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责编: 来源: 2006-12-23 12:09:32 浏览次数:1837

1、论文题目自拟，但必须与语用学相关。

2、要求至少使用一种语用学理论解释某种语言现象，做到有理有据、论证严密、例证详实、有创新点。不得有抄袭。

3、论文应包括中英文摘要和关键词，中英文参考文献不得少于10部，并且大多数为英文参考文献且为近五年公开发表的论著或论文。论文格式必须符合《外语教学与研究》的投稿要求。

4、论文可使用英语或汉语，不得少于4000字。

黑龙江大学研究生期末考试封面

黑龙江大学硕士研究生

课程名称：语用学流派

教师：尚晓明

开课学年/开课学期： 2009—2010学年第二学期

学时 / 学分： 54学时

所在教学学院：西语学院

专业名称：英语语言文学

学号/ 姓名： 20900514 王聪

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任课教师签字（章）：＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿My Interpretation on Relevance Theory

Abstract：This paper introduces the main context of relevance theory, an inferential approach to pragmatics, which is based on a definition of relevance and two principles of relevance: a Cognitive Principle(that human cognition is geared to the maxi- mization of relevance), and a Communicative Principle(that utterances create expectations of optimal relevance). Definition of relevance and the motivation for these principles will be explained, and criticisms of them will be presented re- spectively in this paper.

Key Words: Relevance Theory; definition of relevance; principles of relevance

1 Introduction

Relevance theory is an inferential approach to pragmatics which starts from the broadly Gricean assumption that an essential feature of most human communication, both verbal and non-verbal, is the expression and recognition of intentions (Grice 1989: chapters 1-7). The inferential model of communication is the first serious alternative to the classical code model. According to the code model, a communicator encodes her intended message into a signal, which is decoded by the audience using

an identical copy of the code. According to the inferential model, a communicator provides evidence of her intention to convey a certain meaning, which is inferred by the audience on the basis of the evidence provided. An utterance is, of course, a linguistically coded piece of evidence, so that verbal comprehension involves an element of decoding. However, the decoded linguistic meaning falls far short of determining the speaker’s meaning, and is just one of the inputs to a non-demonstrative inference process which yields an interpretation of the speaker's meaning.

The goal of inferential pragmatics is to explain how the hearer infers the speaker’s meaning. The relevance-theoretic account is based on another of Grice’s central claims: that utterances create expectations which guide the hearer towards the speaker’s meaning. Grice described these expectations in terms of a Co-operative Principle and maxims of Quality (truthfulness), Quantity (informativeness), Relation (relevance) and Manner (clarity) which speakers are expected to observe (Grice 1989: chapter 2): the interpretation a rational hearer should choose is the one that best satisfies those expectations. Relevance theorists share Grice’s intuition that utterances raise expectations of relevance, but question several other aspects of his account, including the need for a Co-operative Principle and maxims, the tendency to focus on pragmatic contributions to implicit (rather than explicit) content, and the claim that metaphor and irony are deviations from a norm of literal truthfulness. Relevance theory claims that the expectations of relevance raised by an utterance are precise enough, and predictable enough, to guide the hearer towards the speaker’s meaning. The aim is to explain in cognitively realistic terms what these expectations of relevance amount to, and how they might contribute to an empirically plausible account of comprehension.

2 Relevance and communication

The universal cognitive tendency to maximise relevance makes it possible (at least to some extent) to predict and manipulate the mental states of others. Knowing that you are likely to pick out the most relevant stimuli in your environment and process them so as to maximise their relevance, I may produce a stimulus which is likely to attract your attention, to prompt the retrieval of certain contextual assumptions and to point you towards an intended conclusion. For example, I may leave my empty glass in your line of vision, intending you to notice and conclude that I might like another drink. As Grice pointed out, this is not yet a case of inferential