Abstract:Speech Act Theory was first put forward by John L. Austin and further developed by John R. Searle. With the development of pragmatics, Speech Act Theory is favored by  many linguists and is applied to the analysis of literary works. Based on Searle’s Speech Act Theory and the conversations in The Modern Family, this paper will focus on the analysis and explanations of the illocutionary acts through specific examples - conversations in The Modern Family as assertives, directives, commissives, expressives and declarations. From these five aspects, the paper will illustrate different family members have different speech acts and show that people can ease the conflict among characters and express interpersonal relationships via illocutionary acts.

Key Words: Speech Act Theory, Illocutionary Acts, Interpersonal relationship

Contents

摘要

Abstract

Introduction.1

1 Classification of Speech Acts.2

1.1Three Levels of Speech Acts.2

1.2 Classification of Illocutionary Acts.2

2 Analysis of Illocutionary Acts in The Modern Family.3

2.1 Conversations in The Modern Family as Assertives3

2.2 Conversations in The Modern Family as Directives4

2.3 Conversations in The Modern Family as Commissives.5

2.4 Conversations in The Modern Family as Expressives.6

2.5 Conversations in The Modern Family as Declarations7

Conclusion8

Works Cited9

Bibliography10

Acknowledgements.11