Linguistic Deviation In Light Of Relevance Theory

China Daily news headline editors frequently make language deviated at variouslevels to attract and impress readers. Since deviation violates the norm of standardlanguage rules, its oddity or abnormity will undoubtedly bring difficulties to readers’understanding of news headlines. Hence, it is of key importance for languageresearchers to find effective solutions to help readers get a better understanding of thislinguistic phenomenon.This research establishes a Database for Linguistic Deviation in China DailyNews Headlines according to the criteria of Leech’s classification of linguisticdeviation and employs the methods of quantitative analysis and qualitative analysis.Based on Relevance Theory, the author expounds linguistic deviation in China Dailynews headlines.By meticulous study and analysis, some major findings can be summarized asfollows:Firstly, the Database for Linguistic Deviation in China Daily News Headlinesshows that seven specific linguistic deviations are frequently used in China Dailynews headlines from2008to2010. From the highest to the lowest are: graphologicaldeviation accounts for56%, grammatical deviation for50%, register deviation for23%, semantic deviation for12%, phonological deviation for8%, lexical deviation for3%and the use of foreign language for0.4%.Secondly, six editions of China Daily from2008to2010take on differentemphasis on specific linguistic deviations. To be more specific, Life employs thelowest grammatical deviation but the highest semantic deviation and the use of foreign language; Sports boasts a relatively higher percentage of all specificdeviations, especially of register deviation which reaches the highest; similar to Sports,Top News also enjoys comparably higher proportion of all specific deviations; Nation,World and Business feature all those specific deviations, neither high nor low.Thirdly, the respective features of six news editions in China Daily contribute todifferent emphasis on specific linguistic deviation. Linguistic deviations given byeditors in each edition achieve the best manifestation of its features.This research suggests that under the framework of Relevance Theory,understanding linguistic deviation is an ostensive-inferential process where the editormakes ostension by linguistic deviation and readers infer the optimal contextualassumption for proper interpretation by taking linguistic deviation as ostension. To bemore specific, linguistic deviation acts as the ostensive stimulus given intentionally bythe editor to attract readers and prompt them to obtain her intention. Readers shouldinfer its optimal contextual assumption by constructing cognitive context so as to geta reasonable understanding of linguistic deviation.