篇章信息度理论对英语写作教学的指导意义

Instructive Significance of Informativity Degree Theory in the Teaching of English Writing

篇章信息度指对于接受者而言篇章信息超越或低于期望值的程度。信息度过低会使篇章枯燥乏味,而信息度过高又会使篇章晦涩难懂;语言学家deBeaugrande和Dressler把信息度分为三个等级。好的篇章生产者应该知道如何有效地利用信息度的升降级手段。在英语写作教学中,对于篇章信息度的把握问题也应给予充分考虑。基于此目的,探讨确定某一待创制篇章的信息度时需考虑的因素,并设计了信息度升降级练习以训练学生对篇章信息度的控制。

The term ＂informativity degree＂ means to what extent the information contained in a text comes out beyond or within the receiver＇s expectation. Too low degree of informativity makes a text tiresome, while too high degree makes it hard to understand. De Beaugrande and Dressier, categorized textual informativity into three different degrees. A good producer should know well about the way of upgrading and downgrading the informativity while producing a text. Foreign language teachers should also think much of ilnformativity degree in their teaching of writing. With such intention, the writer of this paper particularized the two major factors that have to be considered while fixing the informativity degree of an undone text, and also presented a so-called ＂drill of upgrading and downgrading informativity＂ so as to train the students to adjust the informativity degree of a text.