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Research On Decoding And Using Fuzzy Words

Posted on:2005-01-09Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:B QiuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360122496793Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
It is universally known there is no word with exact boundary in natural language, that is, its generation is fuzzy and uncertain. In 1965, American Controlist Lofti. A. Zadeh created a mathematical reasoning-Fuzzy Sets Theory- to probe into the phenomenon of fuzziness in language. Zadeh is the first person to adopt the term 'Fuzziness' as his scientifically defined statement to distinguish it from 'Vagueness', a non-scientifically everyday-used expression. Different from taking perspectives of philosophy and mathematics, this thesis lays stress on language use and takes a close outlook on fuzzy words on their pragmatic functions, with regards to related theories of Psycholinguistics and Fuzzy Semantics.This present thesis intends to investigate and interpret the prevalence of fuzzy words in natural language and their transformations toward precision and vice versa in the perspective of Lofti A. Zadeh's Fuzzy Sets Theory. After listing a classified analysis of three features of 'Semantic Fuzziness' on English vocabulary in accordance with related Fuzzy Semantics and Applied Linguistics, together with Gagne's Information Processing Model in Psychology and Grice's Co-operative Principle in Pragmatics, a quantitative analysis on Grades of Membership of fuzzy meaning in English words is carried out though a Campus Survey to further probe into the way to correctly decode and better utilize fuzzy words in social use and then discuss their implications for language comprehension and teaching.
Keywords/Search Tags:Precision, Fuzzy Sets, Extension, Referential boundary, Grades of Membership
PDF Full Text Request
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