Glossary of Linguistic Terms

Failure Of Fit

Definition: 

Failure of fit is a lack of correspondence between the state of affairs

  • described by the propositional content of an illocutionary act, and
  • in the world.
Examples: 

(English)

  • The falsity of an assertive act's contents
  • The status of a commissive act's contents as broken by the speaker
  • The status of a directive act's contents as unfulfilled by the person from whom compliance is sought
  • The case of a declarative act that is unsuccessfully performed
Source: 

Glossary Hierarchy