FROM GRICE’S COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE TO SPERBER AND WILSON’S THEORY OF REREVANCE

Abstract

Abstract: One of the essential issues of present-day pragmatics is to establish the information processing models in communication, through investigating ways of transferring and receiving content of communication in an effective way so as to avoid failure and/or misunderstanding in communication. This article focuses on presenting Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Sperber and Wilson’s Theory of Relevance, then pointing out similarities and differences in communication between the two approaches. First, the article deals withGrice’s Cooperative  Principle, exploring features of the cooperative principle and maxims. Then it talks about implicature with its distinctive characteristics. Finally, Sperber and Wilson’s Theory of Relevance is presented in the article, focusing on factors that constitute the theory such as contextual effects, linguistic forms, and processing effort. Remarks on similarities and differences in communication between the two approaches together with some pedagogical implications are presented in the conclusion of the article.