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Relevance Theory, Figuration, and Continuity in Pragmatics
Edited by Agnieszka Piskorska
[Figurative Thought and Language 8] 2020
► pp. 167–192

Chapter 6
When EVERYTHING STANDS OUT, Nothing Does

Typography, expectations and procedures

| Kingston University London, UK
| Independent researcher

Writers often use typographical features such as capitalization, boldface or underlining to draw attention to particular words or phrases in a written text. In this article we use ideas from the relevance-theoretic pragmatic framework to discuss how use of typographical features may convey meaning and/or produce stylistic or literary effects in written texts. We show how typography, like prosody in spoken language, can be used intentionally to guide a reader’s interpretation. We discuss a range of examples to show how typographical features are interpreted relative to the rest of the text and relative to the cultural norms and expectations associated with a particular language and writing system.

Keywords: typography, orthography, natural highlighting, prosody, paralinguistic information, punctuation, procedural meaning, contrast, hearer expectations
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Typography and language
    • 2.1Typography and linguistics
    • 2.2Typography and prosody
  • 3.Relevance theory and procedural meaning
  • 4.Typography, procedures and relevance
    • 4.1Typography and interpretation
    • 4.2Expectations and effects
    • 4.3Typography as a natural highlighting device
  • 5.Summary, conclusion and next steps
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 20 May 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/ftl.8.06sco
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