Conversational Maxims By Nick & Trey

Paul Grice Born March 13, 1913 in Birmingham, England Linguistic Philosopher Educated at Clifton College, then at Corpus Christi College in Oxford Taught at UCal Berkley

Conversational Maxims Guidelines that one should follow when speaking; regulate how the message is conveyed Communication determines the effectiveness of the conversation. The Maxims are broken up into 4 subcategories: Quantity, Quality, Relation, and Manner

Maxims of Quantity: Make your contribution to the conversation as informative as necessary. “How long does it take to get from Wilmington from Hillsborough?” “Forever” Do not make your contribution to the conversation more informative than necessary. “How long does it take to get from Wilmington from Hillsborough?” “Well, if there is no traffic or construction, you have a full tank of gas, and go a constant speed of 75 mph; it should take approximately 2 hours and 39 minutes. http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/grices-conversational-maxims.html

Maxims of Quality: Do not say what you believe to be false. “Should I paint a mural of Obama on the side of our house?” “Well if it’s facing our radical Republican neighbors, I’m sure they’d love to look outside every day and see it. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence. “Who do you think will win the World Series this year?” “Well, from my vast knowledge of baseball, I think it will come down to either the Packers or the Lakers.” http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/grices-conversational-maxims.html

Maxim of Relation: Be relevant. “How long does it take to get from Wilmington from Hillsborough?” “Well if you’re traveling by camel, then it should take you 2 days tops.” http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/grices-conversational-maxims.html

Maxims of Manner: Avoid obscurity of expression. Avoid ambiguity. Be brief. Be orderly. “Can you tell me what time it is?” “I can tell you what time it isn’t! But really, what is time? The measure of how long the Earth moves?” http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/grices-conversational-maxims.html

Sources http://www.usingenglish.com/articles/grices-conversational-maxims.html http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/grice/ http://www.sil.org/linguistics/GlossaryOfLinguisticTerms/WhatIsAConversationalMaxim.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gricean_maxims