话语文化语境的指示性研究——以英语指示动词为例

On Indexicality in the Cultural Context of Utterances Instantiated by English Deictic Verbs

指示是自然语言中普遍存在的现象。描写话语成分对文化语境特征的指示性是文化语用学的研究范畴,承载了文化语用指示功能的动词被称为文化指示动词。话语文化语境包罗万象,可细分为文化事实层、文化规约层及文化设定层。这样分类可使动词指示性在文化语用分析中更具操作性,成为解释话语中动词对文化语境特征参数指示性的理据及参照点。

Indexicality is a prevailing phenomenon in natural language. Verbs,as an important part of an utterance,can be context-dependent on the utterance in which they occur and hence are deictic in the actual use. Cultural pragmatics mainly deals with describing how linguistic units index or make reference to the cultural contextual features of the utterance,and verbs,which assume such cultural pragmatic function,are termed cultural deictic verbs. The all-encompassing cultural context can be subdivided into three levels,namely cultural facts,cultural norms and cultural assumptions. Such subdivision serves as a good reference framework to interpret how verbs point to cultural contextual parameters of the utterance and makes the interpretation possible and operational.