A Pragmatic Study Of Evasion In Hotel

The Linguistic Adaptation Theory, the Cooperative Principle, the Politeness Principle, the Face theory and some methods of Critical Discourse Analysis are applied to the analysis of evasion in Arthur Hailey's novel Hotel. It aims to study the pragmatic strategies and effects of evasion.This thesis selects 19 dialogues in the novel and analyzes how the characters employ the pragmatic strategies of overt evasion and covert evasion to fulfill their communicative needs. It also summarizes the pragmatic effects of evasion, that is, withholding information, maintaining a harmonious relationship and minimizing face-threatening effects.This thesis applies linguistic theories and methods to the analysis of the pragmatic strategies and effects of evasion in the novel, which sheds light on the study of evasion in daily verbal communication. Besides, it might be used for reference in the appreciation of literature. Meanwhile, the use of evasive strategies is helpful for the improvement of people's communicative competence, which gives some enlightenment to English teaching.