Relevance Relations in Discourse: A Study with Special Reference to Sissala: 55 (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics, Series Number 55) - Hardcover

Blass, Regina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521385156 ISBN 13: 9780521385152

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 1990

Synopsis

This book uses Sperber and Wilson's relevance theory to show that connectivity in discourse is a pragmatic rather than a semantic matter: it results from relevance relations between text and context rather than from relations linguistically encoded in the text. In two introductory chapters, Regina Blass argues that relevance theory offers a more explanatory account of discourse connectivity than do alternative approaches based on notions of cohesion, coherence and topic. In subsequent chapters, she introduces data from the language Sissala and shows how relevance theory can play an important role in guiding and constraining semantic and pragmatic analyses of these data. This approach reveals unexpected results - for example the detection of an interpretive use marker in Sissala, with implications for the analysis of so-called 'hearsay phenomena' in other languages - and leads to an alternative basis for particle typology.

About this title

Review

"The greatest strength of this book is the originality of the research." Notes on Linguistics

"B's study contains a host of interesting observations and ideas, and reading it is very thought-provoking and rewarding." Language

"Regina Blass's book can be recommended to anyone interested in DA on a more advanced level and in particular to students of discourse of an interpretive orientation." Rask

Book Description

This book shows that the analysis of text and discourse is best approached from a cognitive rather than a strictly linguistic point of view. Using the language Sissala, Regina Blass discusses Sissala particles and compares them with their English, French and German counterparts. This book offers convincing evidence that although cultural backgrounds may vary widely, principles involved in utterance interpretation are universal.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 1990
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521385156
• ISBN 13: 9780521385152
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 300