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 lingthusiasm.com/
Gretchen's book BECAUSE INTERNET, all about the evolution of internet language, is available:
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Graphics by William Marler: wmad.co.uk
Audio mix by Graham Haerther: haerther.net
REFERENCES:
Munroe, R. (2009). "Free". 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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Tom Scott
11 mánuðum síðan
Please keep all vegan jokes in this thread. Or, preferably, inside your own head.
Proculopsis
Mánuði síðan
▶ My favourite Conversational Implicature: "This video made a profound impression, surpassing all expectations" ...given that the impression was actually very poor albeit beyond an extremely low expectation. Just kidding😃
Luvjeet SINGH
2 mánuðum síðan
K
anonymous Crabz
2 mánuðum síðan
Hey can somebody help my understand why shoes are being labelled as vegan?
Alexandr Kovalenko
3 mánuðum síðan
This is very passive-aggressive, Tom. Also, what is wrong with vegan jokes?
Peg leg
3 mánuðum síðan
No
Fen Wolf
7 klukkustundum síðan
779 thumbs down why???
Almighty Deaks
21 klukkustund síðan
You can get non vegan tomatoes
jonnda
2 dögum síðan
Yet, gluten free oats are a thing.
Lou Ciamillo
2 dögum síðan
Mark Zuckerberg: “WRITE THAT DOWN WRITE THAT DOWN”
Aidan Berrios
2 dögum síðan
boneless pizza
Aki San
3 dögum síðan
i bet tom is regretting this since there are now a lot of "vegan" fruits and veggies out there.. or even vegan mineral water... guidelines only exists for those who are not working in the advertisement industry...
Даниел Кулевски
4 dögum síðan
You forgot about organic food. :D
notlsa
4 dögum síðan
well i'm out of petrol too
pieandcheese647
4 dögum síðan
Guy 1: what’s your name Guy 2: Peter, without an F Guy 1: but there’s no F in Peter Peter: that’s what I said.
Tiny Desk Engineer
4 dögum síðan
But wait, this one is free of bubonic plague!
World Peace
5 dögum síðan
Jane fell on the metro tracks and yells: "Help! I don't wanna die like this!" So Emma walks over and cuts her throat. Emma: a person you can count on
Tony Borell
5 dögum síðan
Me at a restaurant: Can I have a coke Server: Oh we just have pepsi, is that okay? Me, hanging head: Nothing's okay
Eric Sandin
5 dögum síðan
Can I get a pizza with out any bones in it?
Nostger Grrrssddc
5 dögum síðan
"asbestos free cereal" "organic tomatoes" "all natural essential oils" Checks out, no one would try to sell anything like that.
foxopossum
5 dögum síðan
@3:33
sween187
6 dögum síðan
Well if you were to say vegan tomato's I would thing no harmful pesticides as this could harm animals around where said tomato was grown.
Neil Yates
6 dögum síðan
Proof that educated people are the dumbest on Earth.
Jeredan Surgeon
6 dögum síðan
If I may beseech you, Mr. Teacher. At this time I find it prudent to take notice of my biological urges. In specific as may be appropriate, my urinary continence must be preserved by not just my travel, as well by my use of, such facilities as us bi-ambulatory featherless animals have created for said use as delineated so forth. May it please you to show such mercy, please interpret this as my declaration of intent to be acted on with your permission, my urgent desire to pass urine.
LittleEzra009
7 dögum síðan
1:45 Sometimes I make relations that are insanely wierd. Maybe something like thinking about spongebob when talking about lawyers or something.
noah
8 dögum síðan
Name's Noah, without a G
nel blop
8 dögum síðan
I've been a math student a few years and we learned to be very precised in our words for demonstrations. We had to prove something was an absolute TRUTH or wasn't. This comment section really reminds me when we overstep it in our real conversations. "That's what this product is made of, you know." "Well, no, I don't know." "You're playing with words... " It still happens. And I'm genuinely thinking my interlocutor think I have to already know for sure the given information. 😅
Roy Fisher
8 dögum síðan
When did garage become a British slang word?
Potato Maximus
8 dögum síðan
reminds me of boneless pizza
Jack F
8 dögum síðan
Am I the only one who had to look up what petrol was? no, just me.
勇樹
9 dögum síðan
Dehydrated water
Ryo Hazuki
9 dögum síðan
Clearly hasn't heard of the Beef Tomato
Herm Ask
9 dögum síðan
The window is open. Meaning in Cold countries: you, please close it. (Germany) Warm countries: nice to have a breeze coming inside.(Japan)
Herm Ask
4 dögum síðan
@Tryphon, un ZOUAVE ??! Generally speaking, yes. They have cold regions , too, but the majority lived and still lives in the warmer regions. Most people live around Tokio (kanto-regions) and south of it. So they experienced more warmth in average per year throughout history.
Tryphon, un ZOUAVE ??!
5 dögum síðan
Is Japan warmer than Germany ?
Sara Olmstead
9 dögum síðan
The holistic traffic importantly flower because bite cellularly bounce given a wiggly group. bawdy, adorable biplane
Floorgle
9 dögum síðan
Now that I have watched this video, I cannot stop thinking in every conversation I have “You just flouted one of Grice’s maxims” and I don’t think this is healthy
Dios Chotil
9 dögum síðan
I've studied Grice at my university degree, and its really ironic that his works (at least, translated into spanish) are a nightmare to read
Richard Bilton
9 dögum síðan
Garages are where cars are kept or sold, you buy fuel from a petrol station.
nakwada
10 dögum síðan
Tom Scott, feat. Integza :D
Chris Orbz
10 dögum síðan
Tomatoes have been genetically modified to incorporate fish genes, IIRC to boost the plants' resilience to near-freezing temperatures. Some vegans might not take issue with this as the produced organisms would continue to be free of a central nervous system, but most would trace those genes back to their aquatic ancestor's lab death and take issue. Actually, I'm assuming the 'donor fish' didn't have its DNA harvested delicately, but either way most vegans would take issue.
Asashi
10 dögum síðan
Video: 10 months ago Pinned Tom Scott comment: *11 months ago*
Skiniver
10 dögum síðan
2:18 made no sense to me at all and to me sounds like boulder dash.
bcubed72
10 dögum síðan
"Give me $100 and I won't punch your face in." Technically, I didn't threaten you. What would happen if you *didn't* give me $100 was never stated. Presumably, I might also not punch your face in.
Mildred The Goat
10 dögum síðan
"Never use a long word where a diminutive one will suffice" - from a Simon Drew card
Gloweye
11 dögum síðan
Well-considered breaking of those makes for jokes/puns. For example, "Hey back, I'm dad." breaks the cooperative principle.
pandaman
11 dögum síðan
Some of my job’s produce has labels saying they may have beeswax or some other wax to preserve them, so they wouldn’t be vegan produce because they were made with animal products
W.2026
11 dögum síðan
I'm too drunk to comprehend this I'll come back when I've sobered up If I remember watching this video at all that is
W.2026
Degi Síðan síðan
@Wild Blunt Hickok Nah dude keep it you need it more than I do I'm an ex "space pirate" and I still have some good friends from the good old days They wouldn't dare harass me after what I did for them in phobos You on the other hand would be sht out of luck the moment you got in their line of sight Even I couldn't protect you Please don't do anything stupid
Wild Blunt Hickok
Degi Síðan síðan
@W.2026 I can sell you a rock that keeps away all space pirates. I've owned it for 8 years and not a single space pirate in that time
W.2026
11 dögum síðan
Never mind I can comprehend this just fine Imagine if I was sober I could conquer the world and put an end to this whole "space pirate" problem that's been going on for decades now
GlowstoneLove Pad
11 dögum síðan
Student A: I'm glad to be in a new grade, I can chew gum in this class. In the class I was in last grade, my teacher made me put gum on my nose because I was chewing it. Student B: How do you chew your nose?
W.2026
11 dögum síðan
Nobody nose
Václav Jebavý
11 dögum síðan
is that a hanging participle or one of those thingies
GlowstoneLove Pad
11 dögum síðan
0:09 Esbes Tchi Mna-free cereal.
Audrey Vann
11 dögum síðan
I've seen plenty of "gluten free" vegetables at the grocery store. I wondered if they thought people were too dumb to know what gluten was (since these things had never contained gluten), or if they were just adding random buzz words to the package...maybe it's both.
Dr. Revenant Blunt
11 dögum síðan
Why are your videos so short?
SnowblindOtter
11 dögum síðan
The 'Low in sugar' bit isn't honest, it's a straight out lie unless it's proven to be low in sugar according to a certain standard. That's like saying Tic-Tacs are 'sugar free' despite them being pure sugar, simply because one mint is a single serving and weighs less than a gram, and the standard definition of 'sugar free' is to have less than 1g per serving of sugar.
Tourniquet Connoisseur
12 dögum síðan
I don’t subscribe to the maxim of relation
Amy Ebert
12 dögum síðan
"The student always tried their best"
Víkingur Sigurðsson
12 dögum síðan
At a job interview "What's your name?" "Stephen without a K"
Will Lee Rock
12 dögum síðan
Yes a tomato can be Vegan... If there's the use of pesticide in the process of making the tomato, it means that insects are dying and could result in less food for the animals.
Cosmo K
12 dögum síðan
FINALLY! An explanation as to why my grocery store sells "gluten free" carrots!
Dan
12 dögum síðan
This video is for aliens who want to learn how to hide as a human
Pawit Ninnabodee
12 dögum síðan
The sincere ash intialy announce because client counterintuitively decorate amid a organic jaguar. abiding, greedy hope
Elenor Steuernagel
12 dögum síðan
The unhealthy bladder serendipitously command because mechanic spectroscopically attract circa a mellow poison. jealous, political airplane
Raphaël Atherill
13 dögum síðan
I guess we could argue that tomatoes grown using manure are not vegan
Devosaur
13 dögum síðan
because I grew up with a mental disorder that delayed my language development, I became a naturalist when it came to flouting. However, I do it unintentionally because of how my brain is wired, and that causes me to associate some concepts slightly differently. it's quite sad when you think about it, however, as I grow up I slowly amend these associations to their correct meanings even though this natural process likes to take its time. life is harder for someone like me.
AK Nephtali
13 dögum síðan
Ah yes, I do love non genetically modified pillows.
Darren W
13 dögum síðan
I'm disappointed this video did not mention baby oil.
Sole Ice
13 dögum síðan
The many amount booly wrestle because jaw microregionally earn beside a grandiose rainbow. mellow, tacky thursday
RanMind YT
13 dögum síðan
I ate uranium-free eggs today
Dylyn02
13 dögum síðan
Thanks as a Hytrmond from Ayuio-572 I have been needing to learn how to fit in to human society, thank you
Daniel Burns
13 dögum síðan
it's really fun to mess around with this concept, and intentionally not follow them. "I'm going to the store later, want anything?" "No I'm not really a big fan of Batman"
OuroborosChoked
13 dögum síðan
"Vegan tomatoes" may have some utility... I'm certain the number of vegans who would be confused by "beefsteak tomatoes" is a nonzero number.
Augusto Feyh
13 dögum síðan
- What's your name? - Tom, without a K. - There is no K in Tom! - That's what I said!
Neil Lunavat
12 dögum síðan
This is getting so boring ugh
Me Potter
13 dögum síðan
3:00 That also shows one of the main issues of communication - I wouldn't have worked out that the car was stranded by that sentence, so if my conservation partner expected that we would have had a problem.
c0nceited
13 dögum síðan
My “not involved in human trafficking” shirt has people asking a lot of questions already answered by the shirt.
Tony Borell
5 dögum síðan
nice try matt gaetz
Wild Trek
13 dögum síðan
If you need more examples just read any news headline 🤷♂️
helzzzz1111
14 dögum síðan
Does Grice's principle hold true for other languages? Say, Chinese?
Ignacio Mireille
14 dögum síðan
The rampant society expectedly remember because trapezoid resultantly park astride a dazzling thunder. abundant, grubby gruesome waste
Voltaic Fire
14 dögum síðan
I prefer human Tom Scott videos.
Tadhg Pidgeon
14 dögum síðan
I'm surprised there's no comment about B O N E L E S S P I Z Z A
Andrew Friend
14 dögum síðan
Brits call gas stations garages? That makes no sense. Y'all don't even speak English anymore.
Wmff George
14 dögum síðan
I could esaly grow a tomato that would proberhably not be suitable for vegans.
Tim G
14 dögum síðan
There is a kind of tomato called the beefsteak tomato, which sounds a bit un-vegan.
Alex Plante
14 dögum síðan
I guess the tomatoes would be bug-free
Haiiry Cake
14 dögum síðan
Ah. Theres a group of people that do the opposite though. They assume the other person is always lying. They assume what is being said is always related to their pet peeve, nothing else. They assume there's always a hidden meaning. And they are never clear
Fudge Merchant
15 dögum síðan
I want asbestos free cereal
ILikeSnakesDealWithIt
14 dögum síðan
No
Bart Simpsonn
15 dögum síðan
Or u have adhd and those rules seem logica... untill your talking
ILikeSnakesDealWithIt
14 dögum síðan
What?
Ranibow Sprimkle
15 dögum síðan
Boneless pizza
Ranibow Sprimkle
15 dögum síðan
I can finally say boneless pizza and it's actually related to the video
Sam Horton
15 dögum síðan
Is a tomato grown using manure or blood, fish and bone fertilizer still a 'vegan tomato'?
I.O.N. Prod
15 dögum síðan
Nobody's talking about boneless pizza?
wyrmofvt
15 dögum síðan
Now I want to make a non-vegan tomato in truth.
C99kies
16 dögum síðan
boneless pizza
OKAYU VIRUS
16 dögum síðan
Hey can I get uhh... *BONELESS PIZZA*
J810 __
16 dögum síðan
Grasshopper free applesauce
Razvan Efros
16 dögum síðan
Let me get uuuuh, a boneless pizza
HailAnts
16 dögum síðan
In America his example of, “there’s a garage down the street” would no longer be said or apply. Garages are car repair shops that no longer sell gasoline. You’d only say ‘gas station’..
aXios
16 dögum síðan
Mans made a video essay explaining why the "boneless pizza" video is funny.
Son
16 dögum síðan
Boneless pizza
Polygon Death
16 dögum síðan
TIL british people call gas stations “garages”
Matthew Campbell
16 dögum síðan
With the computer NPC thing, I'd say a good demonstration is actually when they repeat lines. Technically, the line still works, it's just the fact that they already said it that's weird.
Emron A
17 dögum síðan
When the vegan tomato is SUS 😯
stephen burden
17 dögum síðan
One of my favorite videos. Thank you so much, Tom.
Stirling Newberry
17 dögum síðan
Ads don't work this way.
Max Kimmings
17 dögum síðan
Played bugsnax recently. A vegan tomato is definitely something that I would be interested in
AnnoyingMoose
17 dögum síðan
As a script writer I have to say that this is one of THE BEST videos about dialog writing!
KitMellow
17 dögum síðan
Somebody once asked "Could I spare some change for gas, I need to get myself away from this place." I said "Yep, what a concept, I could a little fuel myself and we could all use a little change."
darkanzali
17 dögum síðan
00:05 actually I saw "gluten free" vegetables and fruits in a shop in my town.. aaand I was disgusted by the marketing idiot who made it up
E3kHatena
17 dögum síðan
Saw “Non-GMO Sea Salt” at a Whole Foods once and I have never been the same since.