1. Maxims of Conversation
Deny A. Kwary, S.S., M.Hum

2. The Cooperative Principles: Maxims of Conversations (Grice, 1989)
Name of Maxim
Description of Maxim
Quantity
Say neither more nor less than the discourse requires
Relevance
Be relevant
Manner
Be brief and orderly; avoid ambiguity and obscurity
Quality
Do not lie; do not make unsupported claims

3. Examples: 1. I’m a multimillionaire (Actually, I’m penniless.)
Violated maxim: Quality
Explanation: The speaker has failed to tell the truth.
2. A: When am I going to get back the money I lent you?
B: Boy, it’s hot in here!
Violated maxim: Relevance
Explanation: B’s answer is not related to A’s question.
3. A: What should I do to get rid of this headache, Doctor?
B: Take some medicine.
Violated maxim: Quantity
Explanation: B has not provided enough information.

4. Exercises
Don’t be silly. I love working 80 hours a week with no vacation.
Quality
2. A: Excuse me–how much is this screwdriver?
B: $9.95. The saw is $39.50, and the power drill there on the table is $89.00.
Quantity
3. A: What’s playing at the Rialto tonight?
B: A film you haven’t seen.
Relevance
4. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D in 1986, his B.A. in 1980, and his M.A. in 1982.
Manner

5. Speakers sometimes deliberately violate the rules of ordinary conversation to achieve certain ends
Example:
A: Would you like to go out with Andrea?
B: Is the Pope Catholic?
Violated maxim: Relevance
Motivation: B is being humorous. By replying with a question whose answer is obvious, he is implying that the answer to A’s question is equally obvious: Yes!

6. Exercises: 1. A: I’ll pay you back in full next week, I promise.
B: Sure, and pigs will fly and fish will sing.
Violated maxim: Relevance
Motivation: B’s response implies sarcastically that he does not believe A.
2. A: What are the three most important things in real estate?
B: Location, location, and location.
Violated maxim: Quantity
Motivation: To emphasize the overwhelming importance of location

7. 3. A: So tell me, do you like what I did to my hair?
B: Er…what’s on TV tonight?
Violated maxim: Relevance
Motivation: B does not like A’s hairstyle, so he changed the subject.
4. A: How can I develop a great body like yours?
B: Choose your parents carefully.
Violated maxim: Quality
Motivation: Indirectly saying that it is impossible, because it’s all in the genes

8. Materials for Final Test
Grammatical vs. Ungrammatical
Syntactic categories
Tree diagram
Ambiguity
Semantic features
Lexical relations
Thematic roles
Sentential relations
Idioms
Maxims of conversations

9. THANK YOU
Deny A. Kwary, S.S., M.Hum