A Pragmatic Analysis of Dong Yuhui’s Interview under Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Politeness Strategies

Abstract

By adopting Grice’s Cooperative Principle and Brown and Levinson’s Politeness Theory, this study examines Dong Yuhui’s intercultural communication strategies. Upon adherence to conversational maxims and the application of politeness strategies, a qualitative method was used to analyze the transcribed interview, focusing on adherence to conversational maxims and the application of politeness strategies. The result indicates Dong Yuhui’s strong commitment to the maxim of quality: his commitment to truthfulness and trust in the audience. His use of storytelling and topic redirection is a strategic deviation from the maxims of quantity and relevance to strengthen audience participation and build cultural relatability. The most prominent strategy was positive politeness, which emphasized the inclusion of everyone and the familiarity and warmth in the relations, while off-record negativism demonstrated his propensity to be humble and indirect. These findings show that pragmatic principles and politeness strategies are adaptable to the multilingual and multicultural contexts, and offer important knowledge for educators and professionals working in intercultural interactions and role transitions in the globalized contexts.