Page 415 - Encyclopedia of Philosophy of Language

what they do not say (cf. the example of the schoolgirl in Sect. 4.1).
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4.5 Distinguishing between Different observance
Types of Non-
As has been seen, a flout is, by definition, so blatant that the interlocutor knows that an implicature has been generated. One very important point which Grice failed to address is how an interlocutor is supposed to distinguish between a violation, possibly intended to mislead, and an infringement, not intended to gen- erate any implicature.
5. Conclusion
Grice first put forward his ideas concerning the con- versational maxims in 1975, and his work continues in the early 1990s to serve as the basis for much (prob- ably most) work in pragmatics. Yet, as this article demonstrates, the theory is full of holes. Some of those holes have been or are being plugged, particularly by people working in politeness theory and in relevance theory, but the fact of the matter is that, unsatisfactory as Grice's work is, it has yet to be replaced by anything better.
See also: Cooperative Principle; Relevance.
The cooperative principle (CP)was first proposed by H.P. Grice in a series of lectures given in 1967. It runs as follows: 'Make your 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.'
Already there is a problem. The way in which the CP is worded makes it seem as if Grice was telling speakers how they ought to behave. What he was actually doing was suggesting that in conversational interaction people work on the assumption that a certain set of rules is in operation, unless, that is, they receive indications to the contrary. In all spheres of life, assumptions are made all the time. For example, a car driver assumes that other drivers will observe the same set of regulations—the traffic system would grind to a halt if such assumptions were not made. Of course, there are times when a driver has indications that another driver may be liable to disobey the rules
(a learner, a drunk, a person whose car is out of control), or that he may be following a different set of rules (a car with foreign number plates), and on these occasions the usual assumptions have to be reexam- ined or suspended altogether. And, of course, there are times when a driver wrongly assumes that others are operating according to the rules, and then acci- dents occur. So it is with conversation. When talking, speakers operate according to a set of assumptions, and, on the whole, get by, although inevitably mis- understandings and mistakes occur and sometimes a speaker is deliberately misled.
Grice's work has been, and continues to be, extremely influential. It has also been widely criticized and widelymisunderstood. This article discusses vari- ous interpretations of his work, and argues in favor of the weaker of the two most common interpretations of the notion of'conversational cooperation.'
In setting out his cooperative principle, together 393
Cooperative Principle J. Thomas
Cooperative Principle