cselekvéskifejezések

Cselekvéskifejezések, often translated as "action expressions" or "performative utterances," are a linguistic concept that describes utterances that do not merely describe a state of affairs but rather perform an action in themselves. The act of speaking these words brings about a change in the world or constitutes a particular kind of social act.

The term was introduced by philosopher J. L. Austin in his 1962 book "How to Do Things with Words." Austin distinguished between constative utterances, which describe or report a state of affairs and can be judged as true or false, and performative utterances, which are successful or unsuccessful depending on the circumstances in which they are uttered. For example, saying "I promise to be there" is not just a description of a promise; it is the act of making the promise itself. Similarly, saying "I name this ship the Queen Elizabeth" performs the act of naming.

For a cselekvéskifejezés to be felicitous, certain conditions must be met. These include the correct authority, appropriate circumstances, and the sincerity of the speaker. If these conditions are not met, the utterance may be considered an "infelicitous performative," meaning the intended action was not successfully carried out. Examples include a non-captain attempting to name a ship or someone promising something they have no intention of fulfilling.

The concept has been influential in the fields of philosophy of language, linguistics, and pragmatics, offering a way to understand how language can be used to enact social reality rather than simply reflect it.