Relevance Theory

Definition

Relevance Theory is a cognitive approach to understanding communication that emphasizes the importance of context and the mental processes involved in interpreting meaning. It suggests that human communication is guided by the search for relevance, where individuals make inferences based on the context and their prior knowledge to derive meaning from utterances. This approach challenges traditional views by prioritizing the role of cognitive processes over rigid maxims of conversation.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Relevance Theory posits that people naturally seek information that is most relevant to them in any communicative situation.
2. The theory moves away from Grice's maxims by focusing on how individuals process information rather than adhering strictly to conversational rules.
3. Context plays a crucial role in Relevance Theory, as it allows individuals to draw conclusions about what is being communicated beyond the literal meaning.
4. In Relevance Theory, implicature and explicature work together, where explicature provides the foundational meaning and implicature builds on it for deeper understanding.
5. The concept of 'cognitive effects' is central to Relevance Theory, as it describes how successful communication results in a change in the audience's knowledge or beliefs.

Review Questions

• How does Relevance Theory differ from Grice's Cooperative Principle in terms of understanding communication?
  • Relevance Theory differs from Grice's Cooperative Principle by focusing on the cognitive processes individuals use to interpret messages rather than adhering to specific maxims like quantity or quality. While Grice emphasizes adherence to these maxims for effective communication, Relevance Theory suggests that people rely on their cognitive environment and contextual clues to determine relevance and infer meaning. This shift highlights how interpretation is more dynamic and context-driven.
• Discuss how Relevance Theory accounts for cases of flouting or violating conversational maxims.
  • Relevance Theory explains flouting or violating conversational maxims by suggesting that such actions can still lead to meaningful communication through the lens of context. When a speaker intentionally flouts a maxim, they may be drawing attention to a deeper implication that listeners must infer based on their knowledge and situational context. This underscores that effective communication does not always require strict adherence to maxims; instead, it relies on shared understanding and cognitive engagement.
• Evaluate the implications of Relevance Theory for understanding explicature and implicature in everyday communication.
  • Relevance Theory has significant implications for understanding explicature and implicature by framing them within a cognitive context. Explicature provides the basic meaning derived directly from an utterance, while implicature extends this meaning based on contextual cues and individual inference. This interdependence illustrates that successful communication involves not only delivering explicit information but also engaging listeners' cognitive environments to derive additional meanings, thus enriching interactions and enhancing mutual understanding.

Related terms

Cognitive Environment: The set of assumptions, beliefs, and knowledge that individuals bring to a conversation, which influences how they interpret messages.

Implicature:

The implied meaning that arises in communication when the speaker conveys something indirectly, relying on contextual factors for interpretation.

Explicature: The explicit meaning of an utterance, which can be understood through the literal interpretation of the words used and their syntactic structure.