Kusuma on Grice

-- by JLS
---- for the GC

FOR THE RECORD, the author referred to by Kramer in his "Funny you should mention that" is Kusuma. From an online source, this was her MA thesis 2006, submitted to the Dept of Linguistics, and it concerns a programme. Not the Gricean programme. A television programme.

Kusuma writes:

"Co-operative Principles are those that
should be obeyed by a speaker and a
hearer to have a smooth conversation."

Only: do not multiply PRINCILES beyond
necessity.

In fact, I think that TWO starts can't get you started.

"Grice proposes the Co-operative Principles
that are reflected in the four maxims of conversation: Maxim of Quality, Maxim
of Quantity, Maxim of Relation and Maxim of Manner."

But he was JOKING, and linguists should KNOW about that!

"The principles are stated
in the fulfillment of the conversational maxims. In a conversation, sometimes
people may flout those maxims for some certain reasons,"

and dogs, too. In fact, my mother is a specialist of CATS' flouting maxims, too. Her pet's "miaow", for example, sometimes indicates a flout to 'perspicuity' (Is she wanting to urinate? or just hungry? or is just happy to see me?).

"although it does not
mean that they fail to communicate with each other. Flouting the conversational
maxims may not bring the communication to an end, but it may cause humor."

which is best when it HURTS others!

---- 'hurt' as humour can! Not by shooting or anything. People are so immune to humour these days that I long for the days of Dorothy Parker at the Algonquin, when it was ALL about the witty riposte to the wrong implicata.

"Based on these studies, this thesis was written to find out the relationship between
the humor in the comedy and the flouting of conversational maxims. This thesis
analyzes the flouting of conversational maxims in the drama comedy TV series "
Bajaj Bajuri Salon Oneng Edition", which was broadcast in Trans TV."

This is NOT transgender TV.

"There were
two episodes chosen by the writer to be analyzed. They were "Bajuri Fried
Chicken" and "Mpo Minah?s Demolished House. In analyzing"

I think there is a double quote missing there.

"the data, the writer
uses Grice's theory of conversational maxims. The"

in Version B-43. Currently, I'm studying his version A, Oxford Lectures on Logic and Conversation, 1964. Wittier!

"writer uses descriptive
approach to describe the reasons why the characters in the drama comedy "Bajaj
Bajuri Salon Oneng Edition" flout the maxims. After"

For this was NOT submitted to "Moralising Studies" of "Moralising un-Christian Uni".

"analyzing the data, the
writer can prove that there were floutings of maxims in the comedy that could
cause humor. The"

Apparently, the jury found it comical, too, and the author was awarded an MA.

"writer found out that the Maxim of Manner was flouted the
most by the characters in "Bajaj Bajuri Salon Oneng Edition". Moreover,"

---- I hope she provides a translation, because if not, they would not just FLOUT, but INFRINGE it!

"she also
found that there are some floutings of multiple maxims done by the characters to
create humor. For example, the flouting of the Maxim of Relation combined with
the flouting of the Maxim of Manner occurred the most in the drama comedy
"Bajaj Bajuri Salon Oneng Edition". From"

Blame the script writers ("That's not RELEVANT enough").

"the findings, the writer can conclude
that the flouting of the maxims in a conversation is important to create humor."

and then some.

I once wrote to Attalardo. "I have to congratulate you for having started the proceedings in "Legacy of Grice". He wrote, "Yes, but put the blame on my name starting with an "A"".


Attalardo, "Grice on humour". In "Legacy of Grice", pp. 1-... Proceedings of the Parasession at the Berekeley Linguistics Undergraduate Society, published in Berkeley.

O. T. O. H., Grice's favourite TV programme was not humour (sort of). It was "Star Treck". He was thus nicknamed "Trekkie".