Performative vs. Constative — What's the Difference?

Relating to or being an utterance that performs an act or creates a state of affairs by the fact of its being uttered under appropriate or conventional circumstances, as a justice of the peace uttering I now pronounce you husband and wife at a wedding ceremony, thus creating a legal union, or as one uttering I promise, thus performing the act of promising.

Relating to or being an utterance that asserts or states something that can be judged as true or false, such as The cat is on the mat.

A performative utterance.

A constative utterance, such as an assertion.

Being enacted as it is said.

(linguistics) Pertaining to an utterance relaying information and likely to be regarded as true or false.

Being done as a performance in order to create an impression.

(linguistics) An utterance relaying information and likely to be regarded as true or false.

A performative utterance.