摘 要本文结合前人对模糊语言的研究成果，探讨了模糊语言的定义、来源和发展。在分析模糊语言和新闻特点的基础上，揭示出模糊语言在新闻报道中运用的必要性和重要性。运用语用学的相关理论，结合语料，从语用学角度具体分析模糊语言在新闻报道中的运用，指出模糊语言在新闻报道中运用的优缺点并给与合理的评价，从而使读者对模糊语言在新闻报道中的运用有一个更深刻的了解。关键词：模糊语言；新闻报道；语用学；优缺点 ABSTRACT This paper explores the definition and the original development of vague language in the context of previous research in China. Based on analysis of vague language and features of news reports, it indicates that it is necessary and important to take advantage of vague language in news reports. From the perspective of the pragmatic theory and with a study of news materials, it discusses the pragmatic application of vague language in news reports and comments on advantages and disadvantages of vague language in news reports so as to provide readers with deeper comprehension of vague language in news reports.Key words: vague language; news reports; pragmatic theories; advantages and disadvantagesContents1. Introduction.12. A general description of research on vague language.22.1 Origin and development of vague language. .22.2 Definition and category of vague language 32.2.1 Definition of vague language.32.2.1.1 Defining scope of vague language.32.2.1.2 Features of vague language.42.2.2 Classification of vague language.52.3 The conversion between vagueness and clarification.62.3.1 The vagueness of clarified language.62.3.2 The clarity of vague language.62.3.3 The conversion between vague language and clarified language.73. Vague language and news reports.83.1 Features of news reports.83.2 The relationship between vague language and news reports.94. Applying pragmatic theories to vague language in news reports.104.1 Cooperation Principle104.2 Relevance Theory.135. The significance of vague language in news reports.155.1 Advantages of vague language in news reports.155.2 Disadvantages of vague language in news reports176. Conclusion.19Acknowledgements20References.211IntroductionVague language is one of important subjects in scholars research and has been attracting more and more attention of humans. “What is vague language?” It is not an easy question to answer. A great number of scholars have given their own academic definitions. In some sense, with some brief words, vague language refers to some words which are hard for people to understand clearly. Words or phrases such as about, a majority of, over 13 years olds, are vague lexical forms. Sentences, in a whole, may be vague, which aim to show the potential purposes. Vague language has been a hot subject in the research of language. A famous American professor L.A. Zadeh first introduced the concept of vagueness as well as the theory, which laid a solid foundation of the following research of vague language in a wide field. A large number of scholars have exerted themselves to explore vagueness of language from different perspectives. Philosophers are concerned with the origin of vague language and aim to find out the reasons that lead to vagueness of natural language. Some scholars, from psychological perspective, believe that vagueness arises from humans different minds, namely different persons understand the same idea differently. In a practical way, some scholars explain that vague language is available in different context from the pragmatic perspective. It succeeds in helping people avoid embarrassment for the lack of knowledge or information, deliver the potential ideas, and keep politeness, etc.Recently, vague language has played an important role in news reports. To some extent, news is inevitable in our daily life. We need news to tell us what has happened in the latest time. We need news to help us make an accurate judgment and take effective actions. We need news to sustain our routine life. So news requires reporting the latest facts truly, timely and clearly. It seems that vague language is absolutely impossible to be used in news reports because of its vagueness. However, it is proved that use of vague language is suitable in news reports. Based on Grices Cooperation Principle and Sperber and Wilsons Relevance Theory, vague language can make up for the limitations in news reports for objective and subjective reasons, enabling writers and reporters to report news truly in time, which is agreed with features of news. It is obvious that reporters manage to make full use of advantages of vague language to be m