The Power of Directive Speech Acts in EFL Classroom Interaction

DOI

10.2991/iconelt-17.2018.4How to use a DOI?

Keywords

directive speech acts; classroom interaction

Abstract

This paper is written to reveal the performance of directive speech acts by an English teacher in SMAN 1 Kediri, Indonesia. This speech act type is worth analyzing as this speech act frequently occurs in classroom interaction. Three points that become the focus of analysis are the type, function, and the strategy use in issuing directives. Using observation and note taking, this qualitative study suggests that directive speech act takes the dominant role in classroom interaction. It is performed in three types namely, question, command, and suggestion with various structures categorized under interrogative, imperative, and declarative. The pedagogical functions represented by the teacher's directives are as asking for confirmation, asking question, elicitation, checking knowledge, checking comprehension, asking for clarification, asking for repetition, and checking learning, ordering the students to do something, calling attention, wishing something to happen, nominating the students, commanding, instructing, grouping, guiding, stimulating, and correcting the students' error and lastly, suggestion. The directive performance by the teacher is considered polite and appropriate even though imperative production exists. The reason is because of the relative status in which the teacher as a superior has the right or authority in using imperative. Other indicators of being polite is the use of politeness marker 'please', the word 'try', and also gentle intonation. The use of interrogative and declarative, being indirect, also increase politeness. In short, the EFL classroom interaction in SMAN 1 Kediri reflects Searle's and Holmes' view of directive speech act.

Copyright

© 2018, the Authors. Published by Atlantis Press.

Open Access

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Sulistyani Sulistyani
PY  - 2017/08
DA  - 2017/08
TI  - The Power of Directive Speech Acts in EFL Classroom Interaction
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on English Language Teaching (ICONELT 2017)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 16
EP  - 20
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/iconelt-17.2018.4
DO  - 10.2991/iconelt-17.2018.4
ID  - Sulistyani2017/08
ER  -