Speech Events

A speech event is an activity in which participants interact via language in some conventional way to arrive at some outcome. It may include an obvious central/master speech act, such as 'I won't go anywhere', as in a speech event of refusal, but it will also include other utterances leading up to and subsequently reacting to that central action. In most cases, requests, refusals, invitations are not made by means of a single speech act suddenly uttered, but are typically speech events

The analysis of speech events is a way of studying how more gets communicated than is said.

The usefulness of speech act analysis is in illustrating the kinds of things we can do with words and identifying some of the conventional utterance forms we use to perform specific actions.

Examples of Speech Events Request

• Oh, Pete, I'm glad you're here.

• What's up?

• I can't get my printer to work.

• Is it broken?

• I don't think so.

• What's it doing?

• I don't know. I'm useless with machines.

• What kind is it?

• It's a ……. Do you use them?

• Yeah.

• Do you have a minute?

• Sure.

• Oh, great.

This extended interaction may be called a 'requesting' speech event without a central speech act of request. There is no actual request to do anything. We might characterize the question 'Do you have a minute?' as a 'pre-request', allowing the receiver to say that she's busy or that she has to be somewhere else. In this context, the response 'Sure' is taken to be an acknowledgement not only of having time available, but a willingness to perform the unstated action.

Compliment

1.

• Hi Ann, how are you?

• Fine.

• What a beautiful blouse.

• Oh thanks, it is, isn't it? Mum gave it to me for my birthday.

• I see.

• Mmm… So what will we start with?

2.

• I'm not sure I like my new haircut. (the compliment elicitation move)

• Why, I like it…

Compliments, as speech acts, are classified as expressives. The speech event of compliment includes the entire interaction. Compliments often occur between the opening and the first topic of conversation. They also occur in preclosings. Compliment structure consists of both optional and obligatory patterns: (compliment solicit) compliment act + acknowledgment (agree / deny / redirect focus) + bridge. Parts of the event are optional (compliment elicitation, agreement, thanks); and parts are obligatory (compliment statement, acknowledgment, bridge). Compliments have several functions. They help

1. establish rapport and smooth the transition from greeting to the first topic of conversation;

2. reinforce and encourage good performance;

3. show thanks;

4. soften criticism.

The functions of compliments are very similar across languages; however, when and where compliments are appropriate are language- or culture-specific.