A PRAGMATIC ANALYSIS OF CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURES

A PRAGMATICS ANALYSIS OF CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURES OF ISLAMIC JOKES FOUND IN www.mrjam.typepad.com

I.                   INTRODUCTION

The objects of this pragmatics study are taken from mrjam.typepad.com/diary/2010/02/5-best-islamic-jokes.html. The objects are jokes in Islamic culture. Jokes sometimes make the readers confused of what exactly the content of the joke is. They may not get the point of the story or the conversation of the jokes. In some ways, this is strange. Telling jokes, along with telling stories (which is a similar activity), is one of the most frequent and widespread activities around the world. All countries, all cultures, all languages have their own jokes. Unlike telling stories, however, jokes are sometimes not funny or often completely incomprehensible to people who are not part of that culture. Consider the example below

Confused about her permitted activities in a relationship, a religious girl went to a Mullah(Muslim Cleric)to know what she can do with her boyfriend.

She asked the Mullah,” Can I kiss the boy I like, even if he doesn’t like me?”
The Mullah replied,” ASTAGFIRULLAH!!!!!!!!”
Then she asked, “ Can I kiss my boyfriend?”
The Mullah replied,” NAUZUBILLAH!!!!!!”
Finally out of despair she asked, “ Can I kiss you?”
The Mullah, “BISMILLAH”

The joke above is tightly connected with the Islamic cultures which may be weird for people coming from outside the Islam religion. The word Astagfirullah, Nauzubillah, and Bismillah are the words commonly used by Islamic people. The word has its own meaning used for certain condition. People who don’t come from Islamic culture may get confused to understand the jokes. However, by paying attention to the co-text and context in this conversation, the implicit meaning of the utterance can be known.

Jokes are sometime hard to understand because of the real meaning which is invisible. The last part of the conversation doesn’t make sense, sometimes with the previous utterance. However, this is the way to make the joke funny and make the readers guess the meaning on his/her own. It is common for the reader to not understand the jokes.

To answer or to observe the invisible meaning of the jokes utterances, this study is made. In other words, this study is intended to observe the conversational implicatures found in the jokes. The theory is used to find out what implicative meaning behind the conversation is and what the relation of the jokes with the theory of the maxims is.

II.                DISCUSSION

Conversational implicature is something implied in a conversation. It is left implicit in actual use of language[1]. Conversational implicature are known into generalized and particularized conversational implicatures.

Cooperative principle is the notion which appears in conversational implicatures. It comes into subcategories called maxims. The maxims are maxim of quality, maxim of quantity, maxim of relation, and maxim of manner.

1.      Maxim of quality: Be true by not saying what you believe to be false and that for which you lack adequate evidence.

2.      Maxim of quantity: Be brief by making your contribution as informative as is required and no more than is required.

3.      Maxim of relevant: Be relevant.

4.      Maxim of manner: be clear by avoiding obscure expression and ambiguity and being brief and orderly.

Conversational implicatures can happen when the speaker follows or flouts those maxims. The choice of following of flouting the maxims in the conversational implicatures is depending on the motives of the speakers. The jokes, however is usually flouting the maxims to gain the funny side of the joke. By flouting the maxims, the joke will not be flat and the readers of the joke will guess its invisible meaning on their own.

Analysis 1

The data

A Muslim goes to a Christian service.
Afterwards, his Christian friend asks him: "what did you think?"
He replies: "The  singing and stuff was okay, but the commercial went on much too long."

Data analysis

1.      The underlined words in the jokes have implied meaning. The utterance is fine in which the Muslim answers the question briefly, clearly, and orderly. In the utterance he says but the commercial went on too long, it implies that the speech delivered by the priest is boring. He thinks that the sermon is like the commercial advertisement.

2.      The maxim flouted in this conversational implicatures are (maxim of quality) and maxim of relevant. (It is clear that the Muslim doesn’t speak honestly. He deliberately deceives the addressee for several reasons). The Muslim also answers the question by giving something irrelevant with the question. Considering the context which is in Christian service, the utterance but the commercial went on too long is rather irrelevant. The maxims flouted may be for some motives.

1.      He wants to be polite because his friend comes from another religion.

2.      By flouting the maxim, he assumes that his friend cannot catch the real meaning so that he will not be offended. 

3.      For the utterance itself, flouting the maxim is used to make the utterance funny.

3.      From the Islamic and cultural point of view, flouting the maxim in the conversational implicatures can be used as the comparison of two different religions. In this joke, the religions meant are Islam and Christian. Considering the co-text in the conversation, sermon in Christian is drawn by delivering the song first, and having many attributes in delivering the sermon. The sermon itself may be a long speech with the persuasion just like in the advertisement. The Muslim in the conversation may feel it is different from sermon in Islam in which  

Analysis 2

The Data

Confused about her permitted activities in a relationship, a religious girl went to a Mullah(Muslim Cleric)to know what she can do with her boyfriend.

She asked the Mullah,” Can I kiss the boy I like, even if he doesn’t like me?”
The Mullah replied,” ASTAGFIRULLAH!!!!!!!!”
Then she asked, “ Can I kiss my boyfriend?”
The Mullah replied,” NAUZUBILLAH!!!!!!”
Finally out of despair she asked, “ Can I kiss you?”
The Mullah, “BISMILLAH”

Data analysis

1.      The underlined words of the jokes have implied meaning. The words Astagfirullah is Arabic word which is used to show. It can be said that the Mullah doesn’t allow the girl to kiss the boy she likes. In other words, the Mullah says No. The next is the word Naudzubillah. It is also Arabic word which is show to. It can be said that the Mullah is absolutely doesn’t allow the girl to kiss her boyfriend. The implied meaning is the Mullah extremely says No. The last is the word Bismillah. It also Arabic word, in Islam perspective the word Bismillah usually used to start doing something.

Analysis the underlined utterance:

Maxim of quality        : False (?)

Maxim of quantity      : informative (giving new information)

Maxim of relation       : relevant

Maxim of manner        : clear

The maxim flouted in this conversational implicature is maxim of quality. The mullah answer by giving false sentence. Considering the context which is in the mullah, the utterance " bismillah" is false. Bismillah in Islamic perspective means the word used to start doing something. Muslim readers reading the joke will assume that a girl can kiss the mullah, whereas muslim girl can't kiss bots except her Muhrim (husband, father,son) in this case the mullah giving false answer, and this is what makes the joke funny.

 The maxim flouted to make the utterance funny.

Types of implicatures of the underlined belongs to the generalized conversational implicatures.

The underlined words in the joke have implied meaning. The utterance is fine in which the mullah answer the question briefly, clearly, relevant and informatively. But in the end. The mullah say " bismillah " to girl question " can I kiss you ?". it implies that the girl can kiss the mullah. That the false argument, becauseactually the girl can't kiss he also.

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[1] Pragmatics handout chapter 6 p.27