'VIETNAM NATTONAL, UNIVERSTTY, HANOT UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES m PHẠM TT THANH LOAN CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURE USED BY FOUR MAIN CIIARACTERS IN EXTRA ENGLISII SERIES (Hảm ý hội thoại bốn nhân vật chính sử dụng trong bộ phim Extra English) MA THESIS - TYPE 1 Field: English Linguistics Code: 8220201.01 HA NOT - 2018 'VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, IANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES Cl PHAM THỊ THAKH LOAN CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURE USED BY FOUR MAIN CHARACTERS IN EXTRA ENGLISH SERIES (Hàm ý hội thoại bốn nhân vật chính sứ dụng trong bộ phim Extra English) MA TIIESIS —- TYPE 1 Field: English Linguistics Cade: 8220201.01 Supervisor: Nguyén ‘hi Minh ‘am, Ph.D HẢ NỘI —2018 DECLARATION I hereby certify that the minor thesis entitled “Conversational implicature used by four main characters in Extra English series” is the result of my own work in partial fulfitnent of the requiremenls for the Degree of Master of Aris of Taoulty at Post-graduate Studies, University of Languages and Intemational Studies, Vietnam Nabional University of Hanoi. The research has not been submitted to any other universities or institutions. Signature ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 1 would like to express my deepest and sincere gratitude to my respectable supervisor, Ms. Neuyén Thi Minh Tam for her stimulating suggestions, critical comments and endless support Also, many thanks go to my parents and all my close friends who always encourage me to keep up my work.
All their carmg and enooursgemenls are valuable mental support for me to strive more and come over all difficulties. ABSTRACT This research aims to identify the types of maxims flouting performed by four main characters, to explain the strategies and reasons used by four main characters to flout the maxims. Moreover, the study is undertaken as an allernpt La discover the similarities and differences in their habits of flouting maxims. The rescarch employed both quantitative and qualialive method.
The data were in the form of utterances. ‘The source of data was Extra English series. ‘The researcher employed some sleps to collect the data: watching the episodes and. transcribing the cquivalent data to pinpoint the frequency, the strategics and functions used.
There are three results in this study. ‘he first result is that all the types of maxim are flouted by four main characters and maxim of relation is flouted the most often. The second result is that there are seven strategies and fourteen reasons used to flout the maxims. ‘The last result draws comparison of the way different characters flouting the maxims TABLES OF CONTENTS DECLARATION.
wl ACKNOWTEDGEMENTS H PL 00 Sai naaa-4. LIST OF FIGURES. Statement of the problem and rationale for the sludy. Aims of the study and research questions 1.
Scope of the study 2 1. Significance of the study - - - - 3 1. Struete offe thesis. Grlec`s cornversatlonal Implieatufc.4, Non-observance Qƒ KÍXWN.
cào iieeieeiiereee wD 2. Horn's Q prinoiple and R. Review of previous sftdies. cà cvcetreeceerreec AF CHAPTER II.
A brief introduction of “Extra English” 3. secsosscsnsictotenisnsenstststaneenenanitnesmenensiee CHAPTER IV. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS 4. The flouting of4 maxims 4L1.
Siralegies oƒmaxim flouling petfermned by 4 main charaClew3. The flouting of the maxim of QUANEY .2, The flouting of the main of QUality.cuccacsososs sevens visviseessussinneisees 4. The flouting of the maxim of relation .4, The flouting of the maxim of manner 4. Reasons uf maxim flouting.
CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. Answer to research question 1 3. ,Answer lo rosedrCh QHESHÌOH Ö. cà nhe re 5.
Implications of the study 5. Limaitations oŸthe stUỦy. ch Hee he 5. Suggestions for further study 60 61 APPENDIX 1 Flouting maxim of Relation Hlouting maxim of Quantity.
«VOL tk Floutmg maxim of Quality Hlouting maxim of Manner. „XVIHL vi LIST OF FIGURES List of tables No. Tables Page 1 |Table 3. Types of flouting Girice’s maxims and strategies 21/2323 used 2 |Table 41.
The number of times flouting maxims by 24 characters 3 | able 4. ‘The ways to flout 4 maxims 26 4 | Table 4. Mlouting maxim of relation 45 5 | Table 4. outing maxim of quantity 46 6 |Table 45 Flouting maxim of manner 78 7 |Table 1.6 Flouting maxim of quality 20 & |Table 4.
Reasons of flouting maxims List of charts No. Charts Page 1 | Chart 41. Tendency of characters flouting the maxims 2 2 | Chart 4. The strategies of maxims flouting 27 3 | Chart 43.
Tho strategy used to flout maxim of relation 45 4 [ Chat 4. The suategies uscd to flout maxim of quantity Pu 5 | Chart 4. The strategy used to flout maxim of manner 48 6 | Charts 4. The strategies used to flout maxim of quality 50 vii CHAPTER I.
INTRODUCTION This initial chapter presents the problem and the rationale, the aims, the scope and the significance of the thesis. Most importantly, the research questions are identified to work as a guideline for the whole research.1, Statement of the problem and rationale for the study. Leaming a language is much more complicated than understanding the words themselves, when the meanings put in different contexts may create different tesulls. Therefore, il is essential for language learners to thoroughly understand utterances under certain circumstances.
Among various fields of studying discourse analysis, conversational implicature is worth being taken into consideration since the hidden moanmgs a carries really cau result in the misunderstanding of a conversation. Ext English serics is scleeted [or this research duc lo three main reasons. First, this is a language education television series designed for leaming English purposes, which is quite familiar with those who leam English. Second, with 30 hularious, half-hour sitcom programmes conducted in an authontie London setting, the study is expected to represent the way native speakers use language in daily life Last, we can see how laughter is created based on the hidden meanings under the words through famy situations of (hs sileom There are cerlain previous studies conducted about implicature with diverse types of objects; however, with this study, the researcher would like to put one more brick to the study of implicature in a different context, I'urthermore, since it is obs ved that Vietnamese learners of Enghsh oflen fail in considering the context.
when speaking English to foreigners, which results in some improper replies, this study is expected to contribute to understanding language in pragmatics. With the aloremenhened reasons, the roscarphor is encouraged to conducl a slndy on “Conversational implicature used by four main characters in Extra English series”. In this study, the researcher attempts to see how conversational implicature used in this series. Besides, with the purpose of digging a deeper analysis on implicature use, the researclier also hopes to present the similarities and differences among the way each main character using implicature.2, Aims of the study and research questions The objectives of the study are: 1.
to identify the types of maxims flouting and explain the strategies used to flout those maxims by the main characters in English Extra English series 2. to identify the differences and similarities in the purposes of each main character flouted the maxims In order to gain the objectives, the research is conducted to answer the following research questions 4. How are conversational wmplicature used by four main characters in Fira English series? 2. What are the similarities and differences among the way these characters usmg conversational implicature? 1.
Scope of the study As il was mentioned above, due to the limit of time, the sLudy only focuses. on conversational implicature, which is closer to pragmatics and the study of discourse analysis. Specifically, the analysis is about implicature created by flouting 4 Gnev’s maxims (they will be discussed later). The dala chosen is the Extra English series which contains 30 episodes.
All the episodes will be measured and evaluated in order to have a general conclusion in the use of conversational implicature and gain the aforementioned purposes 1⁄4. Significance of the study Since the researcher aims to provide a detailed and comprehensive analysis and evaluation of conversational implicature used in a language education television series- Hxtra English, theoretically this study is highly expected to enrich the researcher’s and readers’ knowledge in the pragmatics which is particularly related to cooperative principle and maxim flouting. Practically, the findings of this research are expected to contribute to the comprehension of other studies on conversational implicature in particular and pragmatics in general. Besides, the researcher and other Bryglish teachers can understand more aboul English situation comedics with their art of exploiting conversational implicature.
Therefore, this study hopes to be a reference for other English teachers to use situation comedies in teaching students about implicalure. Structure of the thesis Ovorall, (his paper is comprised of 5 chapters: - Chapter I: Introduction This chapter presents statement of the problem and rationale for the study, aims of the study and rescarch questions, scope, signilicanoc and structure of the study - Chapter I: Literature review ‘The researcher provides the review of previous studies and theoretical background of the study including pragmatics, implicature. types of implicature, Grice’s conversational implicalure and other theories (Hom”s Q principle and R-principle, relevance theory) - Chapter TIT: Methodology In this chapter, the research methods applied will be clearly explained. - Chapter IV: Findings and Discussions This chapter answers the rescarch questions with data analysis.
- Chapter V: Conclusion The summary of the main points discussed as well as suggestions for further studies are provided in tts last. chapler CHAPTER IT. LITERATURE REVIEW This second chapter sheds light on the literature review of the study, specifically the background of pragmatics, wmplicature, Grice's conversational waplicature and other relaied theories. Pragmatics Praginatics is a subfield of linguistics and semmoties that studies the ways in which context contributes to meaning.
Pragmatics encompasses speech act theory, conversational implicature, talk in interaction and other approaches to language behavior in philosophy, sociology, linguistics and anthropology. He detines that pragmatics is the study of the relations of signs to the interpreters. It is concemed with the study of meaning commurmeated by the speaker or the writer and interpreted by the listener or the reader. This term has been developed in the modern study of” linguistics.
The most common definition of pragmaties proposed by ‘homas (1995) is meaning in use or meaning in context. Leech also (1983) states that pragmatics is the study of how ullerances have meanings m silualions. Unlike semantics, which is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and entity in the workl, that is how words litorally connect 1o things, pragmatics is the study of the relationships between linguistic forms and the users of those forms. Tt studies how meaning anses from the mlerachon of linguistic meaning with contextual factors such as the physical situation, general knowledge and the speaker’s apparent intentions.
Compared to semantics, only pragmatics allows humans into the analysis. The advantage of studying language via pragmatics is that one can talk about people’s intended meanings. ther assumptions, their purposes or goals, and the kinds of actions (requests, apologies, orders. ) that they are performing when they speak.
The big disadvantage is that all these very human concepts are extremely difficult to analyze in a consistent and objective way. Thus, pragmatics is appealing because it is about how people make sense of cach other linguistically, but it can be frustrating arca of study because it requires us to make sense of people and what they have in mind 2.2, Implicature Implicature is a technical term in pragmatics, coined by H. which refers to what is suggested in an utterance, even though neither expressed nor strictly implied (Hlackbum, 1996). According to Yule (1996), implicature can be considered as an additioral conveyed meaning.
It is attained when a speaker intends to communicate more than just what the words mean. TL is the speaker who communicales something via implicature and the listeners recognize those communicated meanings via inference.