The Illocutionary Force of Indirect Speech Acts in Qur’anic Discourse (Examples from the Story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him)

Abstract

This study examines the illocutionary force of indirect speech acts in Qur’anic discourse, through an applied analysis of selected examples from the Holy Qur’an, specifically from the story of Prophet Abraham (peace be upon him). The research is structured into two main sections: a theoretical section and an applied section.

The theoretical section discusses the concept of the speech act and the indirect speech act, as well as the concept of illocutionary force. The applied section, in turn, investigates the directive speech acts — namely command, interrogation, and vocative forms — by treating them as indirect linguistic acts that carry illocutionary force within discourse. This illocutionary force conveys implicit meanings and intentions that are revealed through interpretation and exegesis.