much information, the conversation may become not effective since the excess information given in the conversation. Moreover, when the speakers give excess
information, it is possible that the hearers will get bored or will assume that the speakers are showing off or cocky. The following statements are the examples of
violating the maxim of Quantity.
Example 6:
Rhi : Olive, did you buy the butter and milk?
Olive : Yes. I bought the butter and milk? From the conversation above, Rhi asks Olive about some information; whether or
not she buys the butter and milk. Then, O live answers her by saying: „Yes. I
bought the butter and milk‟. In here, Olive is being cooperative by providing sufficient information just like what is requested by the situation. She does not
give more information than what Rhi has asked her. By giving Rhi the right amount of answer, she is said to obey the maxim of Quantity.
b. Maxim of Quality
i. Do not say what you believe to be false.
ii. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.
This kind of maxim expects the speakers to say anything based on reality. The speakers are not allowed to tell lies to the hearer or to say anything which is
far from the truth.
Example 7:
Demi : Why are you late, Mon?
Monica : I needed to drive my friend home first.
In the conversation above, by asking that question, Demi expects to know the reason why Monica is late meeting her. Thus, to fill her in, Monica tells Demi that
she has to drive her friend home beforehand. In here, if Monica‟s answer is based on what actually happens, she does not lie, and it means that she is being
cooperative to Demi. By not giving false information to Demi, Monica is said to obey the maxim of Quality.
c. Maxim of Relation
Be relevant Due to this maxim, speakers are supposed to say something that is relevant
to what has been talked in a conversation. They must give information related to the topic of discussion. The example can be seen in the following conversation:
Example 8: Sue
: Hey, how are things going on after you broke up with Ali? Bryan : It has been tough, but I am doing great.
As Bryan‟s best friend, Sue is concerned about his condition after breaking up
with Ali and she wants to cheer him up. Being asked a sensitive question, Bryan could have just distracted Sue by changing the topic of discussion. However, he
appears to answer her by giving an answer that is related to the question she offers. That being done, Bryan is said to obey the maxim of Relation by providing
an answer which is related to the subject Sue brings up.
d. Maxim of Manner
i. Avoid obscurity of expression
ii. Avoid ambiguity
iii. Be brief avoid unnecessary prolixity
iv. Be orderly
This last maxim expects the speakers to be brief in saying something. They should avoid saying something which is difficult to understand. At last, the
speakers should avoid ambiguity in their utterances. When the speaker fails to obey each rule of the maxim of Manner, it is possible that the hearers also
possible to miss the implicatures drawn by the speakers.
Example 9: Cindy : Hey, Max. I like your hat. Where did you buy it?
Max : Thanks. I bought it at Pick and Pay next to our campus.
Being thrown a question by Cindy, Max has given the right amount of information and addressed Cindy‟s goal in asking the question. He mentions the
name of the store where he buys the hat and even tells her the location of it. Max‟s
answer is brief and not ambiguous. Thus, Max is said to follow the maxims of Manner.
The four conversational maxims above are suggested by Grice in order to build a successful conversation in which the interlocutors should be cooperative
with each other. A conversation is said to be successful when the speakers and the hearers are able to understand what each other means by giving the right amount
of information, being honest, brief, and relevant to the topic of discussion. The example when the speakers and the hearers are able to observe all of the
conversational maxims can be seen below.
Example 10: Husband
: Where are the car keys? Wife
: They‟re on the table in the hall. Thomas, 1995: 64
