Definitions for "Performative"
One or more words that have immediate, concrete effects in the world. In the West, phrases such as "I now pronounce you husband and wife" or "Case dismissed" are examples of performative utterances. For many Indian cultures, much of the oral tradition was inherently performative—for example, it was used to cure or to invoke the spirits. tale-types - Groups of stories that tend to focus on particular characters and include standard events and elements. Some of the most common tale-types include Gambler, Trickster, Creation, Abduction, Migration, and Women's stories. Contemporary authors can use these tale-types in their works: for example, Leslie Marmon Silko's Ceremony retells Yellow Woman stories—a Pueblo Abduction cycle.
an action performed by the "I" aspect of a self
an action with a purpose, a goal, and agents are, by definition, animated entities with a purpose
Keywords:  semiotic, gesture, well, doing
a semiotic gesture that is a being as well as a doing
Keywords:  speech, act, communicative
a speech or communicative act