谈反问句中的礼貌规约性

A Discussion of the Manners Stipulationism of Rhetorical Questions

现代汉语中的反问句因其反诘的句型特征,往往被认为是一种带有责备和训斥意味的句型,因而让人觉得这种句型缺乏礼貌。其实从语用平面上考察,反问句是一类体现语言礼貌原则悖论的句型,在语用方面有着非常特殊的作用。通过对反问句的使用类别和功能进行考察,同时比较英语社会反问句的使用类别,我们认为反问句在两极的状态中显现出忽视礼貌的最强烈的反诘语气;而在绝大多数的言语场合,其主要作用并非是反诘,反而恰恰是言语礼貌原则的体现。

The rhetorical questions in modern Chinese are commonly considered as a kind of sentence structure with blame and hell because of rhetorical features, which makes people think that it lacks manners. In fact, seen from the pragmatics plane, rhetorical question is a kind of sentence structure that reflects paradox of manners principle in language, and is functional in pragmatics plane. Based on the survey in styles and function, including the function in English, we think that rhetorical question appears the strongest rhetorical tones of ignoring manners in the two poles state; however, its main function is not to retort but to embody striped-pants principle in language.