Pragmatic Vagueness And Its Implicature In Language Learning

This thesis is a pilot study on pragmatic vagueness and its implicature in language learning from the perspective of pragmatics and cognition. Research on vagueness has a long history, but the scientific and systematical study on it begins from L. A. Zadeh (1965). Vagueness is actually a matter of linguistic indeterminacy, deriving from borderline cases and connecting with context. Pragmatic vagueness is a skillful and tactful application of vagueness in communication. People usually take it as a strategy in specific communicative cases, where precise language is not appropriate. The case investigated is the official speeches by Former Premier Zhu Rongji and Current Premier Wen Jiabao at the press conferences after NPC and CPPCC every year. Pragmatic vagueness is a common linguistic phenomenon in official speech. Reasons for it may be found from cognition and context. The mechanism under the production and interpretation is explored based on the Theory of Linguistic Adaptability and Relevance Theory. Therefore, we find out that vague expressions are well-chosen and well-organized to make the speech flexible and polite to keep harmonious relationship between countries and at the same time to assure the speakers'authoritative position. The empirical study tells us that pragmatic vagueness is necessary in communication and appropriate use of it signifies good command of language. It seems that we should pay more attention to vagueness in language learning. Vagueness is in fact especially popular in English lexicon and grammar, and it is even pervasive in our cognition. Based on the case study, some principles have been suggested to guide language learning and teaching, that is, tolerance principle, inference principle and integrative learning principle. Theoretically, the application of these principles to language learning provides a new approach for training better language users.