Communicative Functions Of Vague Language From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

Vague language refers to the form of language whose concepts of linguistic expressions do not have sharply defined boundaries, or the natural language that has vagueness as its inherent property. In recent years, more and more scholars have come to realize that vague language, just like precise language, is also a useful means of exchanging ideas, and it plays a very important role in language communication. Countless facts show that vague language does not hinder any effective language communication; on the contrary, it dramatically benefits linguistic expressiveness and increases communicative effect. This thesis presents the definition, classification and semantic features of vague language. Then it analyzes various communicative functions of vague language both in English and Chinese. Furthermore, it investigates how the phenomenon of vague language can be explained by Relevance Theory. It attempts to explore the nature of this phenomenon from cognitive and communication perspectives. It is concluded that vague language is indispensable in communication and the proper use of it can be treated as an important communicative strategy. Vague language uses conform with optimal relevance because it can achieve the greatest positive effect with the least processing effort. In communication one principle we should hold is that to be vague when vagueness is needed and to be precise when preciseness is required. Finally it explores the implications of vague language study for foreign language teaching and discusses how it benefits teachers to train students to achieve effective learning efficiency andimprove their communicative competence.