Directive speech acts in Surah Maryam

فاطمة علي محمد المرغني

 بكلية الآداب والتربية جامعة صبراتة

am4046037@gmail.com

https://orcid.org/0009-0005-2393-6172

Abstract:
This study examines directive speech acts in Surah Maryam from a pragmatic perspective. It aims to classify these acts into two patterns: the requestive (command, prohibition, vocative) and the pragmatic (interrogation, supplication, guidance), and to reveal the impact of context in directing their meanings. The study adopted a descriptive-analytical pragmatic approach, based on Austin and Searle’s speech act theory. The main findings highlight the diversity of directive acts in the Surah, the variation of their illocutionary force depending on the source (divine or human), the transformation of command from obligation to honor or facilitation, the use of interrogation for rebuke and challenge, and the employment of vocative expressions to build an emotional bridge before making a request. The study concludes that Surah Maryam represents a pioneering pragmatic model that reflects the eloquence of Qur’anic discourse in guiding its audience.

Keywords: Speech acts – Directive – Illocutionary – Pragmatics.