修辞责任的游动性及其调控机制探析

On the Shift of the Rhetorical Responsibility and its Regulating Mechanism

修辞责任是指作为修辞主体或说话者对自己提出的宣认所应承担的证当责任或说服责任。然而,具有十分突出动态特征的修辞实践却表明,修辞主体在修辞过程中并非总是一成不变单方面地履行其全部的说服责任,说服责任也可能部分或全部地转移到受众一方,甚至可能在修辞者和受众之间灵活转移。本文尝试在西方修辞提供的理论框架内,对修辞实践中的相关例证进行分析,以探讨修辞责任的游动性及其调控机制。作者认为,恰当采用修辞责任转移的手段,让修辞对象积极参与或分担部分证当责任,能获得更有说服力的修辞效果。

The rhetorical responsibility refers to the rhetor＇s burden of justification of his claim, which is usually thought to be fully presented by him in the reasoning process. The rhetor or speaker, however, is not always taking on all the responsibility as expected, the burden of justification, on the contrary, could often be partIy or even completely shifted onto the hearer. This paper aims at studying the shift of the burden of justification and its regulating mechanism and argues that using the means of shifting the burden of justification properly might give rise to a better or more persuasive result.