Vagueness and communication problems in the adult-child relationship as analyzed on the basis of Roald Dahl’s selected adolescent fiction
Abstract
In this paper, language samples taken from dialogues between characters featured in two selected Roald Dahl’s books – James and the Giant Peach and Matilda are analyzed within the cognitive framework determined by the concept of vagueness encompassed in the Radical Vagueness Hypothesis including Sorensen’s sorities paradox. Additionally, the analysis of the chosen terms is based on their denotative and connotative meaning found in dictionary entries. The paper aims at proving that vagueness can be considered a literary device, which determines relations between characters in a fictional world. Consequently, it governs the reader’s comprehension of concepts and meaning conveyed by the narrator.
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List of abbreviations
JGP - James and the Giant Peach
M Matilda
References
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