word
performative utterance
per-FOR-mah-tiv UT-er-unts
pərˈfɔːrmətɪv ˈʌtərənsListen
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Syllable breakdown
performativeutterance
Dictionary meaning
a statement that does not describe or report an action but actually performs it in the moment of utterance; J. L. Austin's term for sentences such as 'I now pronounce you married,' 'I promise to pay you,' or 'I hereby declare this session open,' where speaking constitutes doing; contrasted with constative utterances that make truth-evaluable claims about the world
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