ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN GREENFIELD’S LET’S BE COPS: TYPES, FORCES AND FUNCTIONS

Abstract

This pragmatic study has two objectives: 1) to identify the types of illocutionary acts so as to reveal

their forces, and 2) to describe the directness and indirectness of expressing the illocutionary acts. To achieve the objectives,  the  principles  of  pragmatics  on  illocutionary  acts  as  the  theoretical  foundation was  adopted. Furthermore, qualitative method was employed to scrutinize the data which were taken from the main characters’ utterances  of  Let’s  Be  Cops.  The  data  were  in  the  form of  words,  phrases,  and sentences  while  the  context  of  the data was in the form of utterances in dialogues. Then, to achieve trustworthiness of the research, peer review triangulation was utilized. The research reveals that 1) there are  four  types  of  illocutionary  act  employed  by  the main characters, namely representative, directive, commissive, and expressive. Each type is expressed through various kinds of force. The data shows that there are new forces that emerge from each type. Forces emerging from representative are asserting, stating, informing,  and  clarifying.  Forces  of  directive  are  commanding,  warning,  and  inviting.    Forces    of commissive  are  promising,  refusing,  and  threatening.  Forces  of  expressive  are  greeting, thanking, and apologizing. Furthermore regarding the second objective, it can be inferred that direct acts convey a literal meaning and is articulated through various types, i.e., representative, directive, commissive, and expressive. Meanwhile, indirect acts convey an implied meaning and is expressed through representative and directive.

Keywords: illocutionary act, types, forces, functions, Greenfield’s Let’s Be Cop