Preface
前言
Chapter One Introduction (1)
1.1 Object of the research (1)
1.2 Rationale for the research (5)
1.3 Significance of the research (8)
1.4 Methodology and data (9)
1.5 Organization of the book (9)
Chapter Two An Overview of Approaches to Vagueness
11)
2.1 Introduction 11)
2.2 Etymology of “vague" 12)
2.3 Vagueness and the Sorites Paradox: a historical
survey 14)
2.4 The philosophical approach to vagueness 18)
2.5 The semantic approach to vagueness (25)
2.5.1 Vagueness, ambiguity, generality and
epistemic failure (25)
2.5.2 Definition of vagueness (32)
2.6 The cognitive approach to vagueness (34)
2.7 Summary (38)
Chapter Three Pragmatic Vagueness (39)
3.1 Introduction (39)
3.2 The pragmatic vagueness/semantic vagueness
distinction (39)
3.2.1 The pragmatics/semantics distinction (40)
3.2.2 Pragmatic vagueness versus semantic vagueness
(47)
3.3 A taxonomy of pragmatic vagueness (59)
3.3.1 Quality-based pragmatic vagueness (62)
3.3.2 Quantity-based pragmatic vagueness (66)
3.3.3 Relation-based pragmatic vagueness (71)
3.4 Functions of pragmatic vagueness (73)
3.5 Summary (77)
Chapter Four A Review of the Pragmatic Literature on
Verbal Communication (79 )
4.1 Introduction (79)
4.2 Grice's co-operative principle (80)
4.2. I The conversational maxims of co-operative
principle (81)
4.2.2 Observance of the conversational maxims
(84)
4.2.3 Nonobservance of the conversational maxims
(86)
4.3 Adaptation theory ......(93)
4.3.1 Verschueren's interdisciplinary perspective
on language use (95)
4.3.2 Perspective view of language (97)
4.3.3 Linguistic choice-making and its key notions
(99)