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Have you ever seen

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a big, red "No Running" sign at a public pool?

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For the most part,

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the pace on the deck reflects this statement.

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But while the sign accurately describes

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the patrons' movements,

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isn't it true that people are walking

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because the sign tells them no running?

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So, is this sign portraying the pool's environment,

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or is it doing something else,

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something more powerful?

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The difference between a statement that describes

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and one that commands

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is an idea developed by British linguist J. L. Austin.

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He defines this distinction

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as two separate parts of speech:

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constatives

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and performatives.

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Constatives are sentences

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that describe something as true or false,

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and performatives are sentences

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that denote an action.

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In other words, a constative is,

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and a performative does.

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To help us distinguish these two parts of speech,

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let's start by examining constatives

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around the park outside the pool.

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The first sign we encounter says,

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"The park closes at 6 p.m."

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After checking with a friendly park official

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that the park does, indeed, close at 6,

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we can confirm that this statement

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is a true constative.

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Nearby, there's a man on a bench

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with a newspaper, and the headline reads,

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"Heatwave!"

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However, the sky is cloudy and it feels quite chilly.

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Today's headline is a false constative

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as it has proven to be incorrect.

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Before the rain starts to fall,

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let's throw away our can of soda

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at the blue trash bin that says, "Recycle."

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It's a performative.

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Performatives are sentences

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that are meant to inspire actions.

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Rather than conveying a message,

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it acts upon the world,

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it does something.

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In this case, the performative of "Recycle"

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is requesting people to put their trash

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into the proper receptacle.

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Words not only bring about actions,

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sometimes words themselves are actions.

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This is what is known as speech acts.

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These actions include, but are not limited to,

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ordering,

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promising,

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apologizing,

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warning,

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sentencing,

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christening,

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and even marrying.

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Take a look at the wedding near the gazebo.

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The couple says the words, "I do."

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The speech act here are the words, "I do."

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These words cause them to marry one another.

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"I do" has acted upon them

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and profoundly changed their world.

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However, performatives depend

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on context and reception.

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These are known as felicity conditions.

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Imagine if the mayor showed up to the wedding

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and said, "By the power vested in me

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as mayor of the city,

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I name this gazebo 'The Mayor's Pizza Palace.'"

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His words would be a speech act

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by which he named the gazebo.

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And because he's the mayor,

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the gazebo would be known by its new name.

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But if someone who isn't the mayor,

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just a normal passerby,

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decides to name the gazebo after her favorite cat,

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the chances are the name would not change.

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Felicity conditions are the rules

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under which the performative can be enacted.

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These are fairly logical.

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The performative should have proper authority,

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it should be understood,

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it should be clear,

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and it should be able to be executed.

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If the performative doesn't meet these conditions,

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then it doesn't have the power

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to denote action.

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But just because a performative meets its conditions

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and is clearly stated,

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doesn't mean that it's implicitly followed.

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Back at the pool,

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a rowdy group of teenagers races to the high dive.

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"No running" does not seem

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to have power over them,

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and they'll have to face the consequences

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of breaking this performative.

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They may even have to force out

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some performatives of their own,

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such as apologizing to the life guard

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and promising to never run again.

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Maybe the life guard will respond

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with another performative,

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sentencing them to be banished from the pool

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for the rest of the day.

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After all, these teenagers must learn

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to respect the power of words.