CONVERSATIONAL IMPLICATURE IN INDIAN MEDICAL INSURANCE TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENTS

Television advertising in India plays a significant role in shaping public perceptions of health, security, and financial responsibility. Medical insurance advertisements, in particular, rely heavily on indirect communicative strategies to persuade audiences while addressing sensitive issues such as illness, hospitalization,and economic uncertainty. This paper examines the use of conversational implicature in Indian medical insurance television advertisements through the pragmatic framework proposed by H. P. Grice.Drawing on selected Indian TV advertisements of leading medical insurance firms, the study analyzes how verbal dialogue, visual imagery, background music, and narrative sequencing generate implied meanings by flouting Gricean maxims. The paper argues that conversational implicature enables advertisers to communicate reassurance,urgency, trust, and moral responsibility without making explicit or legally risky claims. The findings suggest that implicature functions as a powerful persuasive and ethical tool in Indian medical insurance advertising discourse, aligning commercial objectives with cultural values such as family responsibility and care.