Maxims of

Conversation
Deny A. Kwary, S.S., M.Hum

www.kwary.net

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

Examples:
1. Im a multimillionaire (Actually, Im 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, its hot in here!
Violated maxim: Relevance
Explanation: Bs answer is not related to As 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.

Exercises
1. Dont be silly. I love working 80 hours a
week with no vacation. Quality
2. A: Excuse mehow 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: Whats playing at the Rialto tonight?
B: A film you havent seen. Relevance
4. Dr. Smith received his Ph.D in 1986, his B.A.
in 1980, and his M.A. in 1982. Manner

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
As question is equally obvious: Yes!

Exercises:
1. A: Ill pay you back in full next week, I promise.
B: Sure, and pigs will fly and fish will sing.
Violated maxim: Relevance
Motivation: Bs 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

3. A: So tell me, do you like what I did to my hair?

B: Erwhats on TV tonight?
Violated maxim: Relevance
Motivation: B does not like As 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 its all in the genes

Materials for Final Test

1. Grammatical vs. Ungrammatical
2. Syntactic categories
3. Tree diagram
4. Ambiguity
5. Semantic features
6. Lexical relations
7. Thematic roles
8. Sentential relations
9. Idioms
10. Maxims of conversations

THANK YOU

Deny A. Kwary, S.S., M.Hum

www.kwary.net