earticle

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This study aims to show the communicative effectiveness by using negative sentences as an indirect speech act conveying various meanings in the course of communication. First, the study took an overview of the speech act theory, and then explained the difference between a direct speech act and an indirect speech act. Second. it discussed four types of negative sentences used as an indirect speech act, such as negative declarative sentences, negative interrogative sentences, negative imperative sentences, and negative exclamatory sentences. Third, it discussed about the relation of an indirect speech act and politeness based on the theory of Lakoff and Brown & Levinson. Fourth, the discussion about the communicative effectiveness by the use of negative sentences as an indirect speech act is as follows. 1) Negative declarative sentences are often used to indirectly express ‘suggestion’, ‘refusal’, ‘recommendation’, ‘request’, ‘reproach’ etc, decreasing the face threat of the listener, from which the listener gets comfort easily. 2) Negative interrogative sentences are frequently used to euphemistically express ‘reproach’, ‘recommendation’, ‘refutation, ‘protest’ etc rather than ‘question’, which brings about communicative effectiveness by decreasing the face threat of the listener. 3) Negative imperative sentences are also used for expressing indirectly and euphemistically ‘suggestion’, ‘warning’, ‘advice’, ‘recommendation’ etc rather than ‘order’, which tends to decrease the listener’s psychological stress and burden, through which the listener easily accepts the delivered contents. 4) Negative exclamatory sentences are very often used to indirectly and softly express ‘self consolness’, ‘complaint’, ‘monologue’, ‘ridicule’, ‘reproach’, ‘comfort’ etc, decreasing the threat of either the speaker’s face or the listener’s face, which brings about the communicative effectiveness. The conclusion is that the use of negative sentences as an indirect speech act is an useful tool for communicative effectiveness in the course of daily communication.