Performative utterances are utterances in which you are doing something that can be done with language, given what it means. For example, you are promising, apologizing, stating, questioning, asserting, etc.

What is a performative verb example?

Performative Verbs
Examples are: promise, name, bet, agree, swear, declare, order, predict, warn, insist, declare or refuse. The propositional content of the utterance functions as a complement of the performative verb.
 

How do you know if a verb is performative?

A good way to test whether a verb is performative would be to see if you can insert “hereby” before the verb. For example, a judge may say “I hereby sentence you”; therefore, the verb sentence would pass the test and qualify as a performative verb.

Is thank a performative verb?

Other performative verbs are words like admit, advise, beg, confess, congratulate, declare, deny, forbid, guarantee, name, order, permit, predict, promise, quit, refuse, remind, request, resign,suggest, thank and warn.