The Maxim of Relevance:
Scenario: A couple has been dating for almost a month....
Female: “I’ve been thinking a lot about us lately…”
Male Responds: “uh huh…darn, the Phillies lost tonight’s game!”
The guy responds with a statement that is not relevant to what the girl just said. He wants to change the topic of conversation because talking about a “relationship” is something he wants to avoid at all costs.
The Maxim of Quality:
Scenario: Two people discussing how their day went. Person 1 knows that Person 2 despises their job but asks the same question almost every day.
Person 1: “How was work?”
Person 2: “Oh just wonderful; I had the best day ever!" (Facial expression = sneer and role of the eyes. Suspension of Maxim of Quality in order to express sarcasm)
Person 2 later explains that a customer screamed at her and she missed her lunch break.
Person 2 later explains that a customer screamed at her and she missed her lunch break.
The Maxim of Quantity:
Scenario: Person 1 greets a co-worker in the hallway.
Person 1: “Good Morning, How’s it going?”
Coworker Responds: “Oh you know same old same old; I just got back from vacation though, and had the best time… (The co-worker goes on to describe their vacation in great detail with a play by play of what they did each day.)
Person 1 becomes a bit annoyed (body language: becomes stiff and keeps checking their watch) because they did not expect to get into an in-depth conversation about their coworker’s vacation. Person 1 expected a “normal” response such as “It’s going well”, or “Great – It’s Friday” or “Eh, as good as can be expected on a Monday.” Too much information was given and the Maxim of Quantity was violated.
The Maxim of Manner:
Scenario: A mother asks her daughter’s opinion about her son’s new girlfriend.
Mom: “What do you think of Brian’s new girlfriend?”
Daughter Responds: “Oh, she’s just lovely.”
This response can be taken one of two ways:
#1. The girlfriend is actually a very sweet girl.
OR
#2. The girlfriend is anything but sweet, and the statement is said with exaggeration.
In the case of #2, The Maxim of Manner has been violated (tone of voice).
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