Paradigms of Reading: Relevance Theory & Deconstruction

From: J L Speranza (jls@netverk.com.ar)
Date: Thu May 30 2002 - 20:41:47 GMT

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    There was a post to the relevance list on Oct 1 2001 by I. MacKenzie, where
    the utterer inter alia utterered parenthetically:

    >(Pages of Gricean ramblings not required.)

    -- which does sound okay. While some may even confess to something like a
    _love_ for "not required" "pages of Gricean ramblings", I am a good'un &
    value general _relevance_ issues. So, here is a note from the LINGUIST list
    on a book by the aforementioned author.

    Best,

    JL
    Grice Club, &c.

    === begin forwarded post:

    Date: 29 May 2002
    Sender: The LINGUIST Discussion List <LINGUIST@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
    From: LINGUIST List <linguist@linguistlist.org>
    Subject: 13.1542, Books: Linguistic Theories: Paradigms of Reading
    To: LINGUIST@LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
    LINGUIST List: Vol-13-1542. May 29 2002. ISSN 1068-4875.
    Home Page: http://linguistlist.org/

    Paradigms of Reading:
    Relevance Theory & Deconstruction
          by Ian MacKenzie

    Linguistic signs do not coincide with intended or interpreted
    meanings.

    For relevance theory, this theoretical commonplace merely
    demonstrates the inferential nature of language.

    For Paul de Man, on the contrary, it suggested that language is unstable,
    random, arbitrary, mechanical, ironic and inhuman.

    This lively and bold new book explores relevance theory with plenty of
    illustrated examples to
    show that it is a more plausible account of communication, cognition and
    literary interpretation than the deconstructionist theory de Man elaborated
    from readings of Rousseau, Hegel and Nietzsche.

    Its provocative and groundbreaking approach will force the reader to
    question the value for deconstructionist theory for interpreting literary
    texts in favour of a pragmatic theory from Linguistics.

    * * * * * * *

    Contents:

    1. Pragmatic Banality & Honourable Bigotry

    2. Relevance Theory & Spoken Communication

    3. 'Positive Hermeneutics': Relevance & Communication

    4. 'Negative Hermeneutics': Themes, Figures, Codes & Cognition

    5. Rhetoric, Blindness, Allegory, Ideology, Resistance

    6. Words, Concepts & Tropes

    7. Rhetoric as an Insurmountable Obstacle

    8. Words & the World: The Problem of Reference

    9. Mechanical Performatives

    10. The Madness of Words & the Enunciating Subject

    11. 'When Lucy ceas'd to be'

    12. Conclusion: Rhetoric & Relevance

    Notes
    Bibliography
    Index

    The author is an English language teacher, teacher trainer and
    coursebook writer and the author of numerous articles on linguistics
    and literary theory. He teaches at the Haute Ecole de Gestion,
    Lausanne.

    ===
    Published by Palgrave August 2002 272 pp 216x138mm
    Hardback 000-333-96833-6
    http://www.palgrave-usa.com
    For customers in the UK, Europe & the rest of world, order your copy of
    this book, and browse our fully searchable on-line catalogue at
    http://www.palgrave.com
    Join our mailing list on-line at
    http://www.palgrave.com/login/register.asp?URL=/survey/survey.asp?SurveyID=6
    *to receive up-to-date information on new publications in your areas of
    interest
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    *to receive FREE inspection copies of our textbooks (available to
    lecturers only).
    Palgrave Macmillan
    Houndmills
    Basingstoke
    Hants
    RG21 6XS
    Tel: +44 (0) 1256 302786
    Fax: +44 (0) 1256 330688
    http://www.palgrave.com

    === end of forwarded post.

    ==
                            J L Speranza, Esq
    Country Town
    St Michael's Hall Suite 5/8
    Calle 58, No 611 Calle Arenales 2021
    La Plata CP 1900 Recoleta CP 1124
    Tel 00541148241050 Tel 00542214257817
                          BUENOS AIRES, Argentina
                          Telefax 00542214259205
                       http://www.netverk.com.ar/~jls/
                            jls@netverk.com.ar



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