A Research on the Linguistic Characteristics of Western Detective Fiction under the Cooperation Principle

Abstract

Western detective fiction is different from other narrative styles with its distinctive linguistic characteristics as a new genre. Grice's Cooperation Principle as a general description of our expectations of normal communication, helps to explain how and what people talk about. Taking The Killers by Ernest Hemingway as an example, this research analyses the linguistic characteristics of western detective fiction based on the Cooperation Principle. Its discourse is not overly rhetorical and focuses on communication between characters with a strong sense of realism and immersion. The violation of the cooperation principle makes the discourse absurd and deductive. It hides the characters'purpose by changing the subject or making the language difficult to understand. This makes the language of the characters' language have more overtones, leaving more room for the readers' imagination and also makes the readers think more about the connotation of the story, which further promotes the development of the plot.