BEYOND THE MAXIMS: EXPLORING VIOLATIONS OF GRICE'S COOPERATIVE PRINCIPLE IN JOE BIDEN'S INAUGURAL SPEECH

Abstract

This paper analyzed Joe Biden's inaugural speech with a focus on its deviation from Grice's Cooperative Principle which provides a framework for understanding successful communication through the maxims of Quantity, Quality, Relation and Manner, without considering the implicatures arising from such deviation/violation. It used a descriptive research design and adopted Grice’s cooperative principle as theoretical framework. A purposive sampling technique was used to identify forty-five (45) extracts from Joe Biden’s inaugural speech. The data used were sourced through a secondary means from the internet and were analyzed using the cooperative maxims of quantity, quality, relation and manner respectively. It was found that all the cooperative maxims (quantity, quality, relation and manner) were violated in Biden’s inaugural speech, which showed how he strategically deviated from them to achieve his communicative goals. The paper concluded that when the maxims are adhered to, speakers can enhance communication by offering relevant and necessary information, ensuring accuracy and truthfulness, establishing clear connections between ideas and employing clear and concise language.