Verbal Communication

Language Is Performative
Some language is actually more like an action than a packet of information. Saying,
“I promise,” “I guarantee,” or “I pledge,” does more than convey meaning; it
communicates intent. Such utterances are called
commissives
11
, as they mean a
speaker is committed to a certain course of action.David Crystal,
How Language
10. Utterances that try to get
another person to do
something.
11. Language that commits the
speaker to a certain course of
action.
Chapter 3 Verbal Communication
3.2 Functions of Language
139

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Judges’ words perform actions
ranging from holding someone in
contempt of court to sentencing
someone to death.
© Thinkstock
Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning, and Languages Live or Die
(Woodstock,
NY: Overlook Press, 2005), 277. Of course, promises can be broken, and there can be
consequences, but other verbal communication is granted official power that can
guarantee action. The two simple words
I do
can mean that a person has agreed to
an oath before taking a witness stand or assuming the presidency. It can also mean
that two people are now bound in a relationship recognized by the government
and/or a religious community. These two words, if said in the right context and in
front of the right person, such as a judge or a reverend, bring with them obligations
that cannot be undone without additional steps and potential negative
repercussions. In that sense, language is much more than “mere words.”
Performative language can also be a means of control,
especially in legal contexts. In some cases, the language
that makes our laws is intentionally vague. In courts all
over the nation, the written language intersects with
spoken language as lawyers advocate for particular
interpretations of the written law. The utterances of
judges and juries set precedents for reasonable
interpretations that will then help decide future cases.
Imagine how powerful the words
We the jury find the
defendant…
seem to the defendant awaiting his or her
verdict. The sentences handed down by judges following
a verdict are also performative because those words
impose fines, penalties, or even death. Some language is
deemed so powerful that it is regulated. Hate speech,
which we will learn more about later, and slander, libel,
and defamation are considered powerful enough to
actually do damage to a person and have therefore been criminalized.