话语标记语“嘛”的语用功能

A study of the pragmatic functions of the discourse marker "ma"

日常言语会话中存在很多类似"嘛"的话语标记语,即传统语法所称的小品词、语气词或叹词等虚词。以往对这一类虚词的研究多从语法语义的角度切入,语用视角的研究则不多见。本研究以汉语中的"嘛"为对象,并以互动式真实会话语料为例,重点探讨它在语境条件下的语用功能,比如缓和标记功能、明示标记功能、命题表态功能及形象构建功能,旨在揭示它在交际语境条件下的语用理据。本研究指出,"嘛"之类的话语标记成分在言语交际,尤其是互动式人际交往中具有很强的动态语境特征和丰富的语用功能。

This paper holds that discourse markers such as ma(嘛) deserve further study from the perspective of pragmatics because the grammatical approach cannot fully reveal their nature and role in the interpersonal interaction.In this study,authentic data of ma(嘛) from interviews were collected for an analysis of its pragmatic functions such as pragmatic mitigation,pragmatic ostension,proposition affirmation and identity construction,with a view to probing its rich and dynamic contextual features and the underlying motivation for existence.The analysis shows that such 'small words' as ma(嘛) can engender rich and dynamic pragmatic functions and play a significant role in the interpersonal interaction.