Illocutionary Acts in Movie “She’s The Man” By Andy Fickman

Abstract

This study investigates the types and functions of illocutionary acts performed by characters in Andy Fickman’s She’s the Man (2006), applying Searle’s (1979) taxonomy within a qualitative descriptive framework. The research aims to identify, classify, and interpret how illocutionary acts construct the film’s narrative, gender dynamics, and comedic tension. Data were collected through detailed transcription of dialogues, triangulated between subtitles and original audio, and coded according to five categories: representatives, directives, expressives, commissives, and declaratives. This study addresses two research questions: (1) Identify and classify the types of illocutionary acts present in the movie She’s the Man by Andy Fickman (2) Determine which type(s) of illocutionary acts are dominant in the film dialogue.  The findings indicate that directives (35,8%) and assertives (32,6%) dominate the film’s illocutionary landscape, reflecting characters’ attempts to influence actions and express beliefs. Expressives, commissives, and declaratives occur less frequently but serve pivotal functions at emotional or narrative turning points.