According to Maxim of Quantity, being under-informative in a conversation is uncooperative, but being over-informative is cooperative, because over-informative statements provide sufficient information.

Question

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

Take a closer look at what the Maxim of Quantity demands in conversation analysis. 
Option 1: True. The statement claims that under-informative behavior is uncooperative, while over-informative behavior is cooperative because it provides sufficient information. Here, the key issue is that Grice’s Maxim of Quantity actually cautions speakers to be informative enough to convey the intended message, but not to overload with extraneous detail. Over-informing can still be uncooperative if it overwhelms the listener, obscures the main point, or violates relevance. Therefore this option mischaracterizes the balance the maxim seeks and is not accurate.
Option 2: False. This option reflects the standard reading of the Maxim of Quantity: be as informative as required, and avoid both too little and too much information. Under-informative contributions can hinder mutual understanding and be uncooperative, but over-informative statements do not automatically count as cooperative; they risk violating the maxim and reducing communicative efficiency. In many contexts, excessive detail is considered information overload and can be deemed unhelpful or irrelevant, even if a listener could glean the needed point from it. This framing aligns with the principle that cooperation involves appropriate informativity, not simply more information. 
Overall, the statement in Option 1 contradicts the principle by implying over-informative content is cooperative, which is not consistent with the Maxim of Quantity. The reasoning in Option 2 correctly highlights the cautious balance required by the maxim and why over-informativeness is not inherently cooperative.

According to Maxim of Quantity, being under-informative in a conversation is uncooperative, but being over-informative is cooperative, because over-informative statements provide sufficient information.判断题

类似问题

John has the ability to talk informally with his friends and more formally to his teachers during class. Clearly John understands the _____.

German colleague's "we'll talk about this later", means:

Meanings are in people, not words and gestures.

According to lecture, ________________ considers the context in which words are used.

Tim seems to have meant one thing with his question "Pat, do you want to email Professor Liu about it?", but Pat seems to have understood it differently. Pat likely understood it in what way?

Tim seems to have meant one thing with his question "Pat, do you want to email Professor Liu about it?", but Pat seems to have understood it differently. What did Tim probably mean?

According to the Cooperative Principle, what would we expect an adult discourse participant to generally do if another discourse participant appears to be violating a maxim?

更多留学生实用工具

智能学习助手

风格化写作助手

论文查重助手

文献引用助手

课堂转译助手

课堂笔记助手

Quiz搜索助手

学校历年真题

智能刷题助手

智能匹配练习

希望你的学习变得更简单