Speech Acts vs. Speech Community

Attribute	Speech Acts	Speech Community
Definition	Utterances that perform an action when spoken	A group of people who share a common language and communication norms
Focus	Individual speech acts and their intended effects	Collective language use and communication patterns within a community
Types	Assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, declarations	Geographical, social, cultural, professional
Context	Dependent on speaker's intentions and beliefs	Dependent on shared knowledge and norms within the community
Role in communication	Focuses on the speaker's actions and intentions	Focuses on the shared understanding and interpretation within the community

Introduction

Speech acts and speech communities are two important concepts in the field of linguistics that help us understand how language functions in society. While speech acts focus on the actions performed through language, speech communities examine how language is used within a specific group of people. In this article, we will compare the attributes of speech acts and speech communities to gain a deeper understanding of their significance in linguistic studies.

Speech Acts

Speech acts refer to the actions that speakers perform through their utterances. This concept was introduced by philosopher J.L. Austin in his work "How to Do Things with Words." Speech acts can be categorized into different types, such as assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations. Each type of speech act serves a specific function in communication and can have different effects on the listener.

• Assertives: These speech acts aim to convey information or make statements about the world.
• Directives: Directives are speech acts that seek to influence the behavior of the listener, such as commands or requests.
• Commissives: Commissives involve commitments or promises made by the speaker.
• Expressives: Expressives express the speaker's feelings or attitudes towards a particular situation.
• Declarations: Declarations bring about a change in the external world through the act of speaking, such as pronouncing someone married or declaring war.

Speech Community

A speech community refers to a group of people who share a common language or dialect and use it to communicate with one another. This concept was developed by sociolinguist Dell Hymes to emphasize the social aspects of language use. Speech communities can be based on various factors, such as geographical location, ethnicity, age, or social class. Members of a speech community often have shared linguistic norms, practices, and values that distinguish them from other groups.

• Geographical Speech Community: This type of speech community is based on the shared language used in a specific region or area.
• Ethnic Speech Community: Ethnic speech communities are formed by people belonging to the same ethnic group who use a common language or dialect.
• Social Class Speech Community: Social class speech communities are defined by the linguistic practices of individuals from similar socioeconomic backgrounds.
• Online Speech Community: With the rise of digital communication, online speech communities have emerged, where individuals interact through various online platforms.

Comparison

While speech acts focus on the individual actions performed through language, speech communities examine how language is used within a group of people. Speech acts are concerned with the illocutionary force of utterances, which refers to the speaker's intention in making a statement. In contrast, speech communities are more concerned with the sociolinguistic aspects of language use, such as dialect variation, language attitudes, and language maintenance.

Speech acts can vary depending on the context in which they are used, as the same utterance can have different illocutionary forces in different situations. In contrast, speech communities provide a broader perspective on language use within a specific group, highlighting the shared norms and practices that shape communication among its members.

Both speech acts and speech communities play a crucial role in understanding how language functions in society. Speech acts help us analyze the intentions behind linguistic expressions, while speech communities shed light on the social and cultural factors that influence language use. By comparing the attributes of speech acts and speech communities, linguists can gain a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of language in social contexts.