One
subtype of speech acts is that of direct speech. A direct speech act is defined
as one in which only the illocutionary force and propositional content
literally expressed by the lexical items and syntactic form of the utterance
are communicated. What this means, essentially, is that in a direct speech act,
only necessary words and word-orderings are used to convey a message.
Brown
and Levinson (1987: p.66) cite some common uses of direct speech:
a) Commands/requests. (e.g. Open the door please!)
b) Suggestions/advice. (e.g. You should not do that again)
) Expressions of
disagreement or disapproval. (e.g. I do
not agree with you)
However, because direct speech is employed for maximal
efficiency, it is meant to satisfy a speaker’s desires, the addressee’s wants
are sometimes overlooked, which may result in the addressee taking offence.
Offending the listener is undesirable and can be construed as aggressive, while
the purpose of speech acts is to gain compliance. Thus, direct speech is
avoided when possible and supplanted by indirect speech (Brown & Levinson,
1987: p.60).
