Maxims of Co-operative Principles as Used in the Tharu Conversations

Abstract

The present study entitled, "Maxims of Co-operative Principles as Used in theTharu Conversations" aimed to analyze the conversation of Tharu students interms of quantity and quality maxim. To carry out this research study, I used both primary and secondary sources of data. I used questionnaire,observation and diary notes as the research tools for data collection. The data were collected from grade 10 students and the teacher teaching at the same class in four different schools inSaptary district. I used both random and purposive sampling procedures to select the schools and the students. The conversational exchange of the students were analyzed and interpreted descriptively. The conversational exchanges of Tharu students were found to be full of violation of co-operative principles and its maxims, and they were based on the interactions time, place, participant and culture. The students seemed to be less attentive towards quantity and quality maxim. Students were speaking without evidences and their exchanges were less informative to the participants for the conversation.This thesis consists of four chapters. The first chapter is an introductory chapter. It includes general background, review of related literature, objectives of the study, significance of the study related to the conversational principle and the maxims proposed by Grice 1975. Especially it includes the area around quantity and quality maxim. Chapter two, methodology,incorporates sources of data, sampling procedures, tools for data collection, procedures for data collection and the limitations of the study. Similarly, the third chapter encompasses analysis and interpretation of the data descriptively. The concluding chapter is the chapter four. This chapter includes the conclusions of the chapter three. Findings and recommendations of research are presented in chapter four. The references and appendices are included in the concluding part of the thesis.