Grice's Maxims

 Being more guidelines than rules, Grice's Maxims refers to a series of 'correct' methods when it comes to communicating and conversing with one another. Grice's Maxims are stated thusly:

  1.  The Maxim of Quantity- be as informative as possible, give the required information, no more and no less. Too little information is not useful or rude and too much information will become irrelevant, odd or suspicious.
  2.  The Maxim of Quality- be as truthful as you can be, do not give false information or information that is not supported by evidence.
  3.  The Maxim of Relation- be relevant by giving information related to the topic of conversation.
  4.  The Maxim of Manner- be clear, brief and polite; in relation to being polite, do not be obscure or ambiguous in your manner (do not lie).
These maxims are statements on all human communication with one another, therefore, these observations and guidelines can apply to advertising. 

One of the maxims that is particularly relevant in the world of advertising is the Maxim of Quantity. This maxim is never specifically 'broken' in advertisements, instead, advertisers will often do what is known as 'flouting'. To explain, let's use an example of a phrase such as 'Arsenic Free Chocolate'. This information of the chocolate being arsenic free is correct, but it's specific information that, if following Grice's Maxims, doesn't need to be shared. However, advertisers will deliberately give extra details about the product to make it seem like an 'added bonus' or something 'truly remarkable' about it, when it's not. Also by claiming that this one brand of chocolate is 'arsenic free', it can lead to questions and speculation regarding the contents of competitors' chocolate recipes; all whilst avoiding accusations of slander since every statement about their own product is technically true. Some more realistic examples include when food products state to be 'high in fibre' and 'high in protein', whilst that's true, it doesn't necessarily make the product the healthiest choice.   

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