Commissive Speech Acts in the Movie “The Wall -2017-” : A Pragmatic Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31185/wjfh.Vol21.Iss3.1136Keywords:
commissive, offer, pragmatics, promise, speech act, and vow.Abstract
This paper examines commissive speech acts in The Wall (2017), exploring how characters' commitments and promises shape the narrative and thematic elements of the film. Drawing from the field of pragmatics, where commissive speech acts are those in which speakers commit to future actions, this study investigates the role of these acts in conveying themes of alienation, rebellion, and self-destruction. By employing a pragmatic analysis of selected dialogue scenes, the research identifies and categorizes various types of commissive acts, such as promises, vows, and offers, and analyzes how they reflect the psychological states of the characters, particularly the protagonist, Pink. Through this approach, the study reveals how these speech acts function not only as communicative tools but also as vehicles for emotional and thematic expression. The findings suggest that commissive acts are integral to understanding the characters' motivations and their interactions with their environment, offering a deeper insight into the emotional and ideological conflicts portrayed in the film. Ultimately, this paper contributes to the intersection of pragmatics and film studies by demonstrating how the study of speech acts can enrich our understanding of cinematic storytelling.
Downloads
References
Abass, A. H. (2020). A pragmatic study of speech act of advice in selected English and Arabic children’s stories. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities, 10(1), 314–322. https://scholar.google.com/citations?view_op=view_citation&hl=en&user=qb3f6fwAAAAJ&authuser=2&citation_for_view=qb3f6fwAAAAJ:u5HHmVD_uO8C
Al-Qahtani, M. (2015). The speech act of apology in American movies. International Journal of Linguistics, 7(1), 1–17.
Al-Shalabi, N., & Zibin, A. (2018). A pragmatic analysis of speech acts in the film American Sniper. International Journal of Linguistics, 10(3), 100–110.
Austin, J. L. (1962). How to do things with words. Oxford University Press.
Brown, G., & Yule, G. (1983). Discourse analysis: The role of context in interpretation. Cambridge University Press.
Cutting, J. (2002). Pragmatics and discourse: A resource book for students. Routledge.
Frank, M. (1972). Modern English: A practical reference guide. Prentice-Hall.
Halliday, M. A. K., & Hasan, R. (1989). Language, context, and text: Aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective. Oxford University Press.
Hasan, A., & Jabbar, A. (2018). The function of language. Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, University of Al-Qadissiya, College of Education, Department of English.
Humaniora Scientia. (2022). Online Journal on Linguistics, Literature, and Translation, 8(1).
Katamba, F. (1997). English words. Routledge.
Kreidler, C. W. (1998). Introducing English semantics. Routledge.
Lambert, V. A., & Lambert, C. E. (2012). Qualitative descriptive research: An acceptable design. Pacific Rim International Journal of Nursing Research, 16(4), 255–256.
Leech, G. N. (1983). Principles of pragmatics (30th ed.). Longman.
Levinson, S. C. (1983). Pragmatics. Cambridge University Press.
Mey, J. L. (1993). Pragmatics: An introduction. Blackwell.
Peccei, J. S. (1999). Pragmatics. Routledge.
Safwat, S. (2015). Speech act in political speeches. Journal of Modern Education Review, 5(7), 699–706. https://doi.org/10.15341/jmer(2155-7993)/07.05.2015/008
Searle, J. R. (1979). Expression and meaning: Studies in the theory of speech acts. Cambridge University Press.
Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics. Oxford University Press.
Yule, G. (1996). Pragmatics (Oxford introduction to language study). Oxford University Press.
.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 م.م.آية حسين عباس، م.م. قتيبة مهند مهدي، ا.د. أنسام يعرب، م.م. أحمد سعد ذياب

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

