Co-operative Principle
The co-operative principle was established by H. Paul Grice, and refers to how people interact with one another. As stated by Grice, "Make your contribution such as it is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exhange in which you are engaged"
The co-operative principle was broken down into four maxims, which refer to rational or logical principles people observe in order to communicate effectively or get their meaning across.
Gricean Maxims
1. Quantity. Be as informative as required. Say enough, but not too much.
2. Quality. Say what you believe to be true and for which you have adequate evidence.
3. Relation. Be relevant.
4. Manner. Avoid obscurity, ambuguity. Be brief and orderly.
Since the maxims are meant to aid in commumnicating meaning. However, people often flout or voilate' maxims in order to create other meanings. This is called implicature .
Sources
Cameron, D. (2001). Working with Spoken Discourse. London: Sage Publications.