On a Tentative Study of Applying Relevance Theory to the Cognition of Humorous Utterances

Relevance theory,as a pragmatic theory,also applies to the research of humorous utterances.The cognitive process observes the principles of optimal relevance.The addressee,under the influence of the fluid contextual assumptions,starts with the maximally relevant cognition and then transfers to optimally relevant cognition.The humorous effect is in proportion to the difference between the maximally relevant cognition and the optimally relevant cognition.