从合作原则看英语委婉语的使用

　　4. The Cooperative PrincipleBefore going on, we look at two examples, as follows:

　　(1) "A: Can you tell me the time?

　　B: Well, the mail has already come.

　　(2) A: Are you going to John’s birthday party?

　　B: I’ve heard Mary is going."[16]

　　It seems there are some mistake in the conversations. Butin fact, it is correct. The Cooperative Principle will help usunderstand more.

　　The Cooperative Principle is as follows:" Make yourconversational contribution such as is required, at the stageat which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction ofthe talk exchange in which you are engaged."[17]

　　According Grice, Cooperative principle is classified intofour categories: quantity, quality, relation and manner. Thecategory of quantity relates to the quantity ofinformation tobe provided, and under it fall the following maxims：

　　4.1 The maxim of Quality:

　　"Try to make your contribution one that is true,.specifically:

　　(i) do not say what you believe to be false.

　　(ii) do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence"[18]

　　4.2 The maxim of Quantity:

　　"(i) Make your contribution as informative as is required forthe current purposes of the exchange(ii) Do not make your contribution more informative than isrequired"[19]

　　4.3 The maxim of Relation:

　　"Make your contribution relevant."[20]

　　4.4 The maxim of Manner:

　　"Be perspicuous and specifically:

　　(i) avoid obscurity of expression.

　　(ii) avoid ambiguity.

　　(iii) be brief(iv) be orderly."[21]

　　From what mentioned above, we may know that theCooperative Principle enables one participant in aconversation to communicate on the assumption that the otherparticipant is being cooperative. These four maxims form anecessary part of the description of linguistic meaning inthat they explain how it is that the speakers often “mean morethan they say” in their communications.