Spoken Discourse: Conversational Maxim #1
One of the more useful concepts I gained from studying linguistics is the reminder that a successful exchange of information really relies on cooperation between the participants. H.P. Grice, a British philosopher, describes this as the cooperative principle, which is accompanied by four conversational maxims. Here they are:
(1) Quantity
Provide as much information as necessary to get your point across – no more, no less.
Classroom example: For this project you will need access to a computer with an Internet connection.
Violation: For this project you will need access to a computer with an Internet connection. For those of you with dial-up, I’m sorry. I can remember the days when I had dial-up, and it took forever to get a connection. You can complete the project with a dial-up connection, but be prepared to do a lot of waiting.
One of the more useful concepts I gained from studying linguistics is the reminder that a successful exchange of information really relies on cooperation between the participants. H.P. Grice, a British philosopher, describes this as the cooperative principle, which is accompanied by four conversational maxims. Here they are:
(1) Quantity
Provide as much information as necessary to get your point across – no more, no less.
Classroom example: For this project you will need access to a computer with an Internet connection.
Violation: For this project you will need access to a computer with an Internet connection. For those of you with dial-up, I’m sorry. I can remember the days when I had dial-up, and it took forever to get a connection. You can complete the project with a dial-up connection, but be prepared to do a lot of waiting.