The Use of Expressive Illocutionary Act in “Night School” Movie

Language is an important aspect of communication that is used to interact, speak, andexpress feelings. Expressive illocutionary acts are typically the facets of speechactscommonly employed in communication. This study examines the significanceof expressive illocutionary acts in human communication, focusing specifically ontheNight School movie. This study applies a qualitative descriptive approach. Inthisstudy, the concept of expressive illocutionary acts is proposed by Searle andVanderveken’s 1985 theory. Their theory is used as a theoretical frameworkthat guides the investigations carried out. The primary objective of this study is to identifyand analyze the various types of expressive illocutionary acts performed bythecharacters in the Night School movie. The data source for this research comprises thedialogues and interactions among characters in the Night School movie. Datacollection involved watching the movie multiple times to capture and transcribeinstances of expressive illocutionary act. These instances were then analyzedandcategorized according to the types proposed by Searle and Vanderveken’s theory. Thefindings reveal twelve types of expressive illocutionary acts: thanking, apologizing, congratulate, condole, complain, lament, protest, deplore, boast, compliment, praiseand greet. There are 48 data of expressive illocutionary act found by the researcher inthe Night School movie. Through the application of pragmatics, the study offersinsights into the interpretation and understanding of the communicative events withinthe movie, highlighting the importance of expressive illocutionary acts in conveyingemotions and shaping interpersonal dynamics. This research contributes tothebroader field of pragmatics and provides a framework for analyzing expressiveillocutionary acts in movie.