A New View On Irony Interpretation From The Perspective Of Cognitive Context

Applying the method of qualitative analysis, the author is intended to illustrate a new notion: cognitive context and its realization in the interpretation of irony. Based on the previous studies, the author holds that context consists of three parts: situational element, short-term memory and encyclopedic knowledge. So in the following text, we discuss the realization of the approach on the interpretation of irony. Firstly, the situational element may help understand irony independently. Secondly, short-term memory refers to the newly gained information by the speaker and listener, which can help understand irony alone or sometimes with the help of situational element. Thirdly, encyclopedic knowledge is the information that the speaker and listener or the writer and reader gained long before. It has become the knowledge that everyone knows. As to the selection of these parts, we believe,the principle of relevance should be the guideline. This dissertation aims to shed light on the interpretation of irony.