Implicature in the Novel The Missing Piece 1: A Relevance Theory Approach

Abstract

Language in literary works is often non-literal and rich in implied meanings known as implicatures. Accordingly, this study aims to analyse the use of implicature as a narrative instrument in The Missing Piece 1 by Fatimah Busu. By applying the second edition of the relevance theory framework (Sperber & Wilson, 1995), this study examines how implied messages are processed and understood through the dynamic interaction between text, context, and the reader's cognition. The study focuses on two main principles of relevance theory, namely the cognitive relevance and communicative relevance. It also examines the ad hoc concept, which encompasses meaning narrowing and meaning broadening, in the interpretation of implicatures found in the novel’s dialogues and metaphors. Specifically, the study seeks to identify the types of implicatures in the novel, to analyse these implicatures within the relevance theory framework (1995) and explain the function of implicature as a narrative device that shapes plot development and the emotional interpretation of characters. A qualitative was adopted through textual analysis focusing on explicatures and implicatures as proposed in relevance theory. The findings indicate that implicatures serve to deepen emotional nuances, generate significant cognitive effects, and enable readers to achieve optimal understanding with minimal processing effort, as outlined in relevance theory. This study contributes to the advancement of literary pragmatic analysis through the critical and systematic application of Relevance Theory.

Keywords: Implicature, relevance theory, ad hoc concepts, explicature, literary narrative, metaphor