The Floating of Maxims in PTV World’s Program “Dialogue”: A Pragmatic Analysis

Abstract

The study aims to identify the flouting of Gricean maxims in the conversations of speakers in PTV World’s program Dialogue. Pragmatics plays a vital role in analyzing speech acts, particularly how listeners interpret implied meanings beyond expressed words. According to Grice’s cooperative principle, a flout occurs when speakers deviate from conversational maxims (Thomas, 1997). Such deviations can reveal deeper conversational strategies and patterns. This observational study employs a descriptive qualitative approach to analyze the phenomenon of maxim flouting. Grice’s cooperative principle and its maxims were applied to an episode of Dialogue. The program’s discussions were carefully observed, and the text was analyzed through subtitles to identify instances of flouting. The analysis revealed frequent flouting of the maxims of quality and quantity, primarily due to explanations, excessive information, and topic shifts by both the anchor and guests. Despite these deviations, no significant detrimental effects on the conversation were noted. Strict adherence to Grice’s cooperative principle is recommended for clearer and more meaningful communication in spoken discourse.