Cooperative_Principle_in_Oral_English_Teaching (1)

Vol.2,No.3InternationalEducationStudiesCooperativePrincipleinOralEnglishTeachingMaiZhouSchoolofForeignLanguages,ZhejiangGongshangUniversity18XueZhengStreet,Hangzhou310018,ChinaE-mail:[e-mail]ePrinciplebyAmericanlinguistGriceisoneofthemajorprinciplesguidingpeople’scommunication.ObservingtheCooperativePrinciplewillbehelpfulforpeopletoimprovetheflexibilityandaccuracyoflanguagecommunication.TheultimateaimofspokenEnglishteachingistodevelopstudents’communicativecompetence.Therefore,itissignificanttoapplytheCooperativePrincipletooralEnglishteaching.ThispapertriestoprovetheapplicabilityofCooperativePrincipleinspokenEnglishteaching.Keywords:CooperativePrinciple,OralEnglishteaching,Communicativecompetence,Pragmatics1.IntroductionGrice’sconceptoftheCooperativePrincipleanditsfourassociatedmaximsareconsideredamajorcontributiontotheareaofpragmatics,whichnotonlyplaysanindispensableroleinthegenerationofconversationalimplications,butalsoisasuccessfulexampleshowinghowhumancommunicationisgovernedbytheprinciple.Inforeignlanguageteaching,thefourbasicskillshavebeengreatlyimprovedforChinesecollegestudentsinthepastdecades.However,theseskillshavenotbeendevelopedatthesamepace,especiallytheabilityinspeaking.SomecollegestudentscanunderstandwhatotherssayinEnglishbutcannotexpressthemselveseffectivelyinEnglish,andsomeevencannotcatchothers’meaningconveyedbyspokenEnglish.Speakingstillremainsthemostdifficultskillforthemajorityofcollegestudents,whoremainpoorinoralcommunicationinEnglishafteryearsofstudyinuniversities.ThisphenomenonhasacloserelationwiththepedagogyofspokenEnglish.MypaperisdevotedtosettingoutthetheoryofCooperativePrincipleanditsapplicationtospokenEnglishteaching.2.ABriefAccountoftheCooperativePrinciple2.1TheConceptofCooperativePrincipleandItsMaximsInthebookentitledLogicandConversation,GriceprovidesuswiththedefinitionofCooperativePrinciple,i.e.makeyourcontributionsuchasisrequired,atthestageatwhichitoccurs,bytheacceptedpurposeofthetalkexchangeinwhichyouareengaged(1975,p.45).Duringtheselectionofthecategories,theconnectionwithhumanrationalityishighlighted.Undertheprinciple,there’refourmaxims(1975,pp.45-46):I.ThemaximofQuantity(concerningtheamountofinformationtobeconveyed):ķMakeyourcontributionasinformativeasisrequired(forthecurrentpurposesofexchange).ĸDonotmakeyourcontributionmoreinformativethanisrequired.II.ThemaximofQuality(trytomakeyourcontributiononethatistrue,specifically):ķDonotsaywhatyoubelievetobefalse.ĸDonotsaythatforwhichyoulackadequateevidence.III.ThemaximofRelation(makeyourcontributionsrelevant).IV.ThemaximofManner(concerningnotsomuchwhatissaidashowitissaid,beperspicuous):ķAvoidambiguity.ĸAvoidobscurityofexpression.ĹBebrief(avoidunnecessaryprolixity).ĺBeorderly.Itissaidthattheconversationwouldbemostsuccessfuliftheprincipleandthesemaximswouldbecompliedwith.Butpeoplealwaysviolatethisprincipleorthesemaxims,whichmaketheconversationpartiallysuccessfulorsimplyafailure,orgenerateconversationalimplication.2.2TheFunctionofCooperativePrincipleInreality,peoplewhogointoconversationwitheachotherfollowthemaximsofCooperativePrinciple,thatis,boththe42InternationalEducationStudiesAugust,2009speakerandlistenerareassumedtowanttheconversationtowork.Itsmaximsspecifywhatparticipantshavetodoinordertotalkinarational,efficient,andcooperativewayandthattheyshouldspeaksincerely,relevantlyandclearlywhileprovidingsufficientinformation(Levinson,1987,p72).CooperativePrincipleisaguaranteeforsuccessfulcommunicationandapremiseforthegenerationofanyconversationalimplication.Moreover,theCooperativePrincipleisasuccessfulexampleshowinghowhumancommunicationisgovernedbygeneralprinciples.2.3TheApplicationofCooperativePrincipleAsthecornerstonetheoryofpragmatics,theCooperativePrincipleisoneofthemajorprinciplesguidingpeople’scommunication.ThePrincipleanditsmaximscanclearlyexpoundtheliterarymeaninganditsimplicationofcommunication.Therefore,theprinciplecanbeappliedtovariousareas.ThefollowingconversationisbetweenPremierEnlaiZhouandanAmericanjournalist(A:PremierZhouEnlai;B:Americanjournalist):B:Mr.Premier,couldyoupleasetellme,whyyouChinesehavinghighaspirationandboldnessofvisionstillusethepenmadeinU.S.A.?A:Talkingaboutthispen,there’salongstory.Thisisnotanordinarypen.It’swarbooty,infightingagainsttheU.S.troops,sentbyaKoreafriendofmine,asasouvenir.Ithoughtitsignificant,andacceptthispen,whichismanufacturedinyourcountry.Thisisatypicalexamplewhichviolatesthemaximofrelationandthemaximofquantity.TheAmericanjournalistintendstolaughatChina,thecountryheconsiderstobelaggingbehindtheU.S.A.However,PremierZhouEnlaidoesnotanswerthequestiondirectly,butchoosestoviolatetheconversationalprinciple.Itisacommonpenbutwithgreatmeaning.HecallsthepenasouvenirfromaKoreafriend,whichstandsforthefailureofAmericantroopsintheWartoResistU.SAggressionandAidKorea.PremierZhou’sanswershowshisoutstandingdiplomaticcompetence.CooperativePrincipleandconversationalimplicationbyH.P.Grice,asabranchofpragmatics,hasplayedanimportantpartinthepracticeoftranslation.Translationisadynamic