felicity conditions

A term used in the theory of SPEECH ACTS to refer to the criteria which must be satisfied if the speech act is to achieve its purpose. Several kinds of felicity conditions have been suggested. ‘Preparatory conditions’ relate to whether the person performing a speech act has the authority to do so (e.g. not everyone is qualified to fine, christen, arrest, etc.). ‘Sincerity conditions’ relate to whether the speech act is performed sincerely (e.g. the speaker is not lying). ‘Essential conditions’ relate to the way the speaker is committed to a certain kind of belief or behavior, having performed a speech act (e.g. accepting an object that one has just requested). For example, felicity conditions which have been suggested for the analysis of indirect requests include the speaker’s believing that the hearer has the ability to carry out the request, and the existence of good reasons for making the request in the first place. An UTTERANCE which does not satisfy these conditions cannot function as a valid instance of the type of speech act to which they apply, e.g. will you drive? is inappropriate as a request if the speaker knows that the hearer has not learned to drive, and the mutual awareness of this inappropriateness would lead to an interpretation of a different order (e.g. as a joke, as sarcasm, etc.). Such utterances are said to be infelicitous.