Quality Maxim Flouting Types of Maxim Flouting Performed by the Characters in This Boy
Another example of relation maxim flouting can be seen in the following datum. Caroline: If I could have one wish right now -- only one wish -- you know
what Id like? Id like to burn this damn Nash Ambassador to a crisp. Im serious. I hate it. I hate the factory that produced it, and
I hate the man who invented it.
Toby : It almost makes me want to see Roy. 4RlCt
Datum number 4RlCt happens in the desert of Utah when the Nash Ambassador,
the car Caroline drives, is broken because the radiator is steaming. As a result, Caroline becomes angry and complains her car a lot. Toby tries to give a response to
his mothers anger by saying about Roy. Roy is Caroline ‟s boyfriend before she
leaves Florida. In this case, Toby breaks the rule of maxim of relation which regulates people to
give a relevant answer to the topic being discussed. In this case, Toby ‟s aim in giving
an irrelevant answer is to make his mother imagine the implicature behind his statement. Toby wants to make her mother feel sorry because she leaves Roy who can
handle their lives as he can make that car stop overheating. In short, Toby wants to say that Roy is a right man who can replace his father. Therefore, the way Toby
changes the topic of the conversation is categorized as an example of relation maxim flouting.
Another example of the phenomena of relation maxim flouting is explained in
datum 48RlCt below.
Toby : My Winchesters gone Dwight: That dogs purebred English bulldog. A champion. Dont forget
that.
Toby : I dont want it Dwight: Youre out of luck.
48RlCt
The dialogue above happens when Toby is surprised to know that his lovely rifle, Winchester had gone. Behind him, sits Dwight, wearing a suit and tie, watching the
television news. Dwight breaks the maxim of relation by changing the topic of the conversation. By saying
“That dogs purebred English bulldog. A champion. Dont forget
that”, Dwight fails to give a relevant answer related to the topic. Toby is complaining about his rifle which is gone, but Dwight is answering his question by
talking about a kind of champion dog. In other words, Dwight wants to make Toby think that he already traded Toby
‟s rifle with a valuable dog.