What is a performative?

A performative is a sentence in which the employment of a particular illocutionary force is made explicit by naming the force in the sentence itself.

• What is an illocutionary force indicating device?

Sadock and Zwicky 1985 157

Levinson 1983 244

Crystal 1985 225

Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, and Svartvik 1985 180–181

Grimes, J. 1975:71ff

Context for this page:

• Concept module: performative
• In overview module: Glossary (Linguistics): P
• In modular book: Glossary of linguistic terms, by Eugene E. Loos (general editor), Susan Anderson (editor), Dwight H., Day, Jr. (editor), Paul C. Jordan (editor), and J. Douglas Wingate (editor)
• In bookshelf: Linguistics

This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library, Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003. [Ordering information.]

Page content last modified: 5 January 2004

© 2004 SIL International