Speech Acts and Text Structures in Communication

Classification of Speech Acts

Perlocutionary Acts: This refers to the effect produced by uttering a statement. For example, the recipient's execution of an order. For instance, if someone is told to "close the window," the perlocutionary act is the actual closing of the window.

Types of Speech Acts

Directives: The speaker intends to make the listener perform an action. Examples include:

• Requesting
• Ordering
• Asking
• Requiring
• Resolving

Commissives: In this type of act, the speaker is committed in varying degrees to perform an action. We are dealing with speech acts such as:

• Promise
• Swear
• Gamble

Expressives: The sender expresses an emotion, physical, or emotional state. Speech acts of this type are:

• To congratulate
• To thank
• To complain
• To say hello

Declaratives: These are acts where the speaker makes an immediate change in some aspect of reality. They are often the result of a formal process or analysis by the speaker. For example, statements that serve to:

• Open a session
• Declare a couple husband and wife
• Fire a person

Public Discourse: Heterogeneous Texts

Heterogeneous texts are a combination of two types of sequences: enclosures (which incorporate other sequences within them) and secondary or embedded (which appear within another sequence and fulfill a specific function).

Types of Heterogeneous Texts

Descriptive Texts

Descriptive texts aim to represent the real world with words, by detailing the characteristics of an object. In terms of structure, they are characterized by the following steps:

• Topic: The object being described.
• Aspectualization: Distinguishing the parts of the object being described.
• Contextualization: Positioning the object in relation to the outside world, regarding its place and time of insertion, and adjacent objects that define it, as well as the relationships it can develop with other objects and concepts.
• Theming: Any part of the description can become a new topic for further description.

Explanatory Texts

Explanatory texts consist of clarifying an idea or concept for the interlocutor, resolving confusion. It implies a shared context between the communicators where clarification is needed. It is characterized by the existence of the following phases:

• Initial Phase: Arises from a complex or confusing subject that requires explanation.
• Response Phase: Attempts to provide clarity and answers, often summarized by addressing "why."
• Resolution Phase: The purpose is clear and understood.

Narrative Texts

Narrative texts involve chaining facts together to form a story. The characteristic of their structure is that it presents the following parts:

• Initial Situation: It depicts or describes a character or situation in a moment of equilibrium or stability.
• Complication or Break: An unexpected event interrupts the initial balance of the character or the situation.