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The Korean Association for the Study of English Language and Linguistics
[ Article ]
Korea Journal of English Language and Linguistics - Vol. 24, No. 0, pp.852-869
ISSN: 1598-1398 (Print) 2586-7474 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Jan 2024
Received 29 Jul 2024 Revised 20 Aug 2024 Accepted 27 Aug 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15738/kjell.24..202408.852

Metapragmatic Awareness and Relationship Dynamics: A Pragmatic-Discourse Analysis of Gricean Maxims in a Literary Work

Ying Wang ; Jung Sook Kim
(1st author) Doctoral Student, Dept. of English Language and Literature Cheongju University 714360143@qq.com
(corresponding author) Assistant Professor, Dept. of English Language and Literature Cheongju University jskim8015@cju.ac.kr


© 2024 KASELL All rights reserved
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

This study investigates how the relationship dynamics in a literary work can be constructed by the metapragmatic strategies deployed by the characters. To illustrate the significance and rhetorical functions of metapragmatic awareness, this study conducted a pragmatic-discourse analysis of conversations among the protagonists in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Employing Grice’s Cooperative Principle (CP) as an analytical framework, the study focuses primarily on how the protagonists utilize their metapragmatic strategies during their interactions and how the strategies impact their relationship dynamics. Verbal exchanges between the main characters were systematically analyzed based on the four maxims of the CP: Quantity, Quality, Relevance, and Manner. Instances of both compliance and violation of these maxims were identified and selected as representative examples to illustrate the arguments.

Keywords:

Gricean maxims, cooperative principle, metapragmatics, dynamics of relationship, Pride and Prejudice

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