TED演讲中受众元话语的元语用分析

A Metapragmatic Analysis of Audience-oriented Metadiscourse in TED Talks

受众元话语体现说话人(作者)对交际中受众存在的元语用意识,但鲜有文献基于真实语料开展具体研究。本文基于元语用理论,以TED(Technology,Entertainment,Design)演讲为语料,研究演讲者使用的受众元话语类别和语用功能,旨在从元语用视角揭示受众元话语所体现的元语用意识。研究发现,TED演讲者通过使用信息引导语、意图提示语、受众知识状态提及语、受众立场态度预测语、介入参与提示语标识其对受众存在的感知,体现其管理演讲受众对信息的理解进程、引导受众理解其语用行为意图、激活受众背景知识和共知建构、满足受众对演讲内容的认知期待、建立与受众互动和情感认同的元语用意识,意在实现知识和思想传递的交际意图,构建与受众之间的和谐结盟关系。上述发现对于进一步认识元话语现象,提升语言使用者的元语用能力具有一定的启示。

Audience-oriented metadiscourse reflects the speaker’s(author’s)metapragmatic awareness of audience presence in communication.To date,little related research has been done on the basis of authentic data.Taking TED(Technology,Entertainment,Design)talks as the data,this article examines the categories and pragmatic functions of audience-oriented metadiscourse,with a view to revealing the metapragmatic awareness reflected by audience-oriented metadiscourse from the metapragmatic perspective.It is found that the awareness of audience presence on the part of TED talkers is mainly manifested in their use of information indicators,intention indicators,audience knowledge reminders,audience stance and attitude predictors,and engagement indicators.These categories of metadiscourse may serve to manage information comprehension,guide understanding of pragmatic intentions,activate background knowledge and construct common ground,satisfy cognitive expectation so as to establish interaction and empathy with the audience,and ultimately to achieve the communicative intention of transmitting knowledge and building an intimate relationship with the audience.The above findings can offer some insights for further research on metapragmatic phenomena and metapragmatic competence enhancement.