英语公示语语域礼貌用语的转喻视角

A Metonymic Perspective on Politeness Language in English Public Signs

公示语是一种较为独特的应用文体,有宣传和服务大众等作用,礼貌原则在公示语表达中具有重大意义。文章摆脱传统的语用视角研究礼貌,转而采用转喻认知理论来探讨公示语中的礼貌语言。文章认为,转喻的本质就是任何形式的替代,即"以此言彼";认知层面的转喻能够表达礼貌,这是转喻新思维和礼貌的特点决定的。遵循该理念,文章从间接言语行为、委婉语和语法转喻三个方面,对公示语的礼貌用语进行了分析。

Public signs, a unique pragmatic genre, are meant to inform and serve the public. Politeness principles are of great significance when it comes to the expression of public signs. The author turns from pragmatics to metonymy as a cognitive tool and attempts to probe into politeness existing in public signs. Realizing that the essence of metonymy is just substitution or replacement and that metonymy can effectively express politeness, the paper provides an analysis of politeness language in public signs from the three perspectives, namely, indirect speech act metonymy, euphemism metonymy and grammatical metonymy.