Preparatory Condition
Definition:
A preparatory condition is a state of affairs that
- must be presupposed by the speaker in employing a particular illocutionary force, and
-
is a necessary condition for the nondefective employment of that force
- including any conditions necessary due to the mode of achievement, but
-
excluding any limitations regarding the
- nature of the propositional content of the illocutionary act (because these relate to its content, not its force), and
- presuppositions of the speaker's sincerity in performing it.
Examples:
- The force of making a promise, in which the speaker presupposes his or her own capability of performing the promised action
-
The distinction between promising and threatening
-
The act of promising presupposes the addressee’s concern that the promised action be taken, whereas the act of threatening presupposes some harm in the action.
Source:
This page is an extract from the LinguaLinks Library. Version 5.0 published on CD-ROM by SIL International, 2003.