A Cognitive Study Of The Pragmatic Mechanism Of Hyperbole From The Perspective Of Relevance Theory

Hyperbole is an ancient and important figure which is frequently used in communication. However, compared with other figures such as metaphor, metonymy and irony, hyperbole has attracted much less attention than it deserves. This dissertation, starting from Sperber & Wilson's previous studies, further explores the pragmatic mechanism from the perspective of cognitive pragmatic linguistics. Meanwhile, the present study is also expected to provide more evidence for the strengths of relevance theory (RT) in interpreting linguistic phenomena.This dissertation consists of five chapters. Chapter one offers the orientation of the title, the significance of the study, the objectives of the study, the methods and the global structure of the present study. Chapter two is a review of the previous related studies in the field of rhetoric and pragmatics. Particular attention is paid to the critical review of the Grice-theoretical studies of the pragmatic mechanism of hyperbole. The review demonstrates that the Gricean approach to the interpretation of hyperbole also has its limitations in the explanation of the two problems left by the rhetorical study of hyperbole: the rich and complicated affective meaning of hyperbole and the criteria of the use of hyperbole. Chapter Three is an introduction to the theoretical basis of the present study– the relevance theory. Chapter Four is the major part of this dissertation. In this chapter, the author first explores the mental features of hyperbole and analyzes the intention of hyperbole, and then analyzes the relevance of hyperbole and finds that the realization of optimal relevance of hyperbole depends on the hearer's cognition of affective implicatures. After that, on the basis of the analysis of the relevance of hyperbole, the author manages to explain how a hyperbolic expression can have rich affective meanings and explains the criteria of the use of hyperbole by making a distinction between hyperbole and boast. Chapter Five provides the conclusion of the dissertation which includes major findings, demerits of the present study and suggestions for future studies.