Directive
In some classifications of speech acts, a directive is an utterance whose aim is to get other people to do what the speaker asked to do. The linguistic means may be grammatical (e.g., commands), semantic (appropriate vocabulary, e.g., please) or phonological (e.g., persuasive intonation patterns) [Crystal, 147].
John Searle described directives in 1975 as one of five basic speech acts. In his approach, speech acts are defined by a certain fit between words and the world. Directives are the class of speech acts that attempt a hearer to do something by speaker's ask. The basic definition of directives is a try to get people to do things [2].
A directive is used when a speaker attempts to get a listener to do something, typically for the advantage of themselves.
There are different ways to achieve this. Normally, it depends on what the speaker actually wants from the listener. In accordance with Searle’s speech act classification, there are several types of directives:
1. Asking or questioning.
Refers to when a speaker poses a question and waits for a reply.
2. Requesting.
Requesting is used by the speaker to get something (as a thing, a help, etc) from the listener.
3. Ordering or commanding.
Refers to a situation when a speaker tells the listener to do (or not do) something. It may be persuasive or manipulative.
4. Begging.
Begging is used when the speaker really wants something from the listener. It is said in a more desperate tone than simply requesting.
5. Inviting.
Refers to when someone entices someone else to do something or go somewhere.
6. Suggesting or advising.
Refers to when the speaker recommends something to the listener [3].
⠀ 1. David Crystal. (2008). A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics, 6th Edition. New-Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
⠀ 2. Retrieved from: http://communication.iresearchnet.com/language-and-social-interaction/directives/
⠀ 3. Retrieved from: https://www.studysmarter.us/explanations/english/pragmatics/directives/