ILLOCUTIONARY ACTS IN “MODERN VILLAINESS: IT'S NOT EASY BUILDING A CORPORATE EMPIRE BEFORE THE CRASH VOL. 5”, A STUDY OF ASSERTIVE AND DIRECTIVE SPEECH ACTS IN CORPORATE AND POWER DYNAMICS

Abstract

This research explores the use of illocutionary acts in the light novel Modern Villainess: It's Not Easy Building a Corporate Empire Before the Crash Vol. 5. The study identifies five types of illocutionary acts—assertives, directives, commissives, expressives, and declarations—in Critical conversations. Through qualitative analysis, the research revealed that among such varieties, assertives and directives Dominate interactions, especially within business negotiations and personal power struggles. Each speech act represents the character dynamics and plot development of the story. The most frequent speech acts are directives and assertives. These include commands within a corporate context and utterances stating authority over the matter. From this, one should be able to derive how language is used to influence and shape relationships in the story.