Illocutionary speech acts in the prayer of Jacob (PGM 22b)

This research utilizes Speech Act Theory in examining The Prayer of Jacob as presented in the Greek Magical Papyri (PGM 22b). The application of this theory to ancient rituals provides a valuable framework for analysing their performative aspects and recognizing that language can perform actions beyond merely conveying information. The study categorizes utterances based on their illocutionary acts and aims to identify verbs within the prayer as speech acts, such as exercitives, expressives, and direct addresses, and to investigate their intended functions. The main argument of the dissertation is that the verbs in the prayer are performatives and that their intended illocution would be successful under the right conditions. The research is conducted through a textual and contextual analysis of the prayer, followed by an analysis of the utterances in it as illocutionary.

本研究运用言语行为理论来审视希腊魔法羊皮纸（PGM 22b）中所呈现的雅各祈祷文。将此理论应用于古代仪式，为分析其表演性方面以及认识到语言能够超越单纯传达信息的行为提供了宝贵的框架。研究根据其言外行为对言语进行分类，旨在识别祈祷文中的动词作为言语行为，例如执行性动词、表达性动词和直接称呼，并探究其预期的功能。论文的主要论点是祈祷文中的动词具有执行性，且在适当的条件下，其预期的言外行为将得以实现。研究通过祈祷文的文本和语境分析进行，随后对其中的言语进行言外行为的分析。