顺应论视角下的英语通用语身份建构功能研究——以习语为例

A Study of the Identity Construction Functions of English as a Lingua Franca of Idioms from the Perspective of Adaptation Theory

随着全球化趋势的加强,英语由外语变为通用语,显现了迥异于英语作为外语的语用特征,这触发了人们对语用身份的新考量。本研究基于顺应论,以习语为例探析通用语背景下交际者的身份建构及其语用动因。研究发现,英语通用语既是交际语言,亦为身份语言;习语的身份建构功能表现在三方面:文化身份的标志、人际身份的操控以及圈内身份的显明;习语的使用体现了对社交语境和心理语境的顺应,标明了发话者调控语言的元语用意识。本研究对英语通用语背景下语用身份思想的重构及我国英语教学具有启示作用。

With the evolving of globalization, English has changed into a lingua franca(ELF) with distinctive pragmatic features. Thus it is necessary to redefine pragmatic identity. This paper focuses on idiom to examine identity construction among English users based on the adaptability theory. It demonstrates that ELF is a language of communication as well as a language of identification, the identity construction of idioms is manifested via marking cultural identity, manipulating interpersonal identity and labelling in-group membership, and the employment of idioms reveals the adaptation of social and mental world and the utterers' metapragmatic awareness of regulating language. The study sheds light on the review of pragmatic identity and the instruction of English in ELF settings.