You are more than entitled not to know what the word 'performative' means. It is a new word and an ugly word, and perhaps it doesnot mean anything very much. But at any rate there is one thing in its favor, it is not a profound word.

Going back into the history of a word, very often into Latin, we come back pretty commonly to pictures or models of how things happen or are done.

Certainly ordinary language has no claim to be the last word, if there is such a thing. It embodies, indeed, something better thanthe metaphysics of the Stone Age, namely, as was said, the inherited experience and acumen of many generations of men.

A sentence is made up of words, a statement is made in words.... Statements are made, words or sentences are used.

Ordinary language embodies the metaphysics of the Stone Age.

It should be quite clear, then, that there are no criteria to be laid down in general for distinguishing the real from the not real.

Infelicity is an ill to which all acts are heir which have the general character of ritual or ceremonial, all conventional acts.