A Speech Act Analysis of Governor Nyesom Wike’s 2015 Inaugural Address

This study sought to analyse Governor Wike’s 2015 inaugural address using Speech Act Theory. Twenty (20) selected utterances from the speech were analyzed to find out how the speaker deployed speech acts that are germane to the psychological context of the speech, occasioned by the past administration. Hinging on J. L. Austin’s (1962) Speech Act Theory as well as Searle’s (1969) Speech Act Typology, the study revealed that the speaker used four speech acts: expressive, assertive, commissive and directive acts. The Governor used the expressive act nine (9) times which accounted for 45%, due to the Governor’s intention to express his disappointment, anger and dissatisfaction over the last administration. Assertive act occurred seven (7) times and this accounted for 35 % because the Governor is poised to inform the listeners about the ineptitude of the previous government and pledged to make a new Rivers State through Commissive act which occurred three (3) times and accounted for 15%. And finally, directive occurred once in the speech and accounted for 5 %. This act was used by the Governor to instruct the listeners that all hands must be on deck to move the State forward. The study concludes that speech acts have intentional contents which are products of speaker-hearer shared knowledge, and persuasive use of language in political speeches presupposing the use of different communicative strategies.

Inaugural address, Governor Wike, Speech act, Expressive act and Rivers State

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