中国英语学习者语用能力发展模式实证研究

An Empirical Study on the Development Pattern of Chinese EFL Learners' Pragmatic Competence

关于外语/二语学习者语用能力发展模式问题,在语言学界一直没有定论。相关研究提出两种截然相反的观点:语用语言能力发展先于社会语用能力发展或社会语用能力发展先于语用语言能力发展。为了避免相关研究中因数据收集方式单一以及选取的受试年龄范围过小而导致的研究结果的片面性,本文分别收集感知性和输出性两种数据,采用截面研究法。以拒绝言语行为为例,调查不同水平的中国英语学习者拒绝对象社会权力不同时对拒绝行为面子威胁程度的看法的不同,改变拒绝策略的能力的差异,研究中国英语学习者语用能力发展模式。结果表明,中国英语学习者语用能力甚至社会语用能力发展的关系并非是谁先谁后的顺序,而是动态的,随着学习者英语水平的提高而改变。为此,本文为我国英语教学实践提出3点建议。

The existing literature hasn＇t reached an agreement on EFL/ESL learners pragmatics developmental pattern, as the research findings suggest two conflicting patterns： pragmatic-linguistic competence precedes socio-pragmatic competence, and vice versa. The findings in the preceding researches are one-sided due to their single-source of data collection and their restricted partici- pants. To avoid such one-sided research findings, this study collects both perception and production data, adopts a cross-sectio- nal approach, attempting to analyze the development pattern of Chinese EFL learners＇ pragmatic competence based on the speech act of refusal. To be specific, this study examines how do learners of different proficiency levels differ in their views on refusal＇s face-threatening degree, and their ability to change the use of refusal strategies when refusing people from higher and equal social status. The findings of the present study suggest the relation between Chinese EFL learners＇ socio-pragmatic competence and prag- matic-linguistic competence is not sequential, but dynamic. It changes as Chinese EFL learners＇ English proficiency improved. We propose three suggestions to Chinese EFL classroom learning and teaching.