Language and cinema: Scene 5
The following dialogue from Monty Python and the Holy Grail is included in the book Meaning in Interaction. An Introduction to Pragmatics by Jenny Thomas to illustrate her explanation about explicit and implicit performatives, a section in the chapter on speech acts.
ARTHUR
Be quiet!
DENNIS
... but a two-thirds majority ...
ARTHUR
Be quiet! I order you to be quiet.
OLD WOMAN
Order, eh -- who does he think he is?
ARTHUR
I am your king!
OLD WOMAN
Well, I didn't vote for you.
ARTHUR
You don't vote for kings.
OLD WOMAN
Well, how did you become king, then?
ARTHUR
The Lady of the Lake, her arm clad in the purest shimmering samite, held Excalibur aloft from the bosom of the water, signifying by Divine Providence ... that I, Arthur, was to carry Excalibur ... That is why I am your king!
OLD WOMAN
Is Frank in? He'd be able to deal with this one.
DENNIS
Look, strange women lying on their backs in ponds handing out swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.
Jenny Thomas uses this example when discussing Austin’s postulates regarding the force of explicit and implicit forms of performatives. She points out that, quite often, there are no substantial distinctions, e.g. “We remind you that all library books are due to be returned by 9th June” vs. “All library books are due to be returned by 9th June”.
In some cases, the difference of nuance lies in the degree of formality, e.g. “I apologize” vs “I’m sorry”. Explicit performatives, moreover, are used for other purposes such as reinforcing an assertion, e.g. “I assure you, I sent it on time” or trying to dispel a doubt, e.g. “I swear I love you”
Thomas adds that the use of explicit performatives often implies an unequal power relationship. That is the example in Monty Python’s scene. First, King Arthur utters an implicit performative by ordering “Be quiet”. Next, he uses the explicit one, “I order you to be quiet” trying to make it clear that he is entitled, as a king, to make his subjects shut up. He fails on both occasions, anyhow, as the peasant turns out to be an anarcho-syndicalist.
Yes, interesting how some performatives are explicit, in some way self-descriptive. Sometimes the performative emphasizes the speaker's institutional or official commitment with the speech act, rather than a will to engage one's private intentions in the speech act. For instance, politicans in their words of praise or condemnation - they tend to underline the performative act and to disengage themselves from it as individuals. Lots more on performatives in this post, on Hillis Miller's theory of speech acts in literature:
ReplyDeletehttp://garciala.blogia.com/2006/072201-j.-hillis-miller-speech-acts-in-literature.php
Oops, Álvaro again... I suppose I'll just choose that as an alternative nickname.
ReplyDelete