Relevance, Pragmatics and Interpretation

Bringing together work by leading scholars in relevance theory, this volume showcases cutting-edge research within the theory, and demonstrates its influence across a range of fields including linguistics, pragmatics, philosophy of language, literary studies, developmental psychology and cognitive science. Organised into broad thematic strands that represent the latest research and debates, the volume shows the depth of analysis now possible after nearly forty years of intensive work in developing and applying the principles of relevance theory. The breadth of influence of the framework is reflected in the chapters of the volume, in some cases moving beyond the traditional realms of semantics and pragmatics to include discourse analysis, language acquisition, media and education. The volume will be essential reading for researchers in these fields, as well as for those already working within relevance theory or with other pragmatic theories.

Table of Contents:
Introduction Robyn Carston, Billy Clark and Kate Scott; Reflections on the development of relevance theory; Personal notes on a shared trajectory Dan Sperber; The source of relevance Neil Smith; Part I. Relevance Theory and Cognitive Communicative Issues: 1. Scientific tractability and relevance theory Nicholas Allott; 2. Language processing, relevance and questions Richard Breheny; 3. Quasi-factives and cognitive efficiency Axel Barceló and Robert J. Stainton; 4. Evidential explicatures and mismatch resolution Victoria Escandell-Vidal; 5. Representation and metarepresentation in negation Jacques Moeschler; 6. Pronouns in free indirect discourse: a relevance-theoretic account Anne Reboul; 7. The development of pragmatic abilities Myrto Grigoroglou and Anna Papafragou; Part II. Pragmatics and Linguistic Issues: 8. Mood and the analysis of imperative sentences Mark Jary and Mikhail Kissine; 9. The Korean sentence-final Suffix ci as a metarepresentational marker Eun-Ju Noh; 10. Expressive epithets and expressive small clauses Diane Blakemore; 11. Ad Hoc concepts, polysemy and the lexicon Robyn Carston; 12. The polysemy of a Norwegian modal adverb Thorstein Fretheim; 13. Noun-noun compounds from the perspective of relevance theory Anne Bezuidenhout; 14. Procedural syntax Eleni Gregoromichelaki and Ruth Kempson; Part III. Figurative Language and Layered Interpretations: 15. Metaphor and metonymy in acquisition: a relevance-theoretic perspective Ingrid Lossius Falkum; 16. Relevance and metaphor understanding in a second language Elly Ifantidou; 17. Component processes of irony comprehension in children: epistemic vigilance, mind-reading and the search for relevance Tomoko Matsui; 18. Allegory in relation to metaphor and irony Christoph Unger; 19. Slave of the passions: making emotions relevant Tim Wharton and Claudia Strey; 20. Adaptations as communicative acts: a relevance-theoretic perspective Anne Furlong.

About the Author :
Kate Scott is a Senior Lecturer in English Language and Linguistics at Kingston University, London. Her research focusses on the pragmatics of reference, with a special interest in the nature and role of procedural meaning. Billy Clark is Professor of English Language and Linguistics at Northumbria University. His research covers a wide range of topics in linguistics and stylistics, with a particular focus on semantics and pragmatics. Robyn Carston is Professor of Linguistics at University College London. Her main research interests are in pragmatics, semantics, relevance theory, metaphor, and word meaning.

Review :
'Three decades ago, relevance theory promised an exciting approach to the intricate relation between the linguistic and the extralinguistic. Putting pragmatics centre stage, the theory soon moved beyond Grice to develop into a whole new research programme. This volume provides rich evidence that relevance theory has made good on its promise.' Mira Ariel, Tel Aviv University 'This is a glittering array of perspectives on communication and cognition. Readers familiar with relevance theory will discover an indispensable contribution to their library, and readers who are new to relevance theory will welcome the clarity and focus with which each of these short chapters offers new ways of thinking about language and thought.' Nigel Fabb, University of Strathclyde 'This volume is a testament to relevance theory's impact and to its capacity to continually provide new insights with respect to communication and cognition.' Ira Noveck, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 'The vast impact that Deirdre Wilson's ideas, teaching, and mentorship have had on the field of pragmatics is clear throughout this book. At the same time, this collection is a testament to the health of the field of pragmatics at this moment in its development. The breadth and depth of linguistic, philosophical, and psychological enquiries into our capacity to interpret and understand each other's communicative behaviour in context are all on robust display here.' Catherine Wearing, Journal of Pragmatics