PORTFOLIO 3: SPEECH ACTS

Speech acts: Constative and performative - Colleen Glenney Boggs

 

The video is about the difference between two separate parts of speech: constatives and performatives. Constatives are sentences that describe something as true or false and performatives are sentences that denote an action. Constatives can be true or false. Performatives are sentences that are meant to inspire actions. Rather than conveying a message, it acts upon the world. Sometimes words are themselves actions. This is known as speech acts. They include, ordering promising, apologising, etc. Performatives depend on context and reception. These are known as felicity conditions. The performatives should  have proper authority, be understood, clear and able to be executed. However, even if they are fulfilled, it does not mean they are going to be implicitly followed.