Inference Of Conversational Implicature In Terms Of Cross-Cultural Pragmatics

American linguistic philosopher, H.P.Grice, in 1976, proposed Conversational Implicature Theory. The occurrence of the theory initiated the study of pragmatic inference. The reason why participants in verbal communication can interpret conversational implicature is that verbal communication is confined to certain universal principles, e.g. Cooperative Principle and Relevance Theory. Primarily based on the above-mentioned two theories (Grice's Conversational Implicature Theory and Sperber & Wilson's Relevance Theory), this thesis intends to study pragmatic inference of conversational implicature in verbal communication and pragmatic inference of conversational implicature in cross-cultural contexts. In this thesis, the author attempts to reveal the workings of the internal coupling under the functions of contextual factors on pragmatic inferential process of conversational implicature in cross-cultural contexts, and to illustrate the dynamic structures of coherent state patterns of contextual coupling, on which the practical pragmatic inferential model of conversational implicature in cross-cultural contexts the author constructs is based.Pragmatic inference of conversational implicature is a dynamic process. Pragmatic inference is a kind of cognitive behavior, while people's cognitive structure and their cognitive environment are different. Relevance Theory points out that context in verbal communication is a crucial constituent of the inferential process. Context is dynamic; it is a variable. Only relevance in the inferential process is an invariable, and it is inevitable. Context plays a vital role in pragmatic inference of conversational implicature. In cross-cultural contexts, the comprehension of cross-cultural background is crucial and significant in pragmatic inferential process, while in verbal communcation, the recognition of the speaker's intention resolves the result of pragmatic inference of conversational implicature.The first part is an introduction to the paper. The goal, studying methods and conclusion of the paper are presented here.Chapter I mainly studies Grice's Conversational Implicature Theory: the author analyzes the concept, categories and pragmatic inference of conversational implicatureChapter II mainly argues the importance and significance of context in pragmatic inference of conversational implicature in verbal communication, and categorizes contextual factors into four macroscopic levels (logical, psychological, cultural and situational). Based on the categorization of contextual factors, a frame of context is constructed. In this chapter, the author gives a detailed analysis about the explanatory function and the screening function of context in the inferential process in verbal communication.Chapter III places its emphasis on the study of pragmatic inference of conversational implicature in verbal communication in cross-cultural contexts, and highlights the importance of cross-cultural background in the inferential process. In the meantime, this chapter analyzes six patterns of cultural differences in cross-cultural background, and discusses about Hall's notion of high- and low-context culture, and mainly studies about logical context and psychological context in cross-cultural background.. In this chapter, the author attempts to argue the way to make pragmatic inference of conversational implicature in cross-cultural contexts, and points out that the inference of interlocutors' intention resolves the result of the inference of conversational implicature. Moreover, the author reveals the workings of the internal coupling under the functions of contextual factors on pragmatic inferential process of conversational implicature in cross-cultural contexts, and proposes a functional mode of contextual coupling in cross-cultural contexts, and illustrates the relations of coupling among contextual factors in cross-cultural background, which simply categorized into three types (strong coupling, loose coupling, and coherent coupling). Those three types...