The Hidden Rules of Conversation
Gricean Maxims are a vital part of how we understand each other: a set of… well, maybe “rules” is a bit strong. They’re guidelines that we follow without realising it. And it’s the reason that “asbestos-free cereal” sounds suspicious.
Written with Molly Ruhl and Gretchen McCulloch. Gretchen’s podcast Lingthusiasm is at http://lingthusiasm.com/
Gretchen’s book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
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Graphics by William Marler: https://wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther: https://haerther.net
REFERENCES:
Munroe, R. (2009). “Free”. https://xkcd.com/641/
Grice, H.P. (1975). “Logic and Conversation,” Syntax and Semantics, vol.3 edited by P. Cole and J. Morgan, Academic Press. Reprinted as ch.2 of Grice 1989, 22–40.
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@TomScottGo
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Please keep all vegan jokes in this thread. Or, preferably, inside your own head.
@hilburn-
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Vegan tomatoes are just different to beef tomatoes, duh
@PatriotAr15
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
"Mobile tomato has attacked you"
@kovy6447
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
passat guy:"im out of petrol, any help?"
Tom Scott:"theres a petrol station down the road"
passat guy:"thanks"
at the petrol station
passat guy:"wheres the diesel?"
@eugenenalpin6058
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
There's vegan everything at the store these days, it's become a term to signify "natural"/in consideration of animals. Vegan soap, vegan cotton swabs. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if they start advertising electric cars as vegan, so a vegan tomato isn't so far off basis
@korumann
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
If I were to water my tomatoes with pigs blood 1. Would they grow 2. Would they be vegan 3. Would they be kosher
@NachitenRemix
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
The "maxim of relation" can be avoided with saying something simple in conversation such as: "on another unrelated note". Be sure to DO THIS. If not, people will stop paying attention to you, while thinking "what does this have to do with the previous topic?" That disclaimer allows people to drop that idea and carry on 🙂
@flamingturnip
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
This stuff is REALLY good for writing much more natural dialogue.
…also having the guidelines written down make me more aware that I don't follow them in daily life as much as expected. It has led to me feeling socially inept.
@HakendaNatan
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
good
@Adam_mohammed_
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Comment section here is hilarious ! 😂😂😂
@Chris-rh9ej
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Asbestos free cereal 😂
Grice krispies
@soomiewleng5227
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
I need this because i don't wanna to keep double triple doubting myself of what I mean when i mutted. I currently officianado communicate script of fictional short cdramas .
@greegerm1073
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
"cooperative principle" is an english teachers worst nightmare
@BernardoMartins_
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Not only was this video under 3 hours long, but it also did not taste at all like non-radioactive, boneless, vegetal garlic.
@BernardoMartins_
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
That tomato clearly does not eat meat nor buys animal-tested cosmetics.
@BernardoMartins_
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
2:01 Well, it was not a conversation, it was philosophical work…
By the way, the comment section here is golden.
@ChavvyCommunist
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
The maxim of relation seems to just be an optional suggestion nowadays to my dad lmao
@ashiri39
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Things like vegan tomatoes are labeled as such usually to show they were grown without pesticides but i get the point
@ex0ja
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Hang on, in England they call it gas too? I thought that was just an American thing.
@devilrac0r
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
how to handle people who violate these rules?
@albrujo22
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
el otro dia encontre polenta organica (es 100% planta, literalmente no tiene nada mas, nunca)
@brb5506
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Neither prescriptive nor even guidelines: The maxims are descriptive, though not exhaustively so, of how conversation works. Such as this comment.
@EmilyMemily-it3xp
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Oh my god I’ve been trying to find this video for so long.
@justanotheranimeprofilepic
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Fun fact in the USA, since GMO poultry is illegal, when a chicken you'd buy from the supermarket says non-gmo they're flouting that maxim simply because they have no other selling points
@Envy_May
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
you know, this reminds me of google's old motto
@Envy_May
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
i definitely broke the fourth rule because i did not assume a garage meant a petrol station
@donaldnicolson7932
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Don't push your car to the garage btw. Just fill a container from the garage and bring it back to your car.
@D3__
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Your response of "there's a garage down the road" just confused me.
Yea sure, maybe there is one. But how would a garage help the fuel situation? Garages are for parking your car. And "a garage down the road" wouldnt even be yours or mine. Only the owner can get in.
But your explanation of the manner just made me think you're being obtuse for no reason. I've never heard a gas station be called a garage. In any language I know.
@MagyarGaben
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
"Do you even know who I am?!"
"No, we've just met"
@u_owe_me_a_pint
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
As somebody who is not a protozoan, a lizard OR a fish, idk hi
@dean107
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
I LOVE YOU ANGEL
@spectraphantom98
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
Non GMO salt.
@ToDCreal
October 4, 2025 at 6:45 pm
0:09 IS THAT XKCD
@ShyGuyShow
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 pm
I didn’t dislike this video
@cyanescens3929
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Boneless pizza
@dafyddthomas6897
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 pm
Vegan tomatoes:
1) Most plants are grown using dung as fertilizer. Use factory produced fertlilizer
2) Take regular tomatoes, put a "vegan" label, double the price. Simples!
@RevYars
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 pm
"I'm out of petrol"
"Elephants have huge wings so they can fan cool air onto their young, snook snook biscuit barrel."
@petecoogan
October 4, 2025 at 6:46 pm
The maxim of relation is anti allistic bc allistic prople lack abilities to connect ideas
Comments are closed.