker, speech acts are different from
physical acts like “eating spaghetti”, or mental acts like “thinking
about eating spaghetti”. Speech acts include promising to eat spaghetti,
asking for spaghetti, ordering someone to eat spaghetti, or requesting
someone to cook spaghetti and so on.
 These are called “communicative acts”, but speech and even language
are not strictly required. We can ask for a plate of spaghetti by pointing
to the platter and miming the act of eating.
 As discussed in communication models, a response, an effect, or an
action is expected the moment a receiver hears a message. Using
speech styles in various speech contexts results in the use of
speech acts.
 According to the speech act theory of J.L. Austin (1975), uttering
words leads to the performance of an act. Aside from constative
utterances, which aim to describe something as true or false,
interactions are abundant with performative utterances.
Performative utterances denote or inspire an action. In speech
acts, the goal in expression is to motivate another person to do
something as a result of the statement or massage.
 When we talk, we do such things as greet, promise, warn, order,
invite, congratulate, advise, thank, insult, and these are known as
speech acts.
 Locutionary act refers to saying something (the locution) with a certain meaning in
traditional sense.
 Two types of Locutionary Act:
1. Utterance act – this is where something is said (or a sound is made) and which
may not have any meaning.
2. Propositional acts – this is where a particular reference is made.
 The act of saying something, its is performed with a certain sense and reference.
This act is a speech act that indicates a performative utterance, as well as the
recipient of such action.
 Locutionary act is further divided into the phonetic act or the production of sound,
the phatic act or the use of words belonging to a certain language rule of usage and
delivery, and the rhetic act or the use of statements with sense and reference to
further understand the meaning of the locutionary act.
 Refers to the act performed in saying something, the act that is expected to be
performed by the recipient of the message is evident in the verb highlighted in the
statements.
 According to Austin (1975) locutionary and illocutionary acts can occur at the same
time.
 The illocutionary force is the speaker’s intent, a true “speech act”. In other words it is
“what is done in uttering the words”.
Kinds of Illocutionary acts
1. COMMAND
Here are two senses for command:
 A command is an illocutionary act that has the directive illocutionary point of getting
another to do or not to do something.
 A command is a syntactic sentence type in a language that is used primarily to
express such illocutionary acts, and is described as having imperative form.
The meaning for the term command does not
appear to extend to such utterances as It’s hot in
here. This utterance might have the intended
perlocutionary effect of getting the addressee to
open a window, but it does not have that as a
directive illocutionary point.

Example:
Open the windows, please.
Would you open the windows please?
2. Complex Illocutionary Act
This kind of illocutionary act has a negated illocutionary force, is
performed conditionally or is conjoined with another illocutionary.
There are three types of complex illocutionary act:
a. Conjunctive Illocutionary Act consists of the performance of two or
more illocutionary acts in one utterance.
Example: Cherrie will go to his dormitory tomorrow, but will he be there? In this
example, there are two illocutionary acts which are assertion and question.
b. Illocutionary Conditional consists of an illocutionary act and a stated
condition for the performance of that act.
Example: If Ramon will be the next candidate for Treasurer, I bet you Php 100 that he
will win.
In this example, the illocutionary act of betting is performed only if the
condition that Ramon is the next candidate for treasurer, is true.
 Refers to the act performed as a consequence of saying something. This is
the action resulting from the locutionary and illocutionary acts combined,
producing the effect of the meaningful intentional utterance.
 It is also refers to the effects in the form of thoughts, imagination, feelings, or
emotions.
 Perlocutionary acts refer to speech acts that have an effect on the feelings,
thoughts or actions of either the speaker or the listener. In other words, they
seek to change or transform minds! In contrast to locutionary acts,
perlocutionary acts are external to the performance. For examples,
persuading, inspiring, encouraging, convincing, scaring, insulting or
deterring,
 "Intuitively, a perlocutionary act is an act performed by saying something,
and not in saying something. Persuading, angering, inciting, comforting and
inspiring are often
 Searle (1969) identified five illocutionary/perlocutionary points:
1. Assertives/Representatives. These are statements that may be judged true or
false because they aim to describe a state of affairs in the world, e.g. affirming
believing, concluding, denying, reporting, describing, etc.
2. Directives. These are statements that attempt to make the other person's actions
fit the propositional content. The speakers try to get their listeners to do something,
e.g. begging, commanding, requesting, ordering, questioning, etc.
3. Commissives. These are statements which commit the speaker to a course of
action as described by the propositional content. The speakers commit themselves
to a future course of action, e.g. promising, guaranteeing, offering, etc.
4. Expressives. These are statements that express the "sincerity condition of the
speech act." The speakers express their feelings, e.g. apologizing, welcoming,
sympathizing, thanking, etc.
5. Declaratives. These are statements that attempt to change the world by
"representing it as having been changed". The speakers utterance brings about a
new external situation, e.g. christening, marrying, resigning, declaring war, etc.