Written Test

WRITTEN TEST
Mutilple Choice Questions :

1. A
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. B
8. B
9. C
10. B
Written Questions :
1.
- Difference between Locutionary, Illocutionary and
Perlocutionary Acts :
 Locutionary act: This is the act of producing
sounds, words, or phrases that make up an
utterance. It is concerned with the literal
meaning of the sentence. Example: "It’s raining
outside" — the locutionary act involves making a
statement about the weather.
 Illocutionary act: This is the speaker's intention

in delivering the locution. It refers to what the
speaker is trying to achieve by saying something
(e.g., requesting, promising, warning). Example:
"It’s raining outside" — the illocutionary act
might be a suggestion to take an umbrella or
cancel plans.
 Perlocutionary act: This is the effect the speech

act has on the listener, such as persuading,
scaring, or making someone act. It's the
consequence or reaction caused by the speech.
Example: "It’s raining outside" — the
perlocutionary act might be that the listener
grabs an umbrella or decides not to go out.
2. Performative Hypothesis and Explicit Performatives

- The performative hypothesis is a linguistic theory
that deals with the nature of performative
utterances, which are statements that do not just
describe a situation but also perform an action
through the act of speaking. For example, when
someone says, "I promise to help you," they are
not just describing the act of promising, but
actually making a promise.
- An explicit performative is a statement where the
performative verb (like "promise," "apologize,"
"declare") is overtly expressed. For example, in the
sentence: "I apologize for being late," the verb
"apologize" explicitly indicates that the speaker is
performing the action of apologizing.
- Relation : The performative hypothesis posits that
even non-performative sentences have an
underlying structure similar to explicit
performatives. For example, the statement: "You
are invited to the party," might implicitly be
understood as "I hereby invite you to the party."
This theory implies that many sentences, even
ones that don’t overtly appear performative, carry
an implicit structure akin to the structure of explicit
performatives, with a hidden performative verb like
"I declare" or "I state."
3. Two of Searle's Speech Act Classifications
- Directives: These are speech acts where the
speaker tries to get the listener to do something.
Examples include requests, commands, and
suggestions. Example: "Could you close the
window?" (request).
- Commissives: These acts commit the speaker to a
future course of action. Examples include
promises, vows, and threats. Example: "I promise
to help you move next weekend."
4. Difference Between Direct and Indirect Speech Acts
- Direct speech acts: The structure of the
sentence directly matches its function. The
speaker's intention is clear and corresponds to the
literal meaning.
Example: "Close the door." (command)
- Indirect speech acts: The sentence form doesn’t
directly match its intended function. The speaker’s
intention is implied, and the listener has to infer
the intended meaning.
Example: "It’s getting cold in here." (The intended
meaning is likely to request the listener to close
the door or window).
5. Felicity Conditions and Their Importance in Speech
Act Theory
- Felicity conditions are the conditions that must be
met for a speech act to be appropriate and
successful. If these conditions are not met, the
speech act may be considered infelicitous or
unsuccessful. These conditions typically include
the appropriateness of the speaker, the context,
and the authority to perform the act. Importance:
Felicity conditions ensure that speech acts function
as intended in a given social context. For example,
the act of christening a baby can only be felicitous
if performed by someone authorized to do so in the
correct setting.
6.
6.1 :
- Scalar implicatures occur when a speaker chooses
a weaker term on a scale, implying that a stronger
one doesn't apply. The listener infers that the
speaker intends to convey more than what is
explicitly stated.
- Example 1: "Some of the cookies were eaten."
(implicature: Not all of the cookies were eaten).
- Example 2: "I did most of the homework."
(implicature: I didn’t do all of the homework).
6.2 :
1. Utterance: "David regrets getting Mary
pregnant."
- Presupposition: David got Mary pregnant.
- Type: Factive presupposition (triggered by the verb
"regrets," which implies the truth of the embedded
clause).
2. Utterance: "Mr. David pretended to be happy
with students’ results."
- Presupposition: Mr. David wasn’t actually happy
with the students' results.
- Type: Counterfactual presupposition (triggered by
"pretended," implying the opposite of the stated
emotion).
3. Utterance: "If I were younger, I would choose
another job."
- Presupposition: The speaker is not young.
- Type: Counterfactual presupposition (conditional
statement implying the opposite of what is stated).
4. Utterance: "Where did they buy the laptop?"
- Presupposition: They bought a laptop.
- Type: Existential presupposition (the existence of
the laptop is presupposed).
5. Utterance: "They started running after they had
heard a strange noise from the wood."
- Presupposition: They heard a strange noise from
the wood.
- Type: Temporal presupposition (triggered by the
use of "after").

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WRITTEN TEST

Mutilple Choice Questions :

 Illocutionary act: This is the speaker's intention

 Perlocutionary act: This is the effect the speech

2. Performative Hypothesis and Explicit Performatives

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