The purpose of the present paper is to critically summarize Wilson and Sperber’s book article “Relevance Theory”, published in The handbook of pragmatics.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Grice’s Central Claims
3. Wilson & Sperber’s Criticism and Assumptions
4. Conclusion
5. References
Objectives and Topics
This paper provides a critical summary of Wilson and Sperber’s seminal work on Relevance Theory, examining how it builds upon and challenges Paul Grice’s inferential model of communication by focusing on cognitive processes, ostensive stimuli, and the maximization of relevance.
- Grice’s Cooperative Principle and its limitations
- Cognitive effects and the maximization of relevance
- Ostensive-inferential communication
- The role of metarepresentational abilities
- Distinction between explicatures and implicatures
- Interpretation of figurative language and irony
Excerpt from the Book
3. Wilson & Sperber’s Criticism and Assumptions
The two linguists agree with Grice on the account of raising expectations in a conversation, however, they question several aspects of his work, including the need for a Cooperative Principle and maxims, the focus on pragmatic contributions to implicit (as opposed to explicit) content, the role of maxim violation in utterance interpretation, and the treatment of figurative utterances. (ib.).
The two authors introduce their outline of the relevance theory current’s version with an explanation of relevance. According to them, “any external stimulus or internal representation which provides an input to cognitive processes may be relevant to an individual at some time.” (Wilson & Sperber 2004:608). The expression “individual” used here already implies the fact that not everything has the same relevance for everyone. As Wilson and Sperber put it, input is relevant to someone when “it connects with background information he has available to yield conclusions that matter to him” (ib.). There are several aspects that make an utterance important to the hearer: First of all, the two linguists present the fact that an utterance needs to produce a positive cognitive effect to be rendered relevant to the speaker. They point out that the most important effect here is a contextual implication that is to say, a conclusion is “deducible from input and context together” (ib.). Other types of cognitive effects are “strengthening, revision, or abandonment of available assumptions” (ib.). The relevance of an input is completely dependent on the triggering of this positive cognitive effect.
Relevance, however, is a matter of degree not of being relevant or not. This degree to which an utterance is relevant depends on the processing effort the hearer has to invest in decoding the meaning. The greater this processing effort “the less relevant the input will be” (Wilson & Sperber 2004:609). When the effort an individual has to invest into decoding two utterances is the same, the “effect factor is decisive, and when similar amounts of effect are achievable, the effort factor is decisive.” (Wilson & Sperber 2004:610). Therefore, the characterization of relevance given by Wilson and Sperber is “comparative rather than quantitive” (ib.).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Outlines the purpose of the paper, which is to summarize Wilson and Sperber's contribution to pragmatics as discussed in their book article.
2. Grice’s Central Claims: Explains the foundations of Grice's inferential model and his Cooperative Principle, highlighting how it shapes the hearer's expectations.
3. Wilson & Sperber’s Criticism and Assumptions: Details the authors' critique of Grice, introduces the Cognitive and Communicative Principles of Relevance, and discusses how humans process information to maximize efficiency.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes the evaluation of Relevance Theory, acknowledging its significance as a milestone while noting its subjective nature regarding context.
5. References: Lists the academic literature utilized for the creation of this seminar paper.
Keywords
Relevance Theory, Pragmatics, Paul Grice, Inferential Model, Ostensive Stimulus, Cooperative Principle, Cognitive Effect, Explicature, Implicature, Metarepresentation, Communication, Linguistic Meaning, Contextual Assumption.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this paper?
The paper examines Wilson and Sperber’s Relevance Theory, providing a critical summary of their work as it relates to linguistic pragmatics and human communication.
What are the primary themes addressed?
The central themes include the cognitive foundations of communication, the shift from Grice’s maxims to the Principle of Relevance, and the mechanisms of inferential interpretation.
What is the main objective of the author?
The primary goal is to summarize and critically assess the relevance-theoretic approach to pragmatics, contrasting it with Gricean philosophy.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The work utilizes a theoretical literature review and a comparative analysis of pragmatic theories to evaluate the validity and implications of Relevance Theory.
What content is covered in the main section?
The main section explores the definitions of cognitive relevance, the concepts of ostensive-inferential communication, and the roles of metarepresentational abilities in decoding utterances.
How can this work be categorized by keywords?
Key terms include Relevance Theory, Pragmatics, Inferential Communication, Cognitive Principle of Relevance, and Metarepresentation.
How do Wilson and Sperber differ from Grice regarding silence?
Unlike Grice, they argue that silence during communication can itself be an act of communication, conveying specific meanings or intentions rather than just a breakdown in cooperation.
What is the "special purpose inferential comprehension device"?
It is a proposed mechanism that varies in sophistication depending on the individual's age and experience, which allows hearers to derive meaning from complex communicative stimuli.
Why is Relevance Theory described as "comparative rather than quantitative"?
Because the relevance of an input is measured by balancing the cognitive effect against the processing effort, rather than measuring it as an absolute value.
- Quote paper
- Bianca Müller (Author), 2010, Wilson & Sperber’s Relevance Theory , Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/165026
