Aladeen flouts maxim of quantity since he gives too much information. He can simply answer the man‟s question by saying „yes‟ or „no‟. However, he also
explains about Osama‟s unacceptable behavior when he is in the bathroom.
c. Maxim of Relation Flouting
There are some ways to flout maxim of relation, i.e. giving an irrelevant response and changing the topic of the conversation. An example of maxim of
relation flouting can be seen in Datum 1 below. Interviewer : Are you developing nuclear weapons?
Aladeen :
No, I literary can’t hear you.
Interviewer : I‟m going to another question.
Aladeen : Oh, I can hear you now.
Datum 1 At the very beginning part of the movie, there is a scene where Aladeen is
interviewed and asked about Wadiya‟s nuclear weapon program. When the interviewer asks about this question, Aladeen always says that he cannot hear the
question. Finally, when the interviewer gives up and says that he will ask another question, Aladeen says that he can hear what the interviewer says.
Aladeen flouts maxim of relation because he tries to change the topic of the conversation. He pretends that he cannot hear the question. He does it because
he cannot answer the question. It happens because, actually, Wadiya is developing a nuclear weapon but he does not want anyone outside of Wadiya to know about
it. He wants to hide the fact and make the interviewer stop asking about it or move to another topic.
Another example of maxim of relation flouting is shown in Datum 36. Aladeen
: I threw in some carob-covered goji berries, just as a treat. Enjoy.
Customer : Thank you. That‟s very kind of you. You‟re a very nice man.
Aladeen : What the fuck did you call me?
Datum 36 This conversation happens at Zoey‟s store. Aladeen gives a bonus by
giving some carob-covered goji berries to one of the customers and the customer wants to thank him for his kindness. However, somehow he is annoyed when the
customer praises him as a very nice man. He responds to it by saying “What the
fuck did you call me ?” to express his dislike of being called as a very kind and
nice man. Aladeen flouts maxim of relation by giving an irrelevant response. Instead
of saying „thank you‟ because the customer praises him, he says something sharp and it hurts the customer feeling. This also can be seen as unexpected respond for
the customer because she never imagines that she will get that kind of response when she praises someone.
d. Maxim of Manner Flouting
Maxim of manner flouting occurs when a speaker gives an ambiguous response. It means that there is more than one meaning in the conversation. The
speaker tends to be obscure or not be brief. An example of maxim of manner flouting is shown below.
Aladeen : How much time have they allotted me? Tamir
: Seven minutes, sir. Aladeen
: I‟ll talk for 14 hours And three of those will untranslatable. Literally, baby noises. Okay, let‟s rehearse this. Role play, role
play. You, come on. This‟ll be fun. So Secretary General, your soldiers will weep…
GUN EXPLOTION
Aladeen :
I‟m so sorry Listen, it was not my fault. I mean, somebody had
set the safety catch to “Aladeen” instead of “Aladeen”.
Datum 6
