Relevance theory is arguably the most influential approach to pragmatics to have developed from t... more Relevance theory is arguably the most influential approach to pragmatics to have developed from the work of Grice (1989). It has been applied in a wide range of areas, including accounts of reasoning in general, developmental psychology, and the understanding of conditions such as autistic spectrum disorders. The majority of relevance-theoretic work has been concerned with developing accounts of linguistically encoded meanings (linguistic semantics) and how these interact with contextual assumptions in understanding utterances (pragmatics). Accounting for interpretations is a key focus of work in stylistics, so it is natural that relevance-theoretic ideas have been applied to stylistics, providing accounts of particular texts and of particular phenomena involved in the production and comprehension of texts. It has also contributed to more general theoretical debates, for example about the nature of ‘literariness’ and authorial intention, and is beginning to contribute to accounts of formal literary interpretation and formal and informal evaluation. As has often been pointed out (e.g. by Pilkington et al 1997; Wilson 2011), the aim is not to provide particular interpretations or evaluation but to explain the processes involved in arriving at these. Relevance theory can also contribute to accounts of textual production and editorial processes, and to pedagogical work of various kinds. This chapter says something about previous, ongoing and possible future work in each of these areas.
This chapter considers how ideas developed within relevance theory can be applied in accounting f... more This chapter considers how ideas developed within relevance theory can be applied in accounting for different kinds of responses to Eimear McBride’s novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing. The discussion here focuses on the opening of the novel, using this to illustrate difficulties posed for readers by the novel as a whole and to consider how different ways of responding to these difficulties can lead to different kinds of responses. McBride’s novel is a challenging text which raises issues for pragmatic theories as well as for readers, since it is hard to establish what it explicitly and implicitly communicates. Some readers (including, significantly, some critics and judges for literary awards) have responded positively to the novel. Others (including many literary agents and publishers) have responded negatively. Some readers report beginning with a negative reaction and then becoming more positive. This chapter suggests that ideas developed within relevance theory (Sperber and Wil...
This chapter considers some of the inferential processes involved in reading, understanding and e... more This chapter considers some of the inferential processes involved in reading, understanding and evaluating Anton Chekhov’s story The Lady with the Little Dog (Chekhov 2002, originally 1899/1903).1 This story has been very highly valued over the years but many readers report thinking it unimportant or even banal on first reading. The discussion here aims to account for some of the specific inferences involved in understanding the story and also to consider two things which have not been much discussed in previous pragmatic stylistic work: differences between inferences made after first and subsequent readings of a text and the role inferential processes play in evaluating texts. It also aims to consider to what extent an account of reader inferences can account for the fact that many readers report being puzzled by the story on first reading and then go on to value it very highly.
Blumer describes interactionism as the essence of being human. People interact with themselves th... more Blumer describes interactionism as the essence of being human. People interact with themselves through the generalized other; they reflect; they think about their actions for themselves and with others. In short, humans talk to themselves and to others too. Interaction is what defines human beings from other species. Fast and Clark (2008; Fast et al. 2014) have published also how interaction of the human minds is a key factor making economics into a science. For decades, Chomsky led linguistics into understanding the same argument for human behavior due to the uniqueness of language – the ability of human beings to communicate endlessly.
This article reports on a residential course, held at the Villiers Park Educational Trust centre ... more This article reports on a residential course, held at the Villiers Park Educational Trust centre in Foxton, Cambridgeshire, which introduces linguistics to students who are in their final two years of school education. Both students and tutors find the course challenging and fun. Students find the experience of developing their own linguistic investigations hugely rewarding. This is clearly indicated in feedback questionnaires and informal discussion at the end of the course. Feedback regularly shows over 95% of responses in the most positive (‘excellent’) category. Tutors find out more about their subject and about the interests and abilities of students at this level. This is, of course, interesting to any teacher for its own sake. We also have a particular interest in developing activities which make connections between linguistics and language study at school and in higher education.
... http://lal.sagepub.com/content/6/2/139 The online version of this article can be found at: DO... more ... http://lal.sagepub.com/content/6/2/139 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/096394709700600205 1997 6: 139 Language and Literature Adrian Pilkington, Barbara MacMahon and Billy Clark Looking for an argument: a response to Green ...
This article suggests that students studying pragmatics can apply their understanding of pragmati... more This article suggests that students studying pragmatics can apply their understanding of pragmatic inference in thinking about their own writing.
Linguists have become much more interested in language evolution in general, and in the evolution... more Linguists have become much more interested in language evolution in general, and in the evolution of syntax in particular, in recent years. This essay begins by considering some general questions about the nature and evolution of language before considering questions about the evolution of syntax, and some of the kinds of answers that have been proposed. The two sets of questions are closely linked in ways that echo the connections between studies of language in general and studies of syntax in general.
This chapter considers the nature of inferential processes, pragmatic theories which have been de... more This chapter considers the nature of inferential processes, pragmatic theories which have been developed to account for them, and applications of these theories in stylistics. It points out that we make a large number of inferences very quickly in everyday situations, says something about pragmatic theories which have been developed since the work of Paul Grice (1967/1975; 1989) and considers how these theories have been, and can be, applied in stylistics. It then considers some general theoretical questions which can be addressed to some extent by pragmatic theories. The conclusions are: that inferential processes play a significant role in the production, interpretation and evaluation of all texts; that an account of these processes is a vital part of accounts of any text or communicative act; that there are practical issues which need to be addressed when accounting for inferences; that we do not always need to refer to specific theoretical assumptions when discussing inferences, though in some cases this is useful; that pragmatics can be applied in exploring theoretical as well as analytical questions; and finally, that there is lots of exciting work which can be carried out by looking at inference.
This paper summarises recent developments in one of the most influential current theories of prag... more This paper summarises recent developments in one of the most influential current theories of pragmatics: Relevance Theory. There have been many significant developments in Relevance Theory, and in pragmatics more generally, since Diane Blakemore’s 1995 handbook entry (reprinted in this volume). Debates about the nature and goals of pragmatic theory have been explored within individual frameworks and across different ones. There has also been considerable development within Relevance Theory. These include adjustments to the theory itself, new and adapted accounts of particular linguistic and non-linguistic phenomena, new ways of testing and new ways of applying the theory. A small selection of these are mentioned here.
Relevance theory is arguably the most influential approach to pragmatics to have developed from t... more Relevance theory is arguably the most influential approach to pragmatics to have developed from the work of Grice (1989). It has been applied in a wide range of areas, including accounts of reasoning in general, developmental psychology, and the understanding of conditions such as autistic spectrum disorders. The majority of relevance-theoretic work has been concerned with developing accounts of linguistically encoded meanings (linguistic semantics) and how these interact with contextual assumptions in understanding utterances (pragmatics). Accounting for interpretations is a key focus of work in stylistics, so it is natural that relevance-theoretic ideas have been applied to stylistics, providing accounts of particular texts and of particular phenomena involved in the production and comprehension of texts. It has also contributed to more general theoretical debates, for example about the nature of ‘literariness’ and authorial intention, and is beginning to contribute to accounts of formal literary interpretation and formal and informal evaluation. As has often been pointed out (e.g. by Pilkington et al 1997; Wilson 2011), the aim is not to provide particular interpretations or evaluation but to explain the processes involved in arriving at these. Relevance theory can also contribute to accounts of textual production and editorial processes, and to pedagogical work of various kinds. This chapter says something about previous, ongoing and possible future work in each of these areas.
This chapter considers how ideas developed within relevance theory can be applied in accounting f... more This chapter considers how ideas developed within relevance theory can be applied in accounting for different kinds of responses to Eimear McBride’s novel A Girl is a Half-formed Thing. The discussion here focuses on the opening of the novel, using this to illustrate difficulties posed for readers by the novel as a whole and to consider how different ways of responding to these difficulties can lead to different kinds of responses. McBride’s novel is a challenging text which raises issues for pragmatic theories as well as for readers, since it is hard to establish what it explicitly and implicitly communicates. Some readers (including, significantly, some critics and judges for literary awards) have responded positively to the novel. Others (including many literary agents and publishers) have responded negatively. Some readers report beginning with a negative reaction and then becoming more positive. This chapter suggests that ideas developed within relevance theory (Sperber and Wil...
This chapter considers some of the inferential processes involved in reading, understanding and e... more This chapter considers some of the inferential processes involved in reading, understanding and evaluating Anton Chekhov’s story The Lady with the Little Dog (Chekhov 2002, originally 1899/1903).1 This story has been very highly valued over the years but many readers report thinking it unimportant or even banal on first reading. The discussion here aims to account for some of the specific inferences involved in understanding the story and also to consider two things which have not been much discussed in previous pragmatic stylistic work: differences between inferences made after first and subsequent readings of a text and the role inferential processes play in evaluating texts. It also aims to consider to what extent an account of reader inferences can account for the fact that many readers report being puzzled by the story on first reading and then go on to value it very highly.
Blumer describes interactionism as the essence of being human. People interact with themselves th... more Blumer describes interactionism as the essence of being human. People interact with themselves through the generalized other; they reflect; they think about their actions for themselves and with others. In short, humans talk to themselves and to others too. Interaction is what defines human beings from other species. Fast and Clark (2008; Fast et al. 2014) have published also how interaction of the human minds is a key factor making economics into a science. For decades, Chomsky led linguistics into understanding the same argument for human behavior due to the uniqueness of language – the ability of human beings to communicate endlessly.
This article reports on a residential course, held at the Villiers Park Educational Trust centre ... more This article reports on a residential course, held at the Villiers Park Educational Trust centre in Foxton, Cambridgeshire, which introduces linguistics to students who are in their final two years of school education. Both students and tutors find the course challenging and fun. Students find the experience of developing their own linguistic investigations hugely rewarding. This is clearly indicated in feedback questionnaires and informal discussion at the end of the course. Feedback regularly shows over 95% of responses in the most positive (‘excellent’) category. Tutors find out more about their subject and about the interests and abilities of students at this level. This is, of course, interesting to any teacher for its own sake. We also have a particular interest in developing activities which make connections between linguistics and language study at school and in higher education.
... http://lal.sagepub.com/content/6/2/139 The online version of this article can be found at: DO... more ... http://lal.sagepub.com/content/6/2/139 The online version of this article can be found at: DOI: 10.1177/096394709700600205 1997 6: 139 Language and Literature Adrian Pilkington, Barbara MacMahon and Billy Clark Looking for an argument: a response to Green ...
This article suggests that students studying pragmatics can apply their understanding of pragmati... more This article suggests that students studying pragmatics can apply their understanding of pragmatic inference in thinking about their own writing.
Linguists have become much more interested in language evolution in general, and in the evolution... more Linguists have become much more interested in language evolution in general, and in the evolution of syntax in particular, in recent years. This essay begins by considering some general questions about the nature and evolution of language before considering questions about the evolution of syntax, and some of the kinds of answers that have been proposed. The two sets of questions are closely linked in ways that echo the connections between studies of language in general and studies of syntax in general.
This chapter considers the nature of inferential processes, pragmatic theories which have been de... more This chapter considers the nature of inferential processes, pragmatic theories which have been developed to account for them, and applications of these theories in stylistics. It points out that we make a large number of inferences very quickly in everyday situations, says something about pragmatic theories which have been developed since the work of Paul Grice (1967/1975; 1989) and considers how these theories have been, and can be, applied in stylistics. It then considers some general theoretical questions which can be addressed to some extent by pragmatic theories. The conclusions are: that inferential processes play a significant role in the production, interpretation and evaluation of all texts; that an account of these processes is a vital part of accounts of any text or communicative act; that there are practical issues which need to be addressed when accounting for inferences; that we do not always need to refer to specific theoretical assumptions when discussing inferences, though in some cases this is useful; that pragmatics can be applied in exploring theoretical as well as analytical questions; and finally, that there is lots of exciting work which can be carried out by looking at inference.
This paper summarises recent developments in one of the most influential current theories of prag... more This paper summarises recent developments in one of the most influential current theories of pragmatics: Relevance Theory. There have been many significant developments in Relevance Theory, and in pragmatics more generally, since Diane Blakemore’s 1995 handbook entry (reprinted in this volume). Debates about the nature and goals of pragmatic theory have been explored within individual frameworks and across different ones. There has also been considerable development within Relevance Theory. These include adjustments to the theory itself, new and adapted accounts of particular linguistic and non-linguistic phenomena, new ways of testing and new ways of applying the theory. A small selection of these are mentioned here.
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