14 listeners are able to give appropriate responses to the speakers’ utterances. The
concept of cooperative activity leads the listeners to assume that all speakers are always cooperative.
As a cooperative activity, Grice 1975: 45 proposes some rules that should be obeyed in doing a conversation. These rules are formulated in a principle of
cooperating called Cooperative Principle. Cooperative Principle has four sub- principles called maxims; maxim of quantity, quality, relevance, and manner.
Related to the Cooperative Principle, there are possibilities that it is observed or non-observed by the speaker. Observed Cooperative Principle means
that speakers are able to fulfill the maxims of Cooperative Principle so they are considered as being cooperative in the conversation. On the other hand, non-
observed Cooperative Principle means that speakers fail in fulfilling the maxims of Cooperative Principle.
a. Observed Cooperative Principle
In the observed Cooperative Principle, speakers fulfill the four sub- principles or maxims as the rules of being cooperative. As an example of observed
Cooperative Principle is the following: Siti
: How do I get to Yogyakarta State University? Nabila :
Go straight ahead, turn right at the intersection, then turn left at the T-junction, and in front of the bus station
turn right.
Siti and Nabila do not know each other. They meet on the street. Siti asks for direction to Nabila. In the conversation above, there is an observed
Cooperative Principle. Nabila is considered to fulfill the maxims of Cooperative Principle.
15 1
Observed maxim of quantity Maxim of quantity requires speakers in a conversation to be as informative
as is required for the current purpose of the exchange. This means that the speakers neither give too much nor too little information. The speakers should
know how much information the listeners require so the speakers do not give more information than that is required.
In the example above, Nabila gives the information of directing as is required. Nabila does not give too much information and too little information
related to the way to Yogyakarta State University. Although actually Nabila can give more information than the above answer, Nabila does not do that because of
the observed maxim of quantity. 2
Observed maxim of quality Different from the maxim of quantity, the maxim of quality requires the
speakers to be sincere and honest, saying the truth. This maxim leads the speakers to avoid saying what they believe to be false and for which they lack adequate
evidence. Honesty and truth are the essence of this maxim. The previous example shows that there is an observed maxim of quality.
Nabila gives the right direction to Yogyakarta State University. Nabila does not lie and gives the true information. When Siti follows the direction to Yogyakarta
State University, Siti will find it true since Nabila has adequate evidence of his or her saying.
3 Observed maxim of relevance
In the maxim of relevance, the speakers are required to be relevant in
16 saying something. Speakers should say something which is relevant to the
previous saying in a conversation. In a question and answer section, speakers should answer the question appropriately. They should give the related answer to
the question. The observed maxim of relevance in the previous example is when Nabila
is giving the relevant answer to Siti’s question. Siti asks about the way to Yogyakarta State University and Nabila answers by giving the direction to
Yogyakarta State University. This is observing the maxim of relevance. 4
Observed maxim of manner The last sub-principle of Cooperative Principle is the maxim of manner.
