Decoding the Mind: A Relevance-Theoretic Approach to selected English Riddles

Abstract

Riddles, as universal form of wordplay, challenge solvers via metaphor, polysemy, and wordplay, requiring inferential reasoning. This paper explores English oppositional riddles from the framework of Relevance Theory distinguished by paradox, contrast, or contradiction. The paper explores antithetical, privational, and causal contradictive riddles, investigating how solvers interpret them by making balance between minimal cognitive effort and maximal contextual effects, as proposed by Relevance Theory. A qualitative method employs close textual analysis to examine how solvers resolve vagueness by recognizing explicit meanings and concluding additional ones. The paper highlights the interaction of linguistic hints, cognitive processes, and cultural context, underlining cultural knowledge’s role in recognizing metaphorical language and historical practices. Findings show that oppositional riddles exploit linguistic vagueness and cultural relations, encouraging solvers to change conceptual frames, representing cognitive flexibility. Riddles works as cognitive and linguistic logical challenges and cultural relics, preserving social values and showing how thought is shaped by language. This paper underlines riddles’ value as tools for intelligent and cultural engagement, illuminating the complicated relationship between language, cognition, and culture.