试题题干
Answer the following questions.
What are the four maxims of the Cooperative Principle? Please give examples to show how the flouting of these maxims gives rise to conversational implicature (Give at least two examples, each flouting a different maxim).
参考答案
试题解析
The four maxims of the cooperative principle are maxim of quantity, maxim of quality, maxim of man ner and maxim of relation.
Example 1
A:The hostess is an awful bore. Don’t you think?
B：The roses in the garden are beautiful, aren‘ t they?
This is said when it is known to both A and B that it is entirely possible for B to make a comment on the hostess. Thus B is saying something irrelevant to what A has just said, and flouting the maxim of rela tion. The implicature produced is “ I don' t wish to talk about the hostess in such a rude manner. "
Example 2
A：Shall we get something for the kids?
B： Yes. But I veto I-C-E-C-R-E-A-M.This is said when it is known to both A and B that B has no difficulty in pronouncing the word "ice- cream".Thus B has flouted the maxim of manner. The implicature produced is "I don' t want the kids to know we are talking about ice-cream. ’’