PRAGMATICS: GRICE'S CONVERSATIONAL MAXIMS VIOLATIONS IN THE RESPONSES OF SOME WESTERN POLITICIANS

Abstract

This paper accounts for the application of Grice's four maxims of conversational implicatures to some political interviews randomly chosen , to serve as objective material of this work. The study is an attempt to find out how much the maxims of quantity , quality , relevance and manner are followed throughout the responses of the politicians con- cerned. Cases of violation are given considerable importance in this paper especially the violation of the maxim of quality which is considered the core of truthfulness of any conver- sation. The researchers have used statistics and , to some extent , percentages just to show to what extent the above maxims are violated , especially the maxim of quality. The results have proved the correctness of the hypothesis of this work which states that when the maxim of quality is violated , all other maxims are difficult to adhere to.