Anthropology › Section F · Language and communication › Topic F.4
Performativity and ritual speech
Some words do more than describe the world: they change it. A promise, a verdict or a wedding vow creates a new state of affairs the moment it is spoken. Anthropologists study how such speech works in rituals, and how people answer it back with jokes and gossip.
In this topic
- Words that do things
- Austin's performatives
- When performatives misfire
- Everyday performativity
- Malinowski's garden magic
- The features of ritual speech
- Speech as performance
- Back-talk: teasing, gossip, parody
- Worked example: a courtroom verdict
- Worked example: a mock ceremony
- Common mistakes to avoid
- Key takeaways
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