A Contrastive Study of Speech Act Realization Patterns in Algerian and Jordanian students’ Facebook Status Updates

This research paper analyzed the speech acts used by Algerian and Jordanian students in updating their Facebook status. By analyzing 492 Facebook updates, the present study aims to explore the types of speech acts used in status updates on Algerian and Jordanian Facebook. Moreover, it aims to identify the communicative functions of these speech acts and to investigate whether gender affects the use of speech acts. For this purpose, the status updates were analyzed through Searle’s Speech Act framework (1969). The findings revealed that Algerian and Jordanian students use seven speech acts; directives, assertives, commissives, expressives, declaratives, quotations and poetic verses. In addition, it was found that the speech acts of Algerian and Jordanian students communicate 16 functions; they are: informing, reporting, predicting, commanding, requesting, inviting, asking, wish, congratulating, greeting, thanking, condoling, warning, complaining, and expressing joy and pain.