The term Felicity
condition of Felicity conditions is referred to the effectiveness of speech acts use of the speaker.
Austin held that in using speech acts one has to fulfill certain
conditions regarding the act that is being uttered. For example, when one is
making a promise to another person, he/she has to fulfill the condition of that
the hearer or the promisee to have a
need something to be promised, and the speaker or the promiser will have the intention to fulfill that need; therefore
the act of promising will be valid to be regarded as felicitous condition. By definition felicity conditions are a state when the utterances made has met the
appropriate conditions such as, appropriate context, conventional existence,
authority, and also speaker’s sincerity. These kinds of utterance are only validly recognized as a
felicitous speech acts if the speaker meets required condition to be able to
validate the context. This kind of utterance is usually used by a priest or any
other religious leader to pronounce a marriage between a man and woman. Then
this kind of utterance should be brought upon the wedding in a for instance,
church. Moreover, without the special privilege of a priest (or any other
individuals given the special privilege to marry people) this kind of utterance
will not be recognized as an appropriate use of speech acts or it has a
different intention.
Yule and Searle on Felicity Conditions
According
to Yule (1996), there are several types of pre-conditions, the first there is a
general conditions which referred to the participants, for instance, the
language used must be understood by both speaker and hearer and it is used in
serious matter. Second, there are content conditions which concern the content
of the utterance; it has to be about future matter which affects the future act
of the speaker.
Searle
(1969) has set some more detailed rules concerning felicity condition for each
illocutionary acts. In his accordance, several conditions have to be fulfilled
for a sentence to be felicitous. These rules mostly regarding with
psychological and the beliefs of the speaker or hearer and each one of them has
to be fulfilled in order to create a felicitous act. These rules are prepositional
content, preparatory condition, sincerity condition, and essential condition as
explained in the following:
1. Propositional
content: Propositional content condition explains about the illocutionary forces
specify the acceptable conditions regarding with propositional content. In
other words, it is the proposed condition of the speaker or hearer.
2. Preparatory
condition: In attempt to conduct a felicitous illocutionary act the speaker has
to have a certain beliefs about the speaker's act and conditions and also, the
speaker is required to have the power of authority over the hearer.
3. Sincerity
condition: In performing felicitous act the performer must have a certain
psychological attitude concerning the propositional content of the utterance.
For example, when a person is making a promise, he/she must have an intention
of keeping it.
4. Essential
condition: Essential condition of an utterance has to do with its intention to
get the hearer to perform the intended act.
Types and examples of Felicity Conditions
These
are some felicity conditions as proposed by Searle (1969, p.66-67):
1.
Felicity conditions: Request
Propositional content: Future act A of H.
Preparatory condition: (i) H is able to do A.(ii) It is
not obvious to both S and H that H will
do A in the normal course of events of his own accord.
Sincerity condition: S wants H to do A.
Essential condition: Counts as an attempt to get H to do
A.
2.
Felicity conditions: Asserting/Stating
Propositional content: Any proposition p.
Preparatory condition: (i) S has evidence (reasons, etc)
for the truth of p. (ii) It is not obvious
for both S and H that H knows (does not need to be reminded of, etc) p.
Sincerity condition: S believes p.
Essential condition: Counts as an undertaking to the
effect that p represents an actual state
of affairs.
3.
Felicity conditions: Question
Propositional content: Any proposition.
Preparatory condition: (i)
S does not know the answer (ii) It is not obvious that H will provide the information without being
asked.
Sincerity condition: S wants this information.
Essential condition: Counts as an attempt to elicit this
information.
4.
Felicity conditions: Thanking
Propositional content: Past act A done by H.
Preparatory condition: A benefits S and S believes A
benefits S.
Sincerity condition: S feels grateful or appreciative for
A.
Essential condition: Counts as an expression of gratitude
or appreciation.
5.
Felicity conditions: Advising
Propositional content: Future act A of H.
Preparatory condition: (i) S has some reason to believe A
will benefit H (ii) It is not obvious
to both S and H that H will do A in the normal course of events.
Sincerity condition: S believes A will benefit H.
Essential condition: Counts as an undertaking to the
effect that A is in H‘s best interest.
6.
Felicity conditions: Warning
Propositional content: Future event E.
Preparatory condition: (i) S thinks E will occur and is
not in H’s interest (ii) S thinks
it is not obvious to H that E will occur.
Sincerity condition: S believes E is not in H’s best
interest.
Essential condition: Counts as an undertaking that E is
not in H’s best interest.
7.
Felicity conditions: Congratulating
Propositional content: Some event, act, etc., E related
to H
Preparatory condition: (i) E is in H's interest.
Sincerity condition: S is pleased at E.
Essential condition: Counts as an expression of pleasure
at E.
8.
Felicity conditions: Greeting
Propositional content: None
Preparatory condition: S has just encountered (or been
introduced to, etc.) H.
Sincerity condition: None
Essential condition: Counts as courteous recognition of H
by S.
9. Felicity
conditions: Promising
Propositional content: Future action A by S
Preparatory condition: (i) S believes H wants A done
(ii) S is able to do A. (iii)
A has not already been done. (iv) H will benefit from A.
Sincerity condition: S is willing to do A.
Essential condition: Counts as attempt of S to make H believes about the
future act A to be done by S.
There are also some other
revelation of felicity conditions by another linguists. According to Cook
(1989), felicity condition of an order are:
10. Felicity
Conditions: Order
Propositional content: Future act A by H
Preparatory condition: (i) S believes A needs to be done (ii) H is able to
do A (iii) H has the obligation to do A (iv) S has right to tell H to do A
Sincerity condition: S wants H to do A
Essential condition: Counts as an attempt to get H to do A. (p.36)
The difference with the requesting is that in
ordering the speaker needs to have a right to do so and the hearer needs to
have the obligation to do the act.
Another
revelation is made by Anne Barron (2003). She deduce the felicity condition of
offering as 2 types of commisives (offer to do x) and
commisives-directives as following:
11. Felicity
Conditions: Offer (commisives)
Propositional Content: S predicates a future act x of S
Preparatory condition: (i) S is able to perform x (ii) H wants S to perform
x
Sincerity
condition: S intends to do x
Essential condition:
Counts as the undertaking by S of an obligation to do x, should S want H to do so. (p.126)
12. Felicity
conditions: Offer (commisives-directive)
Propositional Content: S predicates a future act x of S
Preparatory condition: (i) S is able to perform x. (ii) H
wants S to perform x
Sincerity condition: (i) S intends to do x. (ii) S wants
H to do x
Essential condition: (i) Counts as the undertaking by S
of an obligation to do x, should S want H to. (ii) As an attempt
by S to get H to do x. (p.126)
She also points out the felicity condition for refusal
for an offer as following:
13. Felicity condition:
Refusal of offer
Propositional Content: S predicates a future act x of H
Preparatory condition: (i) H is able to (not) perform x.
S believes H is able (not) to
perform x. (ii) It is obvious that H would (not) do x without being asked.
Sincerity condition: S wants H (not) to do x
Essential condition: Counts as an attempt to get H (not)
to do x. (p.128)
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See also: Felicity Conditions in pragmatics for a shorter summary
