ABSTRACT
Semantically and pragmatically defined class of verbs (e.g. to promise, to command, to christen, to swear, among others), the use of which in explicitly performative utterances causes precisely that action to be carried out that is expressed by the particular verb. Performative verbs are distinguished from perlocutive verbs such as to provoke, to convince, to humble, which cannot be used performatively (I hereby convince you to vote democratic) and instead describe reactions partly under the control of the addressee. Not all illocutionary verbs, that is, verbs that denote illocutions, are performative verbs. For example, to threaten is an illocutionary, but not a performative verb. This distinction is supported by the fact that only performative verbs can be used with hereby. I hereby promise you that…vs *I hereby threaten you that….
