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1.2 Significance of the Study
The Cooperative Principle is a significant theory applied in our daily conversations. The relationship between the Cooperative Principle and humor is close and often be used in many film productions and real life. Therefore, this paper strives to study the Cooperative Principle and humor, which will help us understand one important method of humor’s production -- violating the Cooperative Principle.
2 Literature Review
Cooperative Principle was proposed by English linguist Paul Grice. Paul Grice holds that in a conversation, participants should observe the Cooperative Principle. Otherwise, the conversation could not keep going (Grice, 1975). Lots of scholars at home and abroad have studied this theory. What's more, some scholars combined the Cooperative Principle with humor, and then studied their relationship.
2.1 Researches on the Cooperative Principle
Miao (2012) advocated that the Cooperative Principle are not normative but directional. It's like an unwritten law, advising us when we are talking. Zhang and Schwarz (2012) also agreed that the Cooperative Principle is not compulsory but a guidance for conversation. Besides, when one violates the Cooperative Principle, usually he or she violates not only one maxim of the Cooperative Principle.
Liang (2006) and Saeed (2000) pointed out that the Cooperative Principle just describes the ideal condition of a conversation. It is not a must to observe the principle in every conversation.
One reason why people violate the Cooperative Principle is to observe Politeness Principle (Jin & Yang, 2006). Politeness Principle is another pragmatic principle proposed by Geoffrey Leech, which refers to that in order to preserve the listener's pride, the speaker will express his or her true intentions implicitly and politely (Leech, 1983). Another reason people flout the principle is to produce humor. Violating the principle may makes conversation more interesting and funny.
2.2 Researches on the Cooperative Principle and Humor
When the speaker breaks the Cooperative Principle deliberately, he or she hopes the listener can understand his or her implied meaning. If the listener does, the communication will be more effective and the humor will be produced (Wang, 2002). The point of humor is that what speaker says seems to be irrelevant to the conversation, but if the listener has experience and a sense of humor, he or she can get the speaker's true intention, then both of them will feel funny.
Fan and Wang(2012) believed that humor can not go with observing the Cooperative Principle. From her perspective, Cooperative Principle is for honest communication, while the communication form of humor is not honest. That is to say, if one wants to be humorous in a conversation, he or she must flout the Cooperative Principle.