Language as Manipulation: Pragmatic Functions of Speech Acts in Child Grooming

Hasmawati Hasmawati; Yusri Yusri; Muhammad Anwar; Fitriana Fitriana

doi:10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_6

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Language as Manipulation: Pragmatic Functions of Speech Acts in Child Grooming

Authors

Hasmawati Hasmawati¹^{, *}, Yusri Yusri¹, Muhammad Anwar¹, Fitriana Fitriana²

¹Faculty of Language and Literature, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, 90222, Indonesia

²Faculty of Educational Sciences, Universitas Negeri Makassar, Makassar, 90222, Indonesia

^*Corresponding author. Email: hasmawati@unm.ac.id

Corresponding Author

Hasmawati Hasmawati

Available Online 28 April 2026.

DOI: 10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_6 How to use a DOI?
Keywords: Child Grooming; Pragmatics; Language and Violence; Speech Acts
Abstract: This study investigates manipulative speech acts employed in child grooming practices through a pragmatic lens, highlighting how language serves as a tool for psychological control. The participants in this research included child caregivers such as teachers, family members, and personnel from child protection services who have been involved with cases of child sexual violence. Their narratives and experiences offer valuable secondary insights into the linguistic strategies commonly observed in grooming interactions. The findings reveal that perpetrators utilize four types of manipulative speech acts in these practices: directives, expressive, commissive, and threatening acts. Together, these speech acts constitute a systematic pattern of manipulation that progressively diminishes the victim's agency. This research contributes to the field of pragmatics by mapping the manipulative functions of speech acts within grooming discourse and offers practical implications for prevention efforts. Enhancing linguistic awareness among teachers, families, and child protection professionals can improve early detection of grooming strategies and support interventions aimed at safeguarding children from sexual violence.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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Volume Title: Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Research on Language 2025 (IROLE 2025)
Series: Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research
Publication Date: 28 April 2026
ISBN: 978-2-38476-563-8
ISSN: 2352-5398
DOI: 10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_6 How to use a DOI?
Open Access: Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

Cite this article

ris enw bib

TY  - CONF
AU  - Hasmawati Hasmawati
AU  - Yusri Yusri
AU  - Muhammad Anwar
AU  - Fitriana Fitriana
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/04/28
TI  - Language as Manipulation: Pragmatic Functions of Speech Acts in Child Grooming
BT  - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference of Research on Language 2025 (IROLE 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 47
EP  - 54
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_6
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-563-8_6
ID  - Hasmawati2026
ER  -

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