关键词: 语用含糊, 顺应论, 关联理论, 生成, 理解, 商务英语信函

Abstract: Pragmatic vagueness is by no means vague in communication, for its communicative intention is always clear. Based on adaptation theory and relevance theory, a pragmacognitive model is established to analyze the generation and interpretation of pragmatic vagueness with reference to its use in business English correspondence. It is found that addressers tend to choose pragmatic vagueness to adapt to their communicative intention, which can be made mutually manifest via the ostensiveinferential process on the part of addressees.

Key words: pragmatic vagueness, adaptation theory, relevance theory, generation, interpretation, business English correspondence