SPEECH ACTS USED IN SUICIDE NOTES

Abstract

This research aims to study speech acts found in suicide notes. The data has been compiled from suicide notes reported by online news website, namely https://www.thairath.co.th, https://www.khaosod.co.th, https://www.dailynews.co.th between 2017 and 2020, totaling 48 items. The data analysis is conducted based on speech acts theory of Searle (1976). The results prove that speech acts in suicide notes can be divided into three groups as follows: 1) assertives, for example, informing; 2) directives, for instance, requesting, instructing and desiring; 3)expressives, for example, apologizing, thanking, complaining, expressing condolences, encouraging, wishing, depressing, and caring. In overall, 133 phrases of speech acts are used in suicide notes. Of those, expressives are mostly found at 65 phrases, accounting for 48.87%, followed by 37 phrases of directives, accounting for 27.82% and 31 phrases of representatives, accounting for 23.31 %.