The Cooperative Principle and Humor in Sit-Coms

An analysis from the pragmatic perspective is conducted on the selected dialogues of two popular sit-coms. It is done on the basis of the cooperative principle, a theory formulated by American linguist H. P Grice to show how the humorous effect is achieved due to the breaking of a certain maxim of the cooperative principle. The pragmatic delving into humor aims to bring the audience to a more profound understanding and appreciation of the nature of humor.