INFERENCES IN ADVERTISEMENTS: EXEMPLIFYING WITH RELEVANCE THEORY

Ever since Sperber and Wilson presented their theory of relevance, a lot of work has been done to corroborate or to refute it as the best available communication theory. What is known is that throughout the years not only linguists but cognitive theorists in general have applied the principles of Relevance theory to explain different phenomena concerning aspects of human communication. Our paper is no different. It discusses the possibilities of analysing advertisements with verbal and visual elements through relevance theory, specifically in terms of what triggers inferential comprehension in such pieces. The three pieces analysed do not engage in selling marketing products, but they sell ideas that become ostensive by means of merging visual and linguistic inputs to inferential understanding of what they mean.

自斯珀伯（Sperber）与威尔逊（Wilson）提出关联理论（Relevance Theory）以来，学界已展开诸多相关研究，旨在佐证或驳斥该理论作为当前最优传播理论的地位。众所周知，多年来不仅语言学家，广义的认知理论家亦纷纷将关联理论的核心原则应用于阐释人类传播各维度的多样现象。本文亦不例外，聚焦于运用关联理论分析兼具语言与视觉元素的广告的可行性，尤其着眼于此类广告中触发推理理解的关键因素。本次分析的三则广告样本并非以营销实体产品为目的，而是推广各类理念：它们通过融合视觉与语言输入，引导受众对其内涵展开推理理解，从而使所传递的理念具备明示性。