Spoken language is one of the most basic ways of human communication. We speak with each other in order to convey information about various things and to cooperate. In different cultures there are rules and norms that make people understand each other, and these rules apply not only to the way language is used; there are also rules and norms that regulate how conversation should be conducted. One set of rules for what constitutes a successful conversation among interlocutors is referred to as conversational maxims. These maxims were introduced by the philosopher of language Paul H. Grice (Maienborn 2011:18). These maxims are rules which are normally followed in a conversation in order for people to understand each other on a direct and basic level. However, maxims can be violated, which means that they are not adhered to. A violation of the maxims happens for instance when someone is liable to mislead someone, as in Paltridge’s example when a mother tells her children “Mummy's gone on a little holiday because she needs a rest” (Paltridge 2006:65). What she is really saying is that she is going away to consider whether or not she is going to divorce their father. In the example, the mother is deliberately misleading her children by lying, which violates the maxim of quality. Maxims can also be flouted. The difference between when a maxim is violated and when it is flouted is that when someone is flouting a maxim, they are not deliberately trying to deceive or mislead their interlocutors, but they are deliberately not observing the maxims, in order for the interlocutors to understand another set of meaning (Paltridge 2006:65). The flouting of a maxim can also be used for comic effect. In the following example, where a flouting of the maxims is used to create comedy, a husband complains about his wife's constant nagging and the wife replies to his comment.