cooperation and implicature

Cooperation and Cooperation and implicature:implicature:

We usually assumed that speakers We usually assumed that speakers and listeners involved in a and listeners involved in a conversation are generally conversation are generally cooperating with each other.cooperating with each other.

The sense of cooperation is simply The sense of cooperation is simply one in which people having a one in which people having a conversation are normally saying the conversation are normally saying the truth.truth.

We have the general idea that people We have the general idea that people involved in a conversation will involved in a conversation will cooperate with each other. cooperate with each other.

Role play:Role play:

Tautologies:Tautologies: An apparently meaningless An apparently meaningless

expression in which one word is expression in which one word is defined as itself. It seems it doesn’t defined as itself. It seems it doesn’t have communicative value since it have communicative value since it expresses something completely expresses something completely obvious. The speaker intends to obvious. The speaker intends to communicate something, and it is communicate something, and it is more than just what the word means.more than just what the word means.

Implicature: Implicature: A meaning that has to be assumed in A meaning that has to be assumed in

order to maintain the cooperative order to maintain the cooperative principle. People involve in a principle. People involve in a conversation will cooperate with conversation will cooperate with each other.each other.

Cooperative principleCooperative principle • It is a basic assumption in It is a basic assumption in

conversation that each participant conversation that each participant will attempt to contribute will attempt to contribute appropriately, at the required time, appropriately, at the required time, to the current exchange of talk. to the current exchange of talk.

• Maxims: quantity, quality, relation, Maxims: quantity, quality, relation, manner.manner.

Quantity: Quantity:

Make your contribution as Make your contribution as informative as is required. One of the informative as is required. One of the maxims in which the speaker has to maxims in which the speaker has to be neither more or less informative be neither more or less informative than is necessary.than is necessary.

Quality: Quality:

Try to make your contribution one Try to make your contribution one that is true. One of the maxims, in that is true. One of the maxims, in which the speaker has to be truthful.which the speaker has to be truthful.

Relation: Relation:

Be relevant. One of the maxims in Be relevant. One of the maxims in which the speaker has to be which the speaker has to be relevant.relevant.

( relating to the thing that is being ( relating to the thing that is being discussed).discussed).

Manner: Manner:

One of the maxims in which the One of the maxims in which the speaker has to be clear, brief, and speaker has to be clear, brief, and orderly.orderly.

Hedges: Hedges:

“ “cautious notes” Expressions that we cautious notes” Expressions that we use to indicate that what we are use to indicate that what we are saying may not be totally accurate.saying may not be totally accurate.