An Analysis Of Misunderstanding Based On Relevance Theory

The topic of this paper is mainly based on the following considerations: first of all,since relevance theory was proposed by Sperber and Wilson in Relevance :Communication and Cognition in 1986,many scholars have verified the feasibility of relevance theory from different perspectives,and the results show that relevance theory can be applied for explaining language phenomena.Secondly,misunderstanding is a common phenomenon in literary works and misunderstanding play an important role in promoting plot development and displaying characters' personality.Therefore,the analysis of misunderstandings in literary works has certain value for analyzing characters and appreciating novels.In addition,the analysis of misunderstanding corpus in literary works and the exploration of the underlying causes of misunderstanding can provide some reference and inspiration for avoiding misunderstandings in verbal communication.Finally,as Jane Austen's representative work,Pride and Prejudice has attracted great attention from scholars and readers since its publication.There are many examples of misunderstanding in Pride and Prejudice,which makes it possible to analyze specific cases of misunderstanding.The analysis of misunderstandings in this novel through relevance theory can also deepen the readers' understanding and appreciation of the novel Pride and Prejudice to a certain extent.This study analyzed misunderstanding cases in the Pride and Prejudice based on relevance theory,which aims to elaborate various causes and corrections of misunderstanding by analyzing misunderstanding cases between characters in Pride and Prejudice written by Jane Austen,and makes a further analysis of characteristics of main characters.The significance of this thesis is to provide a new view to interpret and appreciate novels.Relevance theory has great explanatory power in explaining linguistic phenomena,but most of the research focuses on successful oral communication,and seldom on explaining the special linguistic phenomena such as misunderstanding,especially in literary works.This study shows that relevance theory is very suitable for explaining misunderstanding: firstly,from the speaker's point of view,the speaker's utterance produces an ostensive stimulus signal to the hearer,and the inappropriate ostensive stimulus signal will lead to misunderstanding.Because people's cognitive structure is different,the cognitive context varies from person to person,which is also an important factor affecting the speaker's utterance expression.Secondly,from the hearer's point of view,making wrong reference can lead to misunderstanding.And due to the process of the hearer's understanding of the speaker's speech is a process of seeking for the optimal relevance,when the hearer's relevance is not consistent with the meaning of the speaker's intention,misunderstanding will be occurs.Cognitive context is also an important factor affecting the hearer's utterance comprehension.At the same time,the study found that in Pride and Prejudice,the most common ways to correct are immediate correction and disregard.Immediate correction can help characters to solve misunderstandings immediately and make communication go smoothly.Disregard usually occurs when there are differences in the cognitive context between the two sides.When the speaker has a good understanding of the cognitive situation of the hearer and this misunderstanding does not affect the ongoing communication activity,he will choose to ignore the misunderstanding.As far as research contribution is concerned,this thesis is valuable in both theory and practice.Theoretically,this thesis is helpful to better understand the misunderstanding and its effect in the literary woks.The analysis of misunderstandings in literary works based on relevance theory can help to expand the scope of application of relevance theory.Practically,as Jane Austen's representative work,Pride and Prejudice attracts the attention of linguistic and literature both at home and abroad.A study from the perspective of relevance theory can help readers better understand and appreciate this novel.