A Speech Act Analysis of Harvey Specter’s Conversation with The Male Characters in Suits

Authors

  • Kayne Hanson Laksmono Petra Christian University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.9744/katakita.14.2.197-201

Keywords:

speech acts, linguistic, utterances

Abstract

Speech acts are the most basic element of linguistic study to communicate effectively since it conveys the true intention of a word or a message to the listener. Speech acts are also crucial parts in communication since it becomes the connector between the speaker and the listener. Speech acts help us to understand and interpret the true meaning of every utterance. This research mainly focuses on locutionary and illocutionary.  Utterances spoken by Harvey Specter to Louis Litt and Mike Ross in a Netflix series called Suits were qualitatively analyzed using types of speech acts, namely assertive, commissive, declarative, expressive, directive (Searle, 1969). In Harvey’s utterances to both male characters, the three types of speech acts are found.

References

Austin, J. L. (1962). How To Do Things With Words. Oxford University Press.

Brown, P. (n.d.). Harvey Specter Negotiation Tactics | Leverage is Everything. The Negotiation Club. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://www.thenegotiationclubs.com/blog/harvey-specter-on-negotiation

TV series. http://dewey.petra.ac.id/jiunkpe_dg_6266.html

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.

Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research Methods in Applied Linguistics: Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methodologies. OUP Oxford.

Searle, J. (1969). Speech Acts An Essay in The Philosophy of Language. Cambridge University Press.

Suits (TV Series 2011–2019) - Plot. (n.d.). IMDb. Retrieved July 2, 2025, from https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1632701/plotsummary/

Pilot - Transcript | Suits Wiki | Fandom. (n.d.). Suits Wiki. Retrieved September 29, 2025, from https://suits.fandom.com/wiki/Pilot_-_Transcript

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Published

2026-07-02

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 2 (2026):

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Kayne Hanson Laksmono

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