SPEECH ACTS IN KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN (KFC) ADVERTISEMENTS: A PRAGMATIC STUDY

• ALFITA NUR ALIFATUN AZIZAH
• 2025

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This study aims to examine the use of speech acts in Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) digital advertisements through a pragmatic lens. It focuses on how language in advertisements is not only used to convey messages but also to perform actions that influence consumer perception and behavior. The research is based on J. L. Austin’s (1962) and John Searle’s (1976) speech act theory, which categorizes illocutionary acts into five types: representative, directive, commissive, expressive, and declarative. The study uses a qualitative method and analyzes three KFC advertisements taken from different cultural contexts: the UK, Singapore, and Canada. Each ad was transcribed  and examined using speech act theory to determine how specific utterances serve 
distinct communicative purposes. The analysis also considers the impact of speech acts in shaping audience responses, especially in relation to persuasion, emotional appeal, and symbolic interpretation. The results reveal that speech acts in KFC advertisements are strategically used to inform audiences, motivate actions, build emotional engagement, create promises, and redefine the meaning of everyday moments. These
findings highlight the significant role of pragmatic elements in advertising language
and contribute to a better understanding of how commercial discourse functions in digital media.

Keywords: speech acts, pragmatics, advertising language, KFC, Austin, Searle,
illocutionary acts, consumer behavior

• speech acts
• pragmatics
• advertising language
• KFC
• Austin
• Searle
• illocutionary acts
• consumer beh

https://repository.bsi.ac.id/repo/75213/SPEECH-ACTS-IN-KENTUCKY-FRIED-CHICKEN-(KFC)--ADVERTISEMENTS:-A-PRAGMATIC-STUDY
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