EXAMINING WOMEN'S BREACHES OF GRICE’S MAXIMS IN SELECTED THEATRICAL WORKS
Pragmatics studies how language is used within specific contexts, both linguistic and situational. Utterances are context-dependent, influencing how language users interpret them. In speech events, participants may deliberately flout pragmatic principles to deceive or mislead listeners. This research investigates the flouting and violation of Grice’s four maxims in two selected plays, highlighting key pragmatic theories that explain everyday language use and interaction. It particularly explores how language conveys implicit meanings through indirect speech acts. The study aims to compare how British and American women characters in the plays violate and flout Grice’s maxims, examining their use of language to express emotions or opinions. The research employs the "Cooperative Principle and non-observance of maxims" theory. A mixed-method approach is used to clarify pragmatic concepts and their meanings in real linguistic interactions, presenting results quantitatively for accuracy. The hypothesis suggests that British women characters violate the maxim of relation more frequently, while American women characters violate the maxims of quantity and quality more often. The discussion of results reveals the challenges women face in balancing professional and personal lives, with the plays, marking their 40th anniversary, addressing modern women's issues.
Keywords: Pragmatics, Co-Operative Principles, Drama, Qualitative Method, NonObservance