Performative vs. Constative — What's the Difference?

Speech that performs an action merely by being spoken.

Relating to statements that express a situation or state a fact.

Relating to or denoting an utterance by means of which the speaker performs a particular act.

Language used to describe facts or reality.

A performative action carried out through uttering words.

A type of constative statement that asserts something factual.

Verbs that carry out the action they describe.

A statement that can be evaluated as true or false.

A phrase used to perform an action by saying it.

The attribute of constative statements that allows them to be true or false.

Relating to or being an utterance that performs an act or creates a state of affairs by the fact of its being uttered under appropriate or conventional circumstances, as a justice of the peace uttering I now pronounce you husband and wife at a wedding ceremony, thus creating a legal union, or as one uttering I promise, thus performing the act of promising.

Relating to or being an utterance that asserts or states something that can be judged as true or false, such as The cat is on the mat.

A performative utterance.

A constative utterance, such as an assertion.

Being enacted as it is said.

(linguistics) Pertaining to an utterance relaying information and likely to be regarded as true or false.

Being done as a performance in order to create an impression.

(linguistics) An utterance relaying information and likely to be regarded as true or false.

A performative utterance.

Generally, constative statements remain informational and cannot become performative, as they do not involve performing an action through speech.

Examples of performative verbs include "promise," "order," "bet," and "apologize."

Performative utterances fail when the necessary social or contextual conditions are not met, such as a lack of authority by the speaker.

A performative utterance is a type of speech act where saying the words performs an action, such as making a promise or giving an order.

Not all declarations are performative; some might simply state information without enacting any change.

A constative statement can be identified if it primarily conveys information and its truth can be verified or falsified.

Performative utterances focus on the action performed by speaking, while constative utterances focus on conveying factual information.

Telling a story is generally constative, as it narrates events rather than performs an action through speech.

The truth of a constative statement is supposed to be objective, although interpretations can vary based on evidence and perspective.

Context is crucial in performative utterances, as it defines the appropriateness and effectiveness of the action being performed through speech.

Constative statements are limited to conveying facts and information, and they cannot enact or perform actions.

Verifying the truth of a constative statement involves checking the facts against reality or reliable sources of information.

Some performative utterances can be retracted or nullified under certain conditions, but this depends on the nature of the utterance and the context.

Cultural norms and expectations can greatly influence what is considered a valid performative utterance in a given society.

In legal contexts, performative utterances such as "I hereby declare" or "I pronounce you" can have significant, binding consequences, underscoring their power in formal settings.