Performative verbs are
verbs
A verb () is a word (part of speech) that in syntax generally conveys an action (''bring'', ''read'', ''walk'', ''run'', ''learn''), an occurrence (''happen'', ''become''), or a state of being (''be'', ''exist'', ''stand''). In the usual descrip ...
carried out simply by means of uttering them aloud. When a judge sentences someone to jail time, for example, the action is completed when he or she says, ''"I hereby sentence you to five years in prison,"'' or the like. Compare this with the sentence, ''"I run every day,"'' in which the verb "run" merely ''represents'' the action of moving quickly.
Other examples
''We order the defendant to pay damages in the amount of $20,000.''
''I move for a mistrial.''
''I quit.''
''I resign.''
''I do.'' (wedding vow)
Identification
One can identify a performative verb by using the "Hereby" Test. In English, only performative verbs may be preceded by "hereby" while other verbs in the same context are unacceptable.
For example, in the sentences below, 1 and 2 differ only in the verb and both are acceptable. In the corresponding pair, 3 and 4, the use of "hereby" before the non-performative verb ''see'' is not coherent because the action of seeing is not performed simply by its utterance.
# I confer this award
# I see this award
# I hereby confer this award
# I hereby see this award
See also
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Performative utterance
In the philosophy of language and speech acts theory, performative utterances are sentences which not only describe a given reality, but also change the social reality they are describing.
In a 1955 lecture series, later published as ''How to D ...
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Speech act
References
Verb types
Semantics
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