M. A. I english P. C3 & C6 Modern Linguistics title pmd

4. 
Principles of Conversation
Leech precisely distinguishes between rules and principles. According to him 
semantics is rule governed and general Pragmatics is principle – controlled. He 
relates rules to grammatical category, whereas principles to rhetorical form. He 
associates the rules of grammar with Searle’s notion of ‘constitutive rules’ and 
principles of Pragmatics with his concept of regulative rules. In short, rules are 
theoretical and principles are practical. This distinction is similar to the difference 
between language and language use.
As per the opinion of Leech, the general Pragmatics is the general condition 
of the communicative use of language. Leech also proposes two further systems: 

---

105 
i) 
Pragmalinguistics in which we consider the particular resources which a
given language provides for conveying particular illocutions, 
ii) 
Socio pragmatics, which studies the more specific local conditions on
language use (Leech 1983: 11). 
Historically, rhetoric has been understood as the art of using language 
skillfully for persuasion, or for literary expression, or for public speaking. For Leech, 
rhetoric is the effective use of language in its most general sense applying it 
primarily to everyday conversation and secondarily to more prepared and public 
uses of language. The speaker uses language in order to produce a particular effect 
in the mind of the hearer.
According to Leech the two systems of rhetoric are: 
1. Textual rhetoric and
2. Interpersonal rhetoric. 
Textual rhetoric consists of the processibility principle, the clarity principle, 
the economy principle and the expressivity principle. Interpersonal rhetoric consists 
of the cooperative principle, politeness principle and irony principle.