Udayana Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vol. 6 No. 1, February 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.24843/UJoSSH.2022.v06.i01.p01

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Flouting Grice’s Maxim in Jumanji: The Next Level

Putu Prasanthi Vahini1, Made Budiarsa2, I Made Netra3 [1]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University Denpasar, Bali

Email: vahiniprasanthi@yahoo.com

[2]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University Denpasar, Bali

Email: made_budiarsa@yahoo.com

[3]English Department, Faculty of Humanities, Udayana University Denpasar, Bali

Email: imadenetra@unud.ac.id

Abstract: The title of this study is Flouting Grice Maxim in Jumanji: The Next Level. This study aims to analyze the types of maxim flouting in the film and analyze the reasons for the flout. Data obtained from the film Jumanji: The Next Level, directed by Jake Kasdan. The data were obtained from the film Jumanji: The Next Level using the documentation method and note-taking technique. Data were analyzed using descriptive qualitative methods. This study uses the theory of Grice (1975) cooperative principle. The result showed that the maxim that is mostly flouted is the maxim of relation.

Keywords: Cooperative principle, maxim, flouting maxim.

INTRODUCTION

In communication, language plays a strong role in the aspect of message transfer. Language becomes a tool in communication in which language and communication have an inseparable relationship. Language is an interpretation of what the communicator conveys to the communicant. Without language, it is difficult for people to express their feelings or exchange information resulting in difficulty in implementing all social matters. According to Grice, the purpose of communication is to convey information, contribute as informative as required, not more or less than required, avoid misunderstanding, not ambiguous, it is called cooperative principle.

Grice (1975), proposed cooperative principles of communication. He stated to make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged (Grice,1975:45). The cooperative principle explains the effectiveness of communication in a conversation. It can be achieved in the same social situation. According to Grice, to make a good

conversation we need a rule in communicating that is labeled as maxims of conversation.

There are four maxims in cooperative principles, i.e. maxim of quantity, the maxim of quality, the maxim of relation, and maxim of manner. Each maxim requires the participants of conversation to provide information neither more nor less than necessary, based on facts, make relevant contributions stay on the topic of discussion, and say things clearly so that they are easy to do understand.

However, sometimes in a conversation, many people may fail to fulfill several maxims. This phenomenon is called the flouting maxim. People may fail to observe a maxim because they are incapable of speaking clearly or because they deliberately choose to lie and seek to find another meaning. Grice (1975: 49) stated that when the speaker flouted the maxims there must be a hidden or implicit meaning in his or her utterances in which the speaker expects the listener to understand and seek the true meaning, known as a conversational implicature.

In this study, the researchers discuss flouting maxim because sometimes in our daily conversation

we disobey the maxim. Besides daily communication, the flouting of maxims can also be found in movie conversations. In the movie dialogue, flouting maxim often appears in the conversation of

Problems of the Study

Based on the background of the study above, two problems can be formulated which are as follows:

  • 1.    What type of maxims are flouted by the characters in Jumanji: The Next Level?

  • 2.    What are the reasons of the characters for flouting the maxims in Jumanji: The Next Level?

Aims of the Study

Based on the problems presented above, the aims of this study can be formulated as follow:

  • 1.    To identify the type of maxim that is flouted in Jumanji: The Next Level

  • 2.    To explain the reasons of the characters for flouting the maxims in Jumanji: The Next Level

  • I.    RESEARCH METHOD

The research method covers data source, method and technique of collecting data, method, and technique of analyzing data, and method and technique of presenting analysis.

Data Source

The data source in this study was taken from a movie. The Movie is chosen as a data source because it serves as a medium to deliver messages which are easily accepted by society. Jumanji movie was popular and has been in various award event, especially in the category of best visual effect or animation. Besides that, this movie has many data containing flouting maxim. For linguistics study, the movie provides language phenomena within its dialogue, such as maxim flouting. Here, a movie entitled Jumanji: The Next Level is selected as an object of study.

Method and Technique of Collecting Data

To know the method and technique of collecting data in this study used the documentation method. The data was collected by downloading the movie from the internet. And the technique of collecting data in this study was: First, Jumanji: The next level movie was download from the internet with English subtitles. Second, the movie was watched repeatedly to know the storyline of the movie. After that, found out the utterances that contained the flouting maxims. The utterances that contained flouting maxims were collected by note-taking technique.

Method and Technique of Analyzing Data

The method and Technique of analyzing data used the descriptive qualitative method. Because this study aims at analyzing data in form of utterances. This study was analyzed based on the theory of Grice about Flouting maxims. There are several procedures to analyze the data: First, utterances contained as flouting maxim were collected and classified into the type of flouting maxim. Second, all the data was analyzed and describe to find out the reason the speakers flout the maxim influenced by the context of the situation. And after that, the result of the analysis is written in the form of a paragraph.

Method and Technique of Presenting Data

The method and technique of presenting data in this study used the informal method and descriptive technique. The informal method means the data explained and describe through the sentence. Descriptive technique means the data will be presented in words or sentences and the form of a paragraph.

  • II.    RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The analysis related to the types of flouting maxim and their reason.

Flouting maxim quantity

Data 1 (01:01:25)

Grandpa Eddie: We got company

Spencer: What did you do?

Milo: Alright guys, this is the moment. We need you to know.

Grandpa Eddie: Are you talking to the camel?

Milo       : Yes. That’s Lucie and Hank. And

Jeffry in the back.

The conversation taking place in a camel cage. Eddie entered into camel cage following Milo and Spencer who were already in the cage and trying to steal the camel. Previously, Eddie was given orders to stand guard outside the cage to monitor the situation out there. Eddie told them they would be in trouble. Because when Eddie stood guard outside the cage, he was fighting with people who crossed him. Then, he ordered Spencer and Milo to immediately get the camels out.

Suddenly, Milo interrupted Eddie and Spencer's conversation. He said that they can get out of the cage through the back door. Eddie thought Milo was strange because he suddenly said something, even though he had only been quiet and staring at the camels. Eddie said "are you talking with the camels?" and Milo answered, "Yes, that is Lucie and Hank. And Jeffry in the back". Eddie's question only needs a yes or no response. But, in the conversation above Milo added the names of each of the camels.

Milo's response flouts the maxim of quantity because he gives more information than is required.

Based on Grice (1975) "make your contribution as informative as is required and do not make your contribution more informative than is required". Milo utterances contained more information than is required. He just answered yes because Eddie's question is "are you talking with the camels?" and the question just needs yes or no. The reason why Milo gives more information because he is a zoologist, in his characters he can talk with animals and also know about animals. And he wanted his friends to believe the saying that he could talk to animals so he told the names of each of the camels.

Flouting maxim of quality

Data 2 (00:07:37)

Spencer: Well, when we first got together, we were… sort of different people than we are now. I mean, last year was…amazing. I was a senior in high school. I had a girlfriend. Like, I finally figured out who I was or something. I wish I could just feel like that again, I guess. I don’t know. Long-distance relationships are hard. I mean, I know everybody says that, but turns out it’s true.

Grandpa Eddie: Can I give you a little advice? Listen to me. Every single day on every single subway car, there are lots of ladies in New York City. And one in five of them, I would marry, no questions asked. This is the best time of your life.

The conversation taking place in the bedroom. The participants of the conversation are Eddie and Spencer. While busy with their respective affairs, Eddie suddenly asked Spencer about his girlfriend. Spencer said that he and his girlfriend had separated. High school's time was Spencer's best. At that time, he was a senior, had a girlfriend, and seemed to find his true self. However, now he and his girlfriend have broken up. Dealing with long-distance dating is very difficult. Eddie who heard the story from Spencer tried to provide advice, he said: "Every single day on every single subway car, there are lots of ladies in New York City. And one in five of them, I would marry, no questions asked. This is the best time of your life".

In the utterance given by Eddie, it seems like he is exaggerating something to emphasize his utterance. According to the Cambridge dictionary, Hyperbole is a word used to exaggerate something emphasize something and make it sound bigger or more.

According to Grice (1975), the speaker may flout the maxim of quality by saying something that is not based on facts or untrue. The speaker can use irony, hyperbole, metaphor, and meiosis. In the utterance

above, Eddie uses hyperbole to emphasize what he is saying.

The reason Eddie flout the maxim of quality because he wanted Spencer to understand what he meant. Spencer did not need to be in grief, he could find another woman because he was young and had enough opportunities.

Flouting maxim of relation

Data 3 (00:12:07)

Milo: You mind if I make some eggs?

Grandpa Eddie: Do whatever you want. I don’t care. Just hurry up. I don’t have all day.

This conversation took place in the kitchen. Eddie let Milo into his house. Milo made Eddie a cup of coffee. He did it so Eddie would talk to him. To break the ice, Eddie received the coffee with an expression that was still cool. Milo plans to cook fried eggs. He asked if Eddie wanted fried eggs. Milo asked "You mind if I make some eggs?" and Eddie answered, "I don't care. Just hurry up. I don't have all day". Eddie's utterances violate the cooperative principle. namely flouting the maxim of relations.

According to Grice (1975) flouting occurs when the speaker says something irrelevant or did not have the relationship or avoid something. The utterances "I don't care. Just hurry up. I don't have all day" is not related to the question given by Milo. Eddie should answer with a yes or no answer. But he being irrelevant and changes the topic of conversation because he doesn't want to talk with Milo.

Flouting maxim of manner

Data 4 (00:43:21)

Bethany: Can I talk to you for a minute?

Alex: Sure, yeah. Come in.

Bethany: I'm sorry, I just– I didn't know where else to go.

Alex: No, no, no, it’s okay. I’m glad you came. Bethany: Do you think you can help me get the machine to start?

Alex: That is so dangerous.

Bethany, who was confused because she saw her friends get into a video game and decided to seek help, went to Alex's house to ask for help. Alex is an old friend of Bethany, Martha, Fridge, and Spencer. They had previously entered the Jumanji video game when they were teenagers. Bethany quickly drove her car to Alex's house. Arriving at her destination, Alex invited Bethany to enter his house. There she told what happened, she asked Alex to fix the video game so she could enter Jumanji and find his friends. Bethany does not know where else to ask for

help other than Alex. Bethany said "Do you think you can help me get the machine to start?" and Alex responds "That is so dangerous".

From Alex's response, he flouts the maxim of manner because his utterance is ambiguous and unclear by responding "That is so dangerous". This can be proven from Alex's expression that looks confused to answer Bethany's question. According to Grice (1975), the speaker should make contributions as clearly as possible, avoid vague expressions, and provide ambiguous explanations. And Alex's response is ambiguous.

The reason why Alex responds ambiguously is that he is not sure if he can help her to fix the video game. Alex knows that Jumanji is a dangerous place because he has been in the video game before.

  • III.    CONCLUSION

From the analysis of the results that have been conducted, it can be concluded that all maxim types are flouted. The maxim that is mostly flouted is the maxim of relations. Several reasons cause the speaker to make the flouting maxim. The speaker wants to hide something, the speaker provides too much information, and the speaker changes the subject to avoid the question. It can be concluded that every maxim that is violated must have a reason behind it.

  • IV.    REFERENCES

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