2.4.

FELICITY CONDITIONS,
MISFIRES AND ABUSES
 Felicity conditions: the conditions that have to be
met in order for a performative utterance to be
satisfactorily performed or realized.
Types of felicity conditions:
Propositional content condition
Preparatory conditions
Sincerity condition
Essential condition
 2.4. FELICITY CONDITIONS,
MISFIRES AND ABUSES
EXAMPLE
Felicity conditions for promising
S promises H to do x:
1. S believes H wants x done
2. S is able to do x.
3. S is willing to do x.
4. x has not already been done.
5. H will benefit from x.
2.4. FELICITY CONDITIONS,
MISFIRES AND ABUSES

Two kinds of violation

of felicity conditions

Misfires Abuses
 2.4. FELICITY CONDITIONS,
MISFIRES AND ABUSES
 Misfires: the whole act fails to come off.
 Example:
“I will”, uttered by a bride in response to the
question ‘Do you take this man…?’ during a
wedding ceremony
But the bride is already married.
 2.4. FELICITY CONDITIONS,
MISFIRES AND ABUSES
Abuses: the act comes off but in some
way insincerely.
I’ll
I’lllend
lendyou
you
some
somemoney!
money! Of course I
won’t!