Interpreting in linguistics

Richard Hudson

last changed 13 July 2005

Bibliographical information

This is a written version of a paper that I presented at the University of Sheffield to a conference on "Interpretations: Translation and Interpreting at the Hub of Disciplines" on 13 February 2004. It has been published in the free electronic journal SKASE Journal of Translation and Interpreting, 1, 25-36, 2005.

Abstract

Interpreting language is not a one-step process but involves a series of steps from the most concrete signals (speech sounds or marks on the page) to the full meaning as adapted to the current context. At every step there are alternatives, uncertainties and choices, so, contrary to Relevance Theory, the intelligent use of contextual information is not confined to the last ‘post-linguistic’ step. I suggest a psychological account of interpretation at all levels in terms of activation spreading in a mental network and supported by default inheritance and binding. I illustrate these general ideas with specific hypothetical examples.