The article studies communicative pragmatic potential of inquit formulas in the German prose novel of the 15–16 centuries. The nuclear of inquit formulas is formed by verbs of seven pragma-semantic classes. Along with verbs other elements of inquit formulas are analyzed. They specify different aspects of speech act: addressee, quantity, locution, illocutionary force, perlocutionary effect, aspect of phase, emotional-evaluative capacity, modality, and kinesics.