DECPERF: Declarative Sentences in Performative Roles
| DECPERF: Declarative Sentences in Performative Roles | |
|---|---|
| Category | Sentence Construction & Syntactical Stylistics (‘ilm al-ma‘ānī) |
| Subcategory | Sentence-Type Switches |
| Balaghascore.com | |
| Code | A-1 |
| BalaghaBase.org | |
| Code | Q40 |
| OpenAlex | |
| ID | W4415329033 |
| Cite this page | |
| 🔗 DOI | 10.64393/balagha.Q40 |
| Download PDF | |
| Taxonomy | |
| ARDT | v0.1.0, v0.1.1 |
Definition
A sentence may be a Declarative sentence (al-jumla al-khabariyya) which conveys factual information, or a Performative sentence (al-jumla al-inshāʾiyya) which does not convey factual information but is used to express the interrogative, the imperative, prohibition, the vocative and wishes, praise, dispraise, astonishment, hope, oaths and legal contracts.
For rhetorical purposes, a declarative sentence may be used when performative sentence is expected.[1][2][3]
Examples
1) Use of a reporting sentence in place of an expected informing sentence:
When a student is caught cheating in an exam, the teacher says:
المعلم: الغش انتهاك جسيم للثقة المقدسة بين المعلم وطالبه.
Teacher: Cheating is a severe violation of the sacred trust between the teacher his student.
Explanation
In such a suitation, the student expects a severe rebuke from the teacher in the form of an informing sentence such as “Never try to cheat again, or you’ll be expelled!” Instead, the teacher delivers a reporting sentence which is intended to have a more profound impact on the student.
Note
This rhetorical device includes performative sentences functioning as declarative sentences, although many types of this are more comprehensively described by specific devices such as The Interrogative, The Imperative, Prohibition, Wish, Affirmation, The Vocative and Astonishment.
References
- ↑ Hussein Abdul-Raof, Arabic Rhetoric: A Pragmatic Analysis (Oxford: Routledge, 2006), 103-121, ISBN 9780415386098. DOI: 10.4324/9780203965399
- ↑ Basil Hatim, Arabic Rhetoric: The Pragmatics of Deviation from Linguistic Norms, LINCOM Studies in Communication 04 (Munich: Lincom Europa, 2010), 125-129, ISBN 9783929075731.
- ↑ Hashim Muhammad, First Steps to Understanding Balaghah (Leicester: Al-Qalam Publications, 2016), 18-19, ISBN 9780957653474.
Page history
- 2026-02-10 - Migration to Semantic Device Identifiers: Renamed from A1: Reporting/Informing Sentence-Type Switch to DECPERF: Declarative Sentences in Performative Roles.
- 2025-11-20 - Page incorporated into the Arabic Rhetorical Device Taxonomy (v0.1.1).
- 2024-04-22 - Page created: Use of a reporting sentence where an informing sentence is expected, and vice versa.
