Hedging and flouting maxims found on pojok column in Kompas newspaper

ABSTRACT

In communication, the effectiveness and efficiency of delivering information are needed. That is why, it is essential to use Grice’s maxims theory of cooperative principles to avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding. Maxim is a basic assumption and it can be changed. There are four maxims, namely maxim of quality, quantity, relation and manner. Thus, we have to obey the rules of four maxims to communicate smoothly.

This study focuses on analyzing hedging and flouting maxims found on “Pojok" column in Kompas Newspaper. The maxims are violated and overtly broken, that cause the sentences seem informative, well founded and relevant. It also causes the sentences have some implied meanings and sometimes it is difficult to understand or less informative. The research problems in this thesis are : (1) How are the maxims flouted found on Pojok columns in Kompas?, (2) How are the maxims hedged found on Pojok columns in Kompas?. A descriptive qualitative method is used because the data are explained descriptively. The data are taken from Pojok columns in Kompas published from April Ist to April 22nd , 2005.

After the data are obtained and analyzed, it is found that most of the data are flouting the maxims, especially the maxims of quality and quantity. So, it uses the sentences, which has some implied meanings and also the sentences that are less informative or too informative. It finds that some of data flouting maxims of manner, because the data can caused ambiguous and obscurity. ,Therefore, the data are using exaggeration statement, which are also classified as understatement and overstatement. The data also uses metaphor, rhetorical question, and irony to indicate that they are not literally true and conveyed some implied meanings. It is also does not found tautology on the data. Moreover, flouting the maxim of relation is not found on the data. It is because all the news and comments are related to each other, so that they will be understood easily.

There were also some data that were hedging the maxims. It is found that most of them are hedging the maxim of quality, because there are many data, which quoted other people’s opinion and also says something, which is doubtful. On the other hand, it is found that the data are not hedging the maxims of relation and manner because the data are in the form of news and comments that should not be explained in a long drawn way. Beside that, it is found also that there are some data, which abides the maxim of quantity, because the data is informative as is required. And also some data fulfilled all the maxims. The data fulfilled the maxim of quality because they are true, fulfilled the maxim of quantity because they are informative, fulfilled the maxim of relation because they are relevant, and fulfilled the maxim of manner because they are not ambiguous. So, the data will be directly understood by the readers.

Finally, it is suggested that the journalists fulfill all the maxims in order to make their news is efficient and will be understood easily، English teachers are suggested to give more explanation and attention to the significance of flouting and hedging maxims to enrich the students’ knowledge. It is also suggested for further researchers to use the other subjects of study, such as the utterances found on advertisement like TV and radio، It is also expected that the next researchers use other theories such as spewber and Wilson’s theory to do and investigation on the same field of research.