A study of hedging and flouting of conversational maxims in the movie of John Tucker Must Die

This study focuses on analyzing flouting and hedging maxims of conversational maxims spoken by the characters in the movie of John Tucker Must Die. Maxims are the rules of cooperative principle: Maxims of Quality, Maxims of Quantity, Maxims of Relevant, and Maxims of Manner. If these maxims are used in conversation, they can go smoothly, but when people make conversation they often break the maxims overtly (flouting the maxims) and sometimes break the maxims secretly (hedging the maxims). The characters (players) especially in movie often flout and hedge their conversation. Based on that background, the research about flouting and hedging maxims of conversations in the movie of John Tucker Must Die was conducted with the following problem: What maxims are flouted and hedged in John Tucker Must Die movie?

This research was conducted using descriptive qualitative method based on the theory known as Grice’s maxims. The data are in the form of conversation used by characters in the movie of John Tucker Must Die.

Data analysis revealed some findings covering the formulated research questions. The maxims could be flouted or hedged by all speakers. The maxims are flouted if the speaker breaks some maxims when using the utterance in the form of rhetorical strategies, namely: tautology, metaphor, overstatement, understatement, rhetorical question and irony. On the other hand, maxims are hedged when the information is not totally accurate or not clearly stated but seems informative, well founded and relevant.

Based on the data analysis and findings, it is suggested to the readers try to obey the role of conversation that although it is very difficult to obey and use all of the maxims in the conversation. Especially in movie, to make their communication can go on smoothly players or character in the movie are ordered to obey the director’s command, and then the story can run properly. Besides, it is suggested to the next researchers to use other relevance theories in investigating the same area of the research briefly and clearly to find the best result of research, especially for other subject beside the movie.