Understanding Semantic Fuzziness From The Perspective Of Economy Principle: A Study Of The Use Of "几" In Chinese

The present study was undertaken to explore semantic fuzziness from the perspective of Economy Principle.Semantic fuzziness is an intrinsic property of language and frequently plays an important role in language use. One distinct characteristic of fuzziness is that it has no clear-cut referential applicability. The present study comprehensively introduces the main concepts, basic features, classification and origins of semantic fuzziness. A general discussion both from cognitive and pragmatic views is also introduced.Economy Principle is a fundamental principle during the process of information transferring which aims to use less words, simple rules and convenient methods to express complete meanings in order to save time and space. This principle advances that there should be no superfluous information in a sentence, every item in a sentence has to have a reason for being there, and texts should be simplified as much as possible on condition that the total amount of information transmitted remains unchanged so as to reduce the time and energy spent on the encoding and decoding processes of language in communication. In a word, this principle favors "quick and easy" communication.It is convenient for both interlocutors to transfer more information by least effort because of the strong generalization ability and comparatively clear core meaning of semantic fuzziness. So, semantic fuzziness embodies Economy Principle. Conversely, abiding by Economy Principle is tentatively one origin of semantic fuzziness.What has happened in recent years is a more general recognition of the usefulness of an economic perspective on a broad range of language problems, with a generally more favorable climate towards interdisciplinary work. The economics of language provides us a possibility of using the economic approaches and conceptions to analyze language problems. The need for an economic perspective on language matters appears to be on the rise. Understanding semantic fuzziness from the perspective of Economy Principle is rarely mentioned in the previous literature. The present study explores the relation between semantic fuzziness and Economy Principle by the analysis of a powerful fuzzy Chinese character "几". A large number of examples are studied to illustrate the topic of the present study.To begin with, Chapter 1 introduces the general ideas of the present study, including the motivation of the present study, the significance of the present study, and research questions of the present study.Chapter 2 is a comprehensive introduction of fuzziness of language use and semantic fuzziness. This chapter is composed of six parts: fuzziness of language, concepts of semantic fuzziness, features of semantic fuzziness, classification of semantic fuzziness, origins of semantic fuzziness, and interpretation of semantic fuzziness.Chapter 3 explores semantic fuzziness from an economic perspective. This chapter is composed of four parts: need for an economic perspective on language issues, development of Economy Principle, interpretation of Economy Principle and relation between semantic fuzziness and Economy Principle. All these lay foundations for the case study in Chapter 4.Chapter 4 presents a case study which analyzes the use of fuzzy "几" in both various formal publications and daily conversations. The formal publications include novel Call to Arms, newspaper Qilu Evening News and Political Document Report at 17th Party Congress. A lot of examples are mentioned in this part to prove my argument that "几" is fuzzy for economical purposes.Chapter 5 draws a tentative conclusion of the present study. Some limitations are also pointed out and suggestions for further research are provided.