Differences in Brother Sway’s Chinese and English Talk Shows Based on Cooperative Principles

Abstract

This study is the analysis of the differences in Brother Sway’s Chinese and English talk shows based on Cooperative Principles. From four maxims of Cooperative Principle and violations of four maxims, this article uses the method of comparative analysis to study the differences between Brother Sway’s Chinese and English talk shows. In order to produce humorous effects, he deliberately violates some of maxims in Cooperative Principle. Facing with audiences from different cultural backgrounds, Brother Sway violates the principles within talk shows in different ways, which actually reflects the characteristics of different languages and various habits of speaking. Based on the comparative study, the thesis has answered the four research questions, that is: Facing Americans and Chinese audiences, Brother Sway has adopted different cooperative principles to produce humorous effects; in the organization of language and the creation of his works, Brother Sway deliberately organizes and creates based on Chinese and American language expression; different responses of the humor have been achieved in the same performance both on Chinese and American audiences; aiming that, Brother Sway purposely violates some maxims in Cooperative Principles to cater to the audiences. The thesis is expected to help learners better appreciate Brother Sway’s talks show and comprehend different cultures of the two countries.