A Study Of Lies As A Pragmatic Strategy In Communication: The Relevance-Adaptation Model Based Approach

Pervasive both in the public and in our private life, lying has long been a subjectfor research. And the prevalent existence of lying justifies its significance incommunication and as a pragmatic strategy applied in conversations. The presentstudy investigates into verbal lies from the standpoint of the speaker under theguidance of the Relevance-Adaptation Model by depending on the qualitative analysisof lies selected from our daily life and those from literary books. This thesis focuseson the analysis of lies'generation and discusses the application of lies.According to the Relevance-Adaptation Model, the choice and actualization oflanguage is a process of the addresser seeking relevance while adapting to the relevantcontextual correlates. Based on this model, the present study finds out that beforelying, the liar has to make sound presumptions of relevance in order to lead to therelevance in the hearer's brain when delivering his utterances. Furthermore, for thesuccess of communication, the liar has to adapt to all kinds of contexts, and lies arethe results of the dynamic relevance-adaptation process. In addition, lies are oftenapplied as a strategy in communication on some occasions. Finally, the significancesand limitations of this study are stated and suggestions for future study on lies areproposed.