Written Reflection on the Cooperative Principles of Paul Grice

By: Christine S Villanueva

Eng 303: Structure of English (SY 2019-2020, First Semester)
Professor: Maria Luisa S Saministrado, PhD

Pragmatics, as one of branches of linguistics, deals with the relationship of expression and context
as it affects interpretation. As the study of how context affects the meaning of an utterance, linguists
were able to develop principles that can guide interlocutor as they engage in communication. These
principles are diverse and complex. They differ from culture to culture. The most common, and can be
considered universal, is the cooperative principle developed by Paul Grice which touches on four areas
of communication.

First is the maxim of Quantity. This principle requires interlocutors to give as much information as
necessary. This means that the information that interlocutors will give should neither be lesser nor more
than required. The maxim of quantity provides that speakers say just enough. They should be
appropriately informative.

The second principle is the maxim of Relevance. This maxim requires speakers to organize their
utterances in such a way that they are relevant to the ongoing context. This particular maxim
encourages interlocutors to be relevant at the time of the utterance. An example of this is when you are
asked by someone a particular question and your answer is irrelevant, saying something not actually
connected to the question. However, there are times when speakers will intentionally violate the maxim
of relevance, such as changing the topic, which might indicate that the speaker no longer like the
direction of the conversation.

The third maxim is on Manner. This maxim dictates that speakers and writers avoid ambiguity and
obscurity and be orderly in their utterances. This means that speakers must be familiar about the
“natural” order of details and chronological order of particular events. This is important because,
usually, the sequence of expression reflects the sequence of events. This maxim can be summarized by
the directive “Be orderly and clear”.

The last, and the most important, is the maxim of Quality. This principle requires speakers to say
only what they believe to be true and to have evidence for what they say. Without this maxim, the other
three maxims will be of little value. This is why it is important that interlocutors will be honest with their
utterances. An apparent violation of this maxim is hated by many.

These are the four general principles which have been considered as the norm in conversational
interaction. This might be more popular in the West but, as I have understood, can all be apply even in
conversations occurring in other parts of the world. Thus we, as speakers, must always remember to
“Make our conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the
accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged (Finegan, 2008)”.

References:

Finegan, E. (2008). Language: Its Structure and Use (5th Ed.). Southern California, United Stated of
America: Micheal Rosenberg