AN ANALYSIS OF ILLOCUTIONARY SPEECH ACTS IN INSTAGRAM POSTS AND COMMENTS BY THIRD ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDENTS OF NOMMENSEN HKBP

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the types of illocutionary speech acts found in Instagram posts and comments made by third-semester English Education students at Nommensen HKBP University, as well as to identify the most frequently used type. Utilizing a qualitative descriptive approach, the research focused on understanding and describing naturally occurring language in digital communication without statistical analysis. The qualitative method was selected to explore the meaning and context behind the students' utterances, while the descriptive method allowed for the systematic categorization of speech acts based on Searle’s theory. The findings revealed that out of 40 identified illocutionary acts, 20 were expressives (50%), 12 were assertives (30%), and 8 were directives (20%), while commissives and declaratives were not found in the data. The absence of commissive and declarative acts can be attributed to the informal, personal, and non-institutional nature of Instagram as a social media platform. Commissive acts, which involve promises, offers, or commitments, typically appear in formal or purposeful interactions, which were not the context of these posts. Declarative acts require institutional authority to enact change through language, such as making official announcements or formal decisions—conditions that are generally not present in students’ personal social media use. These results suggest that students predominantly use Instagram as a medium to express emotions, reactions, and build social interactions rather than to state facts or give instructions. The dominance of expressive acts reflects the nature of social media as a space for emotional and interpersonal engagement among users, especially within an academic peer context.