Performativity in Speech, Ritual, and Social Contestation

All flashcards

Performativity

The capacity of language to help bring about actions, effects, or changes in social relationships.

Explicit performative

An utterance that openly names an action performed through speaking, such as promising or appointing.

Incantation

A patterned set of phrases or sentences used to seek a magical result.

Rite of passage

A ritual that marks a person’s movement from one social status or category to another.

Parody

An imitation of a recognized performance altered for comic or critical effect.

Quiz questions

1. What distinguishes a report from a performative utterance?Answer: A report describes an event, while a performative can help bring about an action or change.
2. Which phrase is an explicit performative?Answer: “I promise to return the book.”
3. In Malinowski’s account, what was the purpose of magical speech associated with Trobriand gardens?Answer: It was used as part of efforts to promote the growth of cultivated plants.
4. In the Pular-speaking village observed by Nicholas Sweet, what did the imam’s formal announcement do?Answer: It publicly named the baby and recognized her within the community.
5. How did Auntie Aissatou’s parody relate to the official naming ceremony?Answer: It imitated the ceremony’s form while giving the baby a comic alternative name.