摘 要

合作原则是语用学的核心理论之一，对话语交际研究具有重要指导意义。以外交部新闻发言人例行记者会为例，本文旨在从合作原则的角度来详细分析中国政府记者招待会中的会话含义。首先，本文将分别探讨记者招待会和合作原则；然后再结合合作原则对外交部新闻发言人例行记者会中的部分对话节选进行分析，探究外交部例行记者会中合作原则的违反及由此产生的会话含义；最后进行总结。这种深度分析能使人们更加理解外交语言的技巧和含义，加深对语用原则的理解，也揭露了将语用学理论运用于政府新闻事件的实用性和益处。

关键词：中国政府记者招待会；合作原则；会话含义

Abstract

Cooperative Principle (CP) is one of the major theories in pragmatics and it has great significance in guiding studies of communication. Taking regular press conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China for example, this paper aims to give a detailed analysis of the Conversational Implicature (CI) in Chinese government press conferences from the perspective of CP in pragmatics. First, it will discuss press conference and Crice’s CP respectively. Then, based on the CP, it will study various excerpts from regular press conferences of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, and analyze the violation of CP maxims and clarify the CI generated. Finally, the conclusion will be provided. This kind of deep analysis can make the public better understand skills and meaning of the diplomatic language, deepen the understanding of pragmatic principles, as well as reveal the availability and benefits of applying pragmatic principles to government news events.

Key Words: Chinese government press conferences; Cooperative Principle; Conversational Implicature

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Press Conference 1

1.2 Purpose and Significance of the Study 3

2 Literature Review 5

2.1 Theoretical Framework 5

2.1.1 Grice’s Cooperative Principle 5

2.1.2 Four Maxims of Cooperative Principle 5

2.1.3 Violating Cooperative Principle and Producing Conversational Implicature 6

2.2 Studies on Cooperative Principle 9

2.3 Studies on Press Conferences 11

3 Research Methods 14

3.1 Research Questions 14

3.2 Data Collection and Selection 14

4 Analysis of Conversational Implicature in Regular Press Conferences 16

4.1 Violation of Quantity Maxim 16

4.1.1 Providing Less Information than Is Required 16

4.1.2 Providing More Information than Is Required 19

4.2 Violation of Quality Maxim 21

4.2.1 Irony 21

4.2.2 Rhetorical Questions 22

4.3 Violation of Relevance Maxim 22

4.3.1 Making Associations 23

4.3.2 Giving Hints 24

4.4 Violation of Manner Maxim 27

4.4.1 Incomplete or Elliptical Sentences 27

4.4.2 Ambiguous or Vague Sentences 27

5 Conclusions 31

References 33

Acknowledgements 35

Analysis of Conversational Implicature in Chinese Government Press Conferences

1 Introduction

1.1 Press Conference

This paper is an analysis of Conversational Implicature in the Chinese government press conference which belongs to the category of press conferences. Thus, it is going to focus on the general introduction of press conferences first.

The press conference is usually called news conference in daily life. It is a special media event with a certain scale held by social community, government departments or individuals where a bunch of journalists are invited. And the government press conference is the most formal and influential kind of press conference. The press conference has functions as follows.

First of all, it serves as an effective channel for the host to publicize its important information to the public. This is the basic function of a press conference and the basis of its existence. If a press conference can not perform this function, it means the failure of this conference (Gao, 2009). Thus, a press conference is a kind of flow of information, which is filled with information release and information acquisition.

Secondly, it can act as an approach for the host to regulate public opinion (Zhao, 2007). Public opinion is closely related to the media, and the media is a carrier of public opinion (Liu, 2008). The government press conference is a typical example in this respect. The spokesman in the conference usually enlightens the listeners with reasons and exerts a subtle influence on their ideology and attitude, making them change their old mindset and giving rise to a new public opinion (Gao, 2009). And since the conference is not only listened to by the reporters, but also spread widely through television, newspaper and Internet to a wide range of listeners, including the public both at home and abroad, its high authority and potential influences on the public are bound to result in pervasive public opinion.

Thirdly, it plays a crucial part in managing the crisis (Zhao, 2007). When some incidents of emergency occur, such as the violent attack against Kunming Railway Station in 2014 and the panic of swine flu in 2009, the transparent and objective attitude of the government in dealing with the public relation in the crisis is beneficial to the stability of the country. In addition, it can dispel the rumors and slander that are harmful to the society, and reveal their malicious intentions as well (Liu, 2008). In this way, the government exerts its function as an executive branch and a management system, enhances its credibility and builds a good image.

Fourthly, it is an effective platform through which the host can advocate political policy and establish a good image internationally, which suggests its function of carrying out Media Diplomacy (Zhao, 2007). In a government press conference, a better understanding and more profound publicity of the government’s policy, international position, ideology and moral principles can be achieved via the spokesperson’s tactful diplomatic language which is characterized by abundant conversational implicature. Accordingly, Chinese government can reach out to the international community and China’s foreign policies can be well identified and clarified (Liu, 2008). This kind of highly-organized, interactive and political-oriented press conference is sure to enhance the influence of China and successfully build an open and transparent image of the host.

In a press conference, conversations between the two parties involved, i.e. the spokesman and correspondents, are featured by a question-answer format. Their relationship is a cooperative one, in which the spokesman, as a representative of a particular community, aims to achieve positive publicity, and the news media intend to obtain information from his statements.

Besides, there are three elements in a press conference, which can be classified into the host, media, and the public (Liu, 2008). Because of the purpose of achieving publicity through the flow of information among these three sides, the language used by the spokesperson is surely skillful and tactful, and the conference certainly features openness, authority and popularity.