A Relevance-Theoretic Study Of Reading Comprehension And Its Application In VoC Reading Teaching

Reading comprehension is a very important way to acquire and exchange information. Numerous studies have been carried out to examine the nature and mechanism of reading comprehension. Different models have been proposed to account for the reading process, among them the best known are the Bottom-up model, the Top-Down model, the Interactive model, and the Schema model. These studies have provided abundant implications for the teaching of EFL reading, but the influence seems to have exhausted its power because of the limitations of these studies. First proposed by Sperber and Wilson in their seminal monograph Relevance: Communication and Cognition in1986, Relevance Theory (hereafter abbreviated as RT) has been very successful in approaching communication and its explanatory power can be extended to account for reading comprehension, which is essentially a communication process between the author and the prospective reader.Higher vocational colleges in China have been undertaking the responsibility to train high-quality skilled talents in such areas as manufacture, building, service and administration. Since the beginning of the English teaching reform, there have, been great challenges for English reading teaching in vocational colleges. Relevance Theory opens up a new horizon for English reading teaching.The thesis first made an introduction to the key notions of Relevance Theory, namely the definition of relevance, the principle of relevance, contextual assumption, cognitive environment and mutual manifestedness, ostensive-inferential communication as well as deduction. Based on a detailed account of reading process from the perspective of RT, a Relevance-theoretic model of reading comprehension was proposed. A reading teaching experiment was then carried out in Jinhua Vocational College to test the feasibility of the Relevance-theoretic model of reading teaching. Finally, this thesis put forward some suggestions for English reading teaching in vocational college. It is suggested that teachers should strengthen the teaching of background knowledge, emphasize the cultivation of deductive ability, pay attention to the building up of an appropriate reading environment and make good use of students’learner autonomy.