The Non-Observance of Gricean Maxims in 'Two and A Half Men' That Result in Humor.

ABSTRACT

Di dalam penulisan tugas akhir ini, saya membahas pelanggaran maxim
yang dilakukan oleh penutur dalam suatu percakapan sehingga menciptakan
humor. Saya menggunakan data dari film seri yang berjudul Two and a Half Men
karena pemain di dalam film seri ini banyak melakukan pelanggaran maxim
dalam percakapan-percakapan mereka.
Guna mengkaji hal tersebut, saya menggunakan teori Conversational
Maxims yang diperkenalkan oleh H. P. Grice. Menurut Grice, percakapan dapat
berjalan dengan baik jika peserta percakapan mengikuti teorinya dan mematuhi
maxim. Akan tetapi, ada peserta percakapan yang melanggar teori ini sehingga
terjadilah pelanggaran maxim. Grice memperkenalkan lima jenis pelanggaran,
yaitu: flouting, violating, infringing, opting out, dan suspending a maxim.
Hal yang paling dominan dalam film seri ini adalah para pemeran yang
tidak perduli satu sama lain. Hal ini menyebabkan mereka berkomunikasi dengan
tidak baik sehingga terjadilah pelanggaran maxim. Percakapan yang kurang baik
ini pada akhirnya menciptakan humor dalam film seri tersebut. Dengan mengkaji
pelanggaran maxim dalam film seri Two and a Half Men, saya dapat
menyimpulkan bahwa keberhasilan film seri komedi ini antara lain karena
penggunaan pelanggaran maxim yang berujung humor.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................i
TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................... ii
ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................... iii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION ..................................................................... 1
Background of the Study ........................................................................... 1
Statement of the Problem .......................................................................... 3
Purpose of the Study ................................................................................. 4
Methods of Research ................................................................................ 4
Organization of the Thesis ........................................................................ 4
CHAPTER TWO: THEORY OF CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURE ............. 6
Cooperative Principle ................................................................................ 6
Conversational Maxims ............................................................................. 7
Theory of Humor ........................................................................................ 8
Non-observance ........................................................................................ 9

Flouting a Maxim ....................................................................................... 9
Violating a Maxim .................................................................................... 11
Infringing a Maxim ................................................................................... 12
Opting out of a Maxim ............................................................................. 12
Suspending a Maxim ............................................................................... 13
CHAPTER THREE: ANALYSIS OF THE HUMOROUS EFFECTS AS A
RESULT OF NON-OBSERVANCE OF GRICEAN MAXIMS
IN TWO AND A HALF MEN .................................................................... 14
CHAPTER FOUR: CONCLUSION .................................................................... 28
BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................ 32
APPENDIX ......................................................................................................... 33

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APPENDIX

NON-OBSERVANCE OF

DATA

MAXIMS

Data 1:

Charlie

: Where are you going?

Alan

: To the bathroom. Now, come

-

quantity
-

on and unzip me.

Flouting the maxim of
Flouting the maxim of
manner

Charlie

: Just like that? Right to it?
No dinner? No movie?

Data 2:

Charlie

: When you’re in my house,
when you’re out with me and
especially when we’re around
women, you will be adorable,
got it?

Jake

:

Sshhh..

I’m

trying

to

concentrate.
Charlie

: Don’t shush me. Never shush
me.

Jake

: Whatever.

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-

Flouting the maxim of
relation

Data 3:
Alan

: The office opens at 8.

Charlie

: O’clock?

Alan

: No, degrees.

Charlie

: No reason to be snide. I don’t

-

Flouting the maxim of
relation

want to be late.
Alan

: Fine. We leave at 7.

Charlie

: O’clock?

Data 4:

Alan

: Hey, what are you guys
talking about?

quality

Jake

: Sex.

Charlie

: Well, how about that. The
booger

-

eater

Flouting the maxim of

grasped

Flouting the maxim of
relation

the

symbolism.
Alan

: You were talking to my son
about sex?

Charlie

: He came to me with a

cupcake problem.

Alan

: I thought it was about sex.

Data 5:
Alan

: Isabella. I--I didn’t hear you come
in.

Isabella

Flouting the maxim of
quantity

: You weren’t meant to. So, you

-

Flouting the maxim of
manner

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think I’m a bad influence on your
kid?
Alan

: Oh well, gee, I-- I wouldn’t put it

-

Infringing the maxim

-

Flouting the maxim of

that way. But, you know, kids
are impressionable. And the
violent psychosexual imagery
of

your

body

art,

not

to

mention the smoking. Aren’t
something a young boy needs
to-- Why are you taking my hair?
Isabella

: Just a little quirk of mine.

........................................................................
Isabella

: Don’t mock what you don’t
understand.

Alan

: I’m sorry. I tend to resort to
mocking

when

I’m

totally

creeped out.
Isabella

: I don’t like you.

Alan

: Yeah, well.. I’m rubber, you’re
glue. Something, something,
something you.

Data 6:
Jake

: Hey

Mia

: Hey, Jake.

Charlie

: What are you doing up?

quality
-

Flouting the maxim of
relation

35

Jake

: why shouldn’t I be up?

Charlie

: Isn’t it past your bed time?

Jake

: I don’t know what you’re
talking about. I don’t have a
bed time.

Mia

: Okay.

Data 7:

Jake

: Boy, you’re really plowed,
aren’t you?

Alan

: No, your daddy doesn’t get
plowed. He’s just get a little
bzzz..

bzzz..

Anyway,

-

Infringing the maxim

-

Flouting the maxim of

the

important thing for you to know
is how much I love you.
Data 8:

Alan

: I-I’m sorry, I’m a little cranky.
I haven’t slept in two days.

Jake

: Why don’t you take a pill?

Charlie

: He doesn’t believe in pills.

Jake

: How can you not believe in
them? They’re on TV all the

: Let me tell you something,
Jake.

-

Flouting the maxim of
manner

time.
Alan

relation

Big

companies

pharmaceutical
want

you

36

to

think you can take a pill for
everything.

Can’t

sleep?

Take a pill. Can’t wake up?
Take a pill. Feeling sad?
Take a pill. Can’t get it up?
Take a pill.
Jake

: Can’t get what up?

Alan

: Can we just eat our dinner,
please?

Data 9:
Charlie

: Will you shut up and listen to
me? Failure is nothing to be
ashamed of, it’s a part of life,
it’s how we learn.
: You know what? I’ve failed

Alan

-

Flouting the maxim of
relation

for almost forty years. And
what have I learned?
: Oh, that wasn’t a rhetorical

Charlie

question?
Data 10:

Jake

: What, what means?

Alan

: All the big changes that are

-

happening.
Jake

: It’s just a couple of hairs, dad. It’s
not that big a deal.

37

Flouting the maxim of
relation

Alan

: Not, not those changes, but the
wedding, I mean, you’re going to have
a step dad in your life.

Jake

: So?

Alan

: So, is there anything you want to talk
about? Do you have any questions?

Jake

: Just one.

Alan

: Yeah, buddy?

Jake

: Why can’t I wear the blue tuxedo?

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In a daily conversation, a good conversation should be based on the
cooperative principle (CP). Following the cooperative principle means that a
speaker and a hearer should converse cooperatively (Thomas 62). Sometimes, in
a conversation, the speaker may produce unclear or irrelevant utterances while
he or she is talking. Such utterances can make the hearer misunderstand what
the speaker means because people are not always cooperative in a
conversation.
To assist in this matter, there are some rules stated by H. P. Grice to
make a conversation run smoothly. A conversation can run smoothly if the
speaker and the hearer follow the rules correctly. If they do not follow the rules,
they do not observe the cooperative principle, and they thus generate
implicature. Implicature is “generated intentionally by the speaker and may (or
may not) be understood by the hearer” (qtd. in Thomas 58). In other words, the
speaker does not always precisely say or write what he or she means and

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sometimes the hearer cannot directly get the meaning of what the speaker really
means.
Grice introduces four conversational maxims so that we can consider
what the implicature might be. According to him, if the speakers follow the CP
there will be no prompt to look for another interpretation (Thomas 63). The four
conversational maxims are the maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation, and
Manner (Thomas 63-64). Communication will run smoothly when one follows the
CP, but there are possibilities for a communication to break down when the
participants do not follow the CP rules. In this case, they “fail to observe a maxim”
and that can result in an unsuccessful communication.
There are so many reasons why people fail to observe a maxim. For
example, the hearer may not get the speaker’s intended meaning, or the speaker
does not clearly utter the information that is needed by the hearer. This nonobservance of the maxim can cause the meaning of the utterance not to be
directly

stated

within

the

words

uttered

by

the

speaker.

Therefore,

misunderstanding can occur between the speaker and the hearer. This
misunderstanding can bring some effects, such as arousing a tense atmosphere
or causing humor.
The title of my thesis is “The Non-Observance of Gricean Maxims in Two
and a Half Men That Result in Humor,” The data source is taken from the third
and fourth seasons of the series. The characters in this television series often
show non-observance of the maxims in their conversation. The non-observance
of the maxims frequently brings humor effect to the audience. That is why this
comedy television series Two and a Half Men is suitable for my thesis writing.
In my thesis, I analyze the non-observance of the maxims in Two and a
Half Men, the third and fourth seasons. Each episode tells a story about two adult
brothers, named Charlie Harper and Alan Harper, and an eleven-year-old child,
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named Jake Harper. Jake Harper is Alan’s son from his former wife, Judith
Harper. Alan and his son, Jake Harper, stay in Charlie’s house, due to his
divorce. Charlie is a jingle writer and he also has so many girlfriends to date,
while Alan is a chiropractor who does not have a girlfriend to have a date with.
In this television series, the characters, especially Charlie, Alan and
Jake, often fail to observe the maxims. They usually generate implicatures within
their utterances. This failure can happen because they generally give no attention
to one another although they live together in Charlie’s house. That is why they
communicate irrelevantly and the conversation between one another becomes
unclear. Their failure to observe the maxims brings humorous effects in those
episodes.
I am interested to analyze Two and a Half Men comedy television series
because I found it interesting to know the hidden meaning within the speaker’s
utterance. I want to reveal the humor as well by finding out the failure to observe
the maxims in this particular comedy television series. The characters’ failure to
observe the maxims often makes the audience laugh.
In writing this thesis, I hope to help people consider the implied meaning
within the characters’ utterances in Two and a Half Men television series which
contain the non-observance of the maxims. Besides, this research can raise the
readers’ awareness of other people’s failure to observe the maxims. If the
audience is already aware of the failure in communication, they can interpret the
implied meaning within the characters’ utterances.
738 Words

Statement of the Problem
In my thesis, the research problem is formulated in the following
questions:
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1.

What type of the non-observance of Gricean maxims does the speaker in
Two and a Half Men fail to observe?

2.

Why does the speaker fail to observe the maxim?

3.

What is the implied meaning of the speaker’s utterance?

4.

What are the humorous effects that are caused by the speaker’s failure to
observe the maxim?

Purpose of the Study
In doing the analysis, I want to
1.

find the type of the non-observance of Gricean maxims that the speaker in
Two and a Half Men fails to observe.

2.

explain why the speaker fails to observe the maxim.

3.

show the implied meaning of the speaker’s utterance.

4.

explain the humorous effects that happen because of the speaker’s failure to
observe the maxim.

Methods of Research
In this study I use the library research to find the theory. I select the data
from the comedy television series entitled Two and a Half Men, the third and
fourth seasons. By using the Gricean maxims, I classify the data, show the nonobservance of the maxims, and explain the implied meaning of the speakers’
utterances as well as the humorous effects resulting from the non-observance of
the maxims. Finally, I draw some conclusions from the whole study.

Organization of the Thesis
The thesis is divided into four chapters. The first chapter is the
Introduction, which consists of the Background of the Study, the Statement of the
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Problem, the Purpose of the Study, the Methods of Research, and the
Organization of the Thesis. The second chapter is the Theoretical Framework, in
which I present the theories of conversational implicature that I use in analyzing
the data. The third chapter presents the analysis of the non-observance of the
Gricean maxims in the dialogues of the characters in Two and a Half Men
television series. The fourth chapter, is the conclusion from the whole study. At
the end of the thesis, I provide a bibliography and an appendix.

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CHAPTER FOUR

CONCLUSION

Based on the theory, a conversation will run smoothly if the speaker and
the hearer follow the cooperative principle. In addition, a miscommunication may
happen when either the hearer or the speaker does not observe the maxims. In
this chapter, I am going to conclude the findings of the analysis on the nonobservance of Gricean maxims in the television series Two and a Half Men. If the
speakers and the hearers in Two and a Half Men television series observe the
maxims, their conversations will run smoothly. Furthermore, the hearers will be
able to catch the speakers’ meaning within the speakers’ utterances.
However, the speakers and the hearers in this television series do not
always obey the conversational rules. As a result, their conversations do not run
smoothly, so the hearers may not be able to get the speakers’ intended meaning
from his or her utterances. From my data analysis in chapter 3, I find that the
speakers and the hearers frequently fail to obey the conversational rules. Their
conversations are not smooth and are likely to create misunderstanding.
Interestingly, the failure to obey the conversational maxims in Two and a Half
Men television series brings the humorous effect. The humor in this television
series is called humor performance because there are some conversations

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between the speakers and the hearers which finally causes the audience to
laugh.
Throughout my analysis, I find nine data of flouting a maxim, which
happens because the speakers fail to observe the maxims and because the
speakers want to prompt the hearers to look for the meaning within the speakers’
utterances. There are also two data of infringing a maxim because the speakers
are drunk and become nervous.
The maxim which is most often flouted is the maxim of relation. I
conclude that the maxim of relation plays an important role in causing the
audience to laugh because the hearers’ answers are irrelevant to the question.
The reason why the characters give such irrelevant answers is because they
want to change the topic and avoid further conversation. This is also because
they do not care about one another although they live under the same roof. They
have their own business and they tend to manage their own life without caring
about other people’s problem. That is why they are not interested in what is being
talked about. They talk irrelevantly to each other and the hearers do not expect
such irrelevant answers, which brings humorous effect.
The second most flouted maxim is the maxim of quantity. The
characters flout the maxim of quantity by giving more or less information than is
required. They flout this maxim because there is an implied meaning within their
utterances. I think most characters in Two and a Half Men television series that
flout this maxim give less information in their conversation. Their uncaring attitude
toward each other makes them tend to provide less information than is required.
The third most flouted maxim is the maxim of manner. The characters
flout the maxim of manner because they do not want to give a brief or direct
answer to the speakers. In my opinion, the speakers do not want to give a direct
answer but they generate implicature within their utterances. For example, in data
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5, Alan gives a long-winded response to Isabella’s question when he could simply
give a direct answer to her. In this data, I notice that Alan is afraid of Isabella so
he does not want to give a direct answer to her.
The maxim which is least flouted is the maxim of quality. This maxim
occurs when a speaker says something which is untrue without any intention to
deceive a hearer. A speaker only wants to prompt the hearer to look for another
meaning within the speaker’s utterances. For example, in data 4, Jake says
something untrue to his father about his problem with a girl. As an answer, he
says that he is talking with his uncle Charlie about sex. Jake wants his father to
look for the meaning within his utterance, that his father should teach him about
sex. I think the reason Jake flouts the maxim of quality in this conversation with
his father is because he wants his father to notice that he is not a kid anymore
but he is old enough to talk about sex.
In this comedy television series, infringing a maxim also brings
humorous effects. A speaker who infringes a maxim does not have any intention
to mislead or deceive the hearer. Infringing a maxim happens because the
speaker is drunk, nervous or has imperfect linguistic performance. An example of
this maxim is found in data 7. When there is a conversation between a person
who gets drunk and a person who is not drunk. When a person cannot speak
clearly in a conversation because of a reason such as drunkenness or
nervousness, humor can appear.
There are some types of non-observance of the maxims that do not
occur in this television series. They are violating a maxim, opting out of a
maxim, and suspending a maxim. In my opinion, a speaker will violate a maxim
with a certain purpose because he or she wants the hearer to think of something
else. However, in this TV series, violating a maxim does not occur because the
participants of a conversation do not care about each other’s problem. I do not
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find opting out of a maxim because this type usually occurs in public life, when
the speaker should keep the information confidential. The speaker usually shows
his or her unwillingness to cooperate with the other speakers by not giving direct
answers. However, in this television series, the characters do not have any
information that they should keep confidential. That is why opting out of a maxim
does not occur at all. Suspending a maxim does not occur either because none
of the characters talk about anything related to a culture or circumstances where
information has to be suspended.
I noticed that the maxim of Relation brings most of the humorous effects
in this television series. In my opinion, the speaker who speaks irrelevantly can
make the audience laugh. I can tell that an unexpected answer often surprises
the audience. This is because what the audience expects is just a general
answer, but in certain parts of this television series most characters talk
irrelevantly. Besides, the way the hearer replies to the speaker’s question is
funny. It becomes even funnier when the audience finds and understands the
meaning within the speaker’s utterances.
I hope this thesis will make a contribution to people who wish to
analyze about the non-observance of the Gricean maxims. I would suggest that
those who are interested in taking the non-observance of the Gricean maxims for
their thesis should understand how to use the theory of maxims and if they are
going to select the data from the comedy television series, they may be
interested in including paralinguistic theory. Paralinguistic theory can be used to
know the meaning deeply and to convey the emotion. It can be seen from the
participant's body language, facial expression, intonation, volume, etc so that the
humorous parts can be revealed deeply.
1201 Words

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Primary Text:
Two and a Half Men. Dir. Gary Halvorson, and Pamela Fryman. Perf. Jon Cryer,
Angus T. Jones, Charlie Sheen, Conchata Ferrell, Holland Taylor, Marin
Hinkle, and Melanie Lynskey. CBS, 2005-2006 season 3-4. DVD.

References:
Alvaro, Ramiro Nieto. The Role of Conversational Maxims, Implicature and
Presupposition in the Creation of Humor: An Analysis of Woody Allen’s
Anything Else. Diss. Universitas Complviensies Matritensis, 2011. Print.
Hornby, A.S. Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University
Press, 1995. Print.
Thomas, Jenny. Meaning in Interaction: An Introduction to Pragmatics. London
and New York: Longman, 1995. Print.
Two and a Half Men. N.p, 2003. Web. 25 Sept. 2011.
Yule, George. “Pragmatics.” 4shared. Oxford University Press (1996): 3. Web. 18
Sept. 2011.

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