Directive Speech Act among Teachers in Teaching Tamil

Abstract

This study investigates the use of directive speech acts by Tamil language teachers in primary schools within a first language (L1) instructional context. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, data were collected through classroom audio recordings and semi-structured interviews with five teachers across five Tamil schools in Klang district, Malaysia. The findings revealed that directive speech acts are widely employed by teachers, primarily in the Imperative and Question Directive forms, with Attention Getters being the most frequently used subcategory. Less frequent were Suggestion, Prohibition, Embedded Imperative, and Hints, with the latter showing the lowest occurrence owing to its indirect and ambiguous nature. The results also demonstrate that teachers prioritise clarity in communication to prevent misunderstandings, often opting for direct and indirect forms. This study highlights the role of pragmatic competence in effective classroom communication and provides a foundation for further research on Tamil language education in L1 settings. It also underscores the need for expanded investigation at other educational levels, such as secondary schools, to broaden the understanding of directive speech act usage in vernacular language instruction.