Conversation Analysis Based on Cooperative Principle and Politeness Theory

学园| ACADEMY2010年第8期Conversation Analysis Based on CooperativePrinciple and Politeness Theory孙力华北京信息科技大学外国语学院[摘 要]谈话中的合作原则及会话准则是美国哲学家格莱斯提出来、旨在解释会话意义的理论。虽然会话参与者几乎总是遵守合作原则, 但并非严格遵守。由于种种原因, 这些原则经常被违反, 对合作原则的违反则导致产生格赖斯所说的“会话含意”,也就是说,对任何一种合作原则的违反,都会使语言变得间接。本文以《红楼梦》第十八章的一-个段落为例,分析了当谈话者违反合作原则.时,会话含意是如何产生的。[关键词]合作原则礼貌原则 会话含意[中图分类号] H315.9[文献标识码] A[文章编号] 1674 - 4810 ( 2010) 08- 0037-03[ Abstract]The cooperative principle, a principle of conversation proposed by Paul Grice( 1975 ), along with the conversational maxims,partly accounts for conversational implicatures. This article takes as an example one part of Chapter 18 chosen from A Dream of Red Mansions( Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien - yi 1978 ~ 1980 ) to analyze how conversational implicatures occur when the speakers follow or violate thecooperative principles.[ Key words] Cooperative principle Politeness theory Conversational implicature1 Introduction( 1 ) make your contribution as informative as is required forThe philosopher H. P. Grice( 1975 )suggests that there is aset ofthe current purpose of the exchange.assumptions guiding the conduct of conversation. This is what he( 2 ) do not make your contribution more informative than iscalls the cooperative principle( CP ). He formulates the Principle andrequired.its maxims as follows: make your contribution such as is required, at3 . The Maxim of Relevancethe stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction ofMake your contribution relevantthe talk exchange in which you are engaged. ( Grice 1975) . The4. The Maxim of Mannerprinciple describes how effective communication in conversation isBe perspicuous, and specifically:achieved in common social situations and is further divided into four( 1 ) avoid obscurityMaxims.(2 ) avoid ambiguity1。The Maxim of Quality(3 ) be briefTry to make your contribution one that is true, specifially:(4) be orderly( 1) do not say what you believe to be false.(Grice 1975 : 45 -46 )(2) do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.In short, in order to conduct a conversation in a“maximally2. The Maxim of Quantityeficient, rational, and cooperative way", the speakers should“speak教育工作。培养大学生对学校的情感,使大学生在活动中受到教育,自觉提.3.前提一提高统战对象思想政治素质高综合素质。另一方面,对统战对象指导大学生教育和科技创新,统战对象的思想政治素质情况关乎统战对象作用于大学生学校要给予鼓励和奖励,对于取得标志性成果要奖励一定额度的思想政治教育的效果。为此,高校要通过有计划的培训、开展丰活动经费,从而促进统战对象更加积极地发挥大学生思想政治富多彩的活动以及提出明确的工作要求,抓好统战对象的思想建教育的作用。设工作。用中国特色社会主义理论体系教育和引导广大统战对参考文献象，进一步提高他们的思想政治素质。要创造条件, 营造浓厚的[1]方桐清统战对象在大学生思想政治教育中的作用[J].徐州校内政治协商氛围,从情感上密切与统战对象的关系,巩固同盟建筑职业技术学院学报, 2005 (5)者的思想政治基础,从而促进统战对象发挥大学生思想政治教育[2]曾国平.统战工作服务于大学生思想政治教育的功效分析的作用。[J]广东省社会主义学院学报, 2006 (22)[3]纪彬.从学生工作的角度看加强高校统战工作的重要性[J].高校统战对象中各类专业技术人才较多,应该有意识地安排广东省社会主义学院学报, 2005 (4)或引荐思想素质较高、热心学生工作、在学术上有造诣的统战对[4]娄延常浅论高校党的统战工作应从大学生抓起[J]湖北省象担任学生科技团队导师。通过导师对具体活动的指导,不断增社会主义学中国煤化工强大学生的向师性、密切师生之间的感情,润滑师生之间的关系,任编辑:陈晨].TYHCNMHG-37-学园| ACADEMY2010年第8期sincerely, relevantly and clearly while providing sufficienthas attended my wife and myself.information". ( Levinson 1983 : 102 )”His Majesty, who manifests the great virtue of all creation,In addition to cooperative principle, Geoffrey Leech puthas shown us such extraordinary and hitherto unknown favor thatforward politeness principle and he believes that politeness principleeven if we dashed out our brains we could not repay one -is a necessary complement for cooperative principle. What is more,thousandth part of our debt of gratitude. All I can do is to exertPenelope Brown and Stephen Levinson, formulated in 1978myself day and night, loyally carry out my official duties, and praypoliteness theory which accounts for the redressing of the affrontsthat our sovereign may live ten thousand years as desired by allto face posed by face - threatening acts to addressees ( Foley,under heaven.William 1997 )Your Noble Highness must not grieve your precious heart inThe most important concept in these two theories is“face".Yourconcern for your ageing parents. We beg you to take better care offace, in pragmatics, is your public self - image. This is the emotionalyour own health. Be cautious, circumspect, diligent and respectful.and social sense of self that every person has and expects everyoneHonor the Emperor and serve him well, so as to prove yourself notelse to recognize. Politeness is showing awareness of anotherungrateful for His Majesty's bountiful goodness and great kindness."person's face. Being polite consists of attempting to save face forThen it was Yuan Chun's turm to urge her father to devoteanother. The speaker and hearer can use various conversationalhimself to affairs of state, look after his health and dismiss all anxietystrategies in order to keep face. If you say something that representsregarding her. ( Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien - yi 1978 ~ 1980).a threat to another person's self - image, that is called a“face -It is said that Yuan Chun was born on Chinese New Year's Daythreatening act”". ( Brown and Levinson 1987 ) Whenever you say-the beginning of spring. So her name means“Primary Spring”".something that lessens the possible threat to another's face, it isYuan Chun was the daughter of Chia Cheng and Lady Wang, andcalled a face - saving act.We know that frequently the speaker can mean a lot more thanladies in waiting in the imperial palace, Yuan Chun later became anwhat he said. The problem is how the speaker can manage toImperial Consort, having impressed the Emperor with her virtue andlearmning. Her ilustrious position as a favorite of the Emperor marksunderstand the speaker's meaning. The philosopher H. P. Gricethe height of the Chia family's powers ( wikipedia ) . However,( 1975 )believes that there must be some mechanisms governing theaccording to China's feudal norm of the society, once a girl hasproduction and comprehension of these utterances. Grice is awaremarried emperor and become member of the imperial family, shethat speakers do not always fllow the cooperative maxims: in factcouldn't go back home to visit her parents at will. Through manythey often violate them. But that is not the point. The important thingefforts, she was eventually permitted by the emperor to visit heris that whether the speaker follows or violates these maxims, hefamily. The above dialogue is between her and her father.produces some implicature-- -a kind of extra meaning that is notAs an Imperial Consort, Yuan Chun deserves almost the samecontained in the utterance. In another word, when any of the Maximsrespect as the emperor himself. So the relationship between Yuanis apparently violated and the hearer knows that it is being violated,Chun and Chia Cheng is not only father and daughter but sovereignthen conversational implicatures arise.and subject as well. As a result, the conversation between them is2 C onversational Implicatures Produced by Characters inboth a passionate one and a rational one. What the two persons saidA Dream of Red Mansionsembodies the affection between blood relations and the feudalThe followving paragraph is one part of Chapter 18 in A Dreamhierarchy too. As far as Chia Cheng is concerned, Yuan Chun's visitof Red Mansions ( Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien - yi 1978 ~ 1980 )to family isn't so much family reunion as personal visit to a subjectIt is conversation between Yuan Chun and her father Chia Cheng. Wepaid by the envoy of the emperor. He must take advantage of thiswill take it as an example to analyze the occurrence of conversationalopportunity to show how grateful he is to the emperor s generosityimplicatures.and give his firm support to the class system of the past feudalWhen the ladies of the family had spoken with feeling aboutsociety in which obedience to the emperor was considered as anheir separation and all that had happened since. Chia Cheng fromobligation of the people in the state.outside the door - curtain asked after the health of his daughter, andRelatively speaking, Yuan Chun's speech is less formal than hershe in turn paid her respects.father's. In the second paragraph, she tried hard to make theWith tears she told him,“Simple farmers who live on picklesand dress in homespun at least know the joys of family life together.said that Yuan Chun felt imprisoned within the four walls of theWhat pleasure can 1 take in high rank and luxury when we areimperial palace though she held prestigious position, and she was byseparated like this?"no means happy in the palace despite the fact that she lived a luxuryHe replied with tears too,“Your subject, poor and obscure, lttelife. By contrast, Chia Cheng's speech is very formal and involvesdreamed that our flock of common pigeons and crows would ever belots of face - saving acts. In the third paragraph, for example, byblessed with a phoenix. Thanks to the Imperial favor and the virtuesaying“Your subject" instead of“T”he disclaimed their parenthoodof our ancestors, your Noble Highness embodies the finest essencesand managed to m中国煤化工m very clear--of nature and the accumulated merit of our forbearssuch fortunesovereign and subjwith affectionateMHCN MH G'-38.学园| ACADEMY2010年第8期feelings between daughter and father, rigid hierarchical relationshipwhat they said and did, violating some maxims on the surface,is the top priority to Chia Cheng who thought that even servants inenhanced Yuan Chun's face, and indirectly the emperor's face.the palace were supposed to be honored, let alone Yuan Chun, theAfter all, Chia Cheng was Yuan Chun' father, so in the fifthimperial consort, who was the symbol of imperial power. Therefore,paragraph, his words became relatively personal and began to usehe began to belittle himself and highly praised his daughter withdirective sentences to urge his daughter to do well before theunflagging patience ( this apparently violates the maxim of quality andemperor. This shows his love to his daughter. What Yuan Chun saidmanner ) to show a feeling of deference to Yuan Chuan, whichin the last paragraph is more directive than before to show herindirectly showed respect to the emperor and to suggest how fortunateposition as an imperial concubine.he was to be given preferential treatment by the emperor.3 C onclusionIn the fourth paragraph, Chia Cheng went on to eulogize the :In general, conversational implicature is one of the mostemperor and further belittled and denigrated himself in arimportant concepts in discourse analysis. In fact, implicatures areexaggerating way ( violation of maxim of quality and manner again) pragmatic aspects of meaning and have certain identifiableto express his gratitude and loyalty to the emperor as well ascharacteristics. They are“partially derived from the conventional ordetermination to serve the state. It seems unessary to showliteral meaning of an utranre, produced in a specific context, whichgratitude and obedience to the emperor in the face of Yuan Chun;is shared, by the speaker and the hearer, and depend on recognitionhowever, in this way he tried to imply that his daughter had alreadyby the speaker and hearer of the Cooperative Principle and itsbeen a part of the emperor, and no longer belonged to his family.maxims”( Brown and Yule 1983 : 33) .What's more, it usually takes more words to be polite, thus by usingR eferencesso many formal and polite formulas in his speech he managed to[ 1 ] Brown, Gillian & Yule Gcorge. Discourse Analysis [ M ].minimize the danger of Yuan Chun's losing face, which is the mostimportant things in Chinese society.[2] Brown, Penelope and Stephen C. Levinson. Politeness: SomeWhat he said in the third and fourth paragraph seems over -universals in language usage [ M ] .Cambridge: Cambridgeelaborated ( this violates the maxim of manner )and irrelevant to YuanUniversity Press, 1987Chun's visit to the family ( violation of maxim of relevance) , butit [3 ] Carr, Michael. Chinese Face in Japanese and English [J] .Theclearly indicates the complex relationship between them. However,Review of Liberal Arts, 1993 :69~ 101this kind of conversation, though seems that it should not have [ 4 ] Foley, William. Anthropological Linguistics: An introductionhappened between father and daughter, is considered normal by[ M ] . Blackwell, 1997everyone in Chia's family. The indirect and significant meanings[5 ] Gladys Yang and Yang Hsien - yi. A Dream of Red Mansionsconveyed by the speaker to the hearer is really shared and[ M ]. Bejing: Foreign Language Press, four volumes, 1978 ~understood by two parties of the conversation. Furthermore, whatthey did and said conforms to that day's situation and social context.[6 ] Gofiman, Erving. On Face - Work: An analysis of ritual elements inYuan Chun's visit provided Chia Cheng with a rare opportunity tosocial interaction[ J ]Psychiatry: Joumal of Interpersonal Relations.show off his wealth and kindness bestowed by the emperor and the18:3 1955 : 213 ~ 2:1.tt://n.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Politeness_overdone courtesy is completely a face - saving act.“Face" meanstheory 2010 -06 - 20*sociodynamic valuation', a lexical hyponym of words meaning [ 7] Grice, H. P.“Logic and conversation" In Cole, P. and Morgan,prestige; dignity; honor; respect; status( Carr 1993 ). Chinese people1975:41~58pay a lot of atention to giving face ( show respect for someone's[ 8 ] Leech, G N. Principles of Pragmatics [ M ] .London: Longman,feelings ) to other people and atach great importance to one's own1983face ( dignity ) and tend to fight for face on every possible occasion.[9] Levinson, Stephen C. Pragmatics [ M ] .Cambridge UniversityAs a result, in social life Chinese people tend to cooperate ( andPress, 1983: 102, 284 ~370assume each other's cooperation ) in maintaining face in interaction,[ 10] Wikipedia. Dream of the Red Chamber ht://.wikipedia.such cooperation being based on the mutual vulnerability of faceorg/wiki, 2010.06.25( Brown and Levinson 1978 ) . In the conversation between them,[责任编辑:陈晨]中国煤化工YHCNMH G.39.