A Pragmatic Analysis of Illocutionary Acts and Identity Construction in KATSEYE’s EP SIS (Soft Is Strong)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24256/ideas.v14i2.10285Keywords:
identity construction, illocutionary acts, KATSEYEAbstract
This study investigates the types and functions of illocutionary acts in KATSEYE’s debut EP, SIS (Soft Is Strong), and examines how these acts contribute to identity construction and thematic progression across its five tracks. A qualitative descriptive approach was employed using Searle’s (1979) theory of illocutionary acts. The data were analyzed at the utterance level using the interactive model of data analysis proposed by Miles et al. (2014). The analysis identified 67 unique utterances comprising four types of illocutionary acts: assertive, expressive, directive, and commissive, while no declarative acts were identified. Assertive acts were the most frequent, with 40 occurrences (59.7%), followed by expressive acts with 16 (23.9%), directive acts with seven (10.4%), and commissive acts with four (6.0%). Across the tracks, the functions of these acts varied. These findings show that illocutionary acts contribute to identity construction not only through their categories but also through the different communicative functions they perform across the EP. The study also shows that examining the tracks as a connected text provides insight into how illocutionary patterns support thematic progression.
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