ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN SELECTED ISLAMIC SERMONS OF DOCTOR ABDULFATTAH ADEYEMI

ABSTRACT This study investigated illocutionary acts in selected Islamic sermons of Dr. Abdulfattah Adeyemi. The research aimed to examine how language is pragmatically used in religious discourse to convey Islamic teachings, moral guidance, and address contemporary social issues. Six sermons were purposively selected and transcribed from both audio and video formats. They are classified into some categories based on Searle’s (1975) taxonomy of the Speech Acts theory. The finding of the study revealed five illocutionary acts; assertives, directives, expressives, commissives and declaratives, the illocutionary type of assertives is the most frequent types of illocutionary act appeared in the sermons, i.e., 349 utterances or 49.5% with ten functions; Informing, stating, describing, reminding, explaining, claiming, affirming, predicting, reassuring and concluding, then, the second most frequently types of illocutionary act appeared in the sermons was the illocutionary appeared in the sermon was directives, i.e., 218 utterances or 29.31% with eleven functions; Advising, commanding, urging, instructing, encouraging, suggesting, inviting, asking, recalling, begging and warning, then, the illocutionary type of expressives occurred in 149 utterances or 21.66% with 9 functions; Appreciating, regretting, praying, praising, expressing hope, complaining, apologizing, confessing and sympathizing. The fourth illocutionary type of commissives are found in 3 utterances or 0.42% with 3 functions; Promising, withdrawing and submitting, then, the last least illocutionary types appeared in 1 utterance or 0.42% with one function; Expelling. This study implies the need for knowledge distribution of Searle’s classic speech acts concept within the scope of other contemporary Muslim preachers. Keywords: Illocutionary act; Dr Abdulfattah Adeyemi, pragmatics, religious discourse, speech act.