Microsoft Word Theoretical Course of English Grammar

Nino Kirvalidze
85
1.
Declarations are those kinds of speech acts that change the world via their utterance. 
These are so-called “performatives”, the uttering of which is itself the action. As the 
examples below illustrate, the speaker has to have a special institutional role, in a spe-
cific context, in order to perform a declaration appropriately. In using a declaration, 
the speaker changes the world via words. Cf.:
Priest:
I now pronounce you husband and wife
. 
Jury Foreman:
We find the defendant guilty
. 
Referee:
You’re out! 
Chairperson:
I hereby adjourn the meeting
. 
Priest:
I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth
.
2.
Representatives are those kinds of speech acts that state what the speaker believes to 
be the case or not. Representatives include utterances such as statements, assertions, 
conclusions, and descriptions. The sentences below are all examples of the speaker 
representing the world as he or she believes it is; in other words, in using a representa-
tive, the speaker makes words fit the world of beliefs. Cf.: 
The earth is flat.
Chomsky didn’t write about peanuts. 
It was a warm sunny day. 
The earth moves round the sun. 
3.
Expressives are those kinds of speech acts that state what the speaker feels. They ex-
press psychological states and can be statements of pleasure, pain, likes, dislikes, joy, or 
sorrow, which can be caused by something the speaker or the listener does, but they 
are about the speaker’s experience. In using an expressive, the speaker makes words fit 
the world of feelings. For example:
I’m really sorry! 
Congratulations! 
Oh, yes, great, mmmm, ssahh! 
I’m glad to see you. 

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Theoretical Course of English Grammar 
Script by prof.