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

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iii Maranatha Christian University

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

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ii Maranatha Christian University

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

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33

APPENDIX

DATA NON-OBSERVANCE OF

MAXIMS

Data 1:

Charlie : Where are you going? Alan : To the bathroom. Now, come

on and unzip me.

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

- Flouting the maxim of quantity

- Flouting the maxim of manner

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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36 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.

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38 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?

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1 Maranatha Christian University

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

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2 Maranatha Christian University 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 non-observance 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

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3 Maranatha Christian University 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

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4 Maranatha Christian University 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 non-observance 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

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5 Maranatha Christian University 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

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28 Maranatha Christian University

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 non-observance 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

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29 Maranatha Christian University 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

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30 Maranatha Christian University 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

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31 Maranatha Christian University 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.

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32 Maranatha Christian University

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.

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