Speech Acts and Direct Gratitude in Denzel Washington's "Fences": A Pragmatic Analysis

Abstract

This study examines the use of direct gratitude as a speech act in Fences, directed by Denzel Washington, through the lens of pragmatic theory. Speech acts and expressions of gratitude play a vital role in revealing how characters construct and negotiate social and emotional meanings within interpersonal interactions. Drawing on Speech Acts Theory, this research seeks to identify the types of speech acts employed to express direct gratitude and to analyze their communicative functions in the film’s social and familial contexts. The study addresses two key questions: (1) Which types of speech acts are present in the expressions of direct gratitude in Fences? and (2) Which type occurs most frequently? It is hypothesized that expressive, assertive, and commissive speech acts appear in instances of direct gratitude, with expressive acts being the most dominant. The findings contribute to understanding how gratitude functions pragmatically as a means of reinforcing relationships and emotional coherence in cinematic discourse.