语篇分析中的解释

Explanation in Discourse Analysis

人们用语言表达意义、构建意义。语篇分析通过观察和分析语篇在形式上的特征,做意义上的阐释,揭示形式和意义之间的必然联系,并寻求对这些特征的解释。解释是对形式特征和意义特征的进一步追问,表明这些特征不是任意的,而是有动因的。语篇分析一般诉诸外部因素,如结合功能、意义、语境等进行解释。一方面,可以通过共性解释个性,如具体语篇的某些特征可以通过语类共性来解释;另一方面,可以通过情景语境解释词汇语法层面的特征,必要时可进一步追问文化语境层面的原因。这正是功能语言学中系统、功能、层次等核心思想的体现。

In functional linguistics,language is seen as a resource for expressing and construing meaning.As a major area of its application,discourse analysis is to explicate the meaning expressed in a text by analysing the lexico-grammatical features of the text.Semantic interpretation of these features is basically to bring to light the natural relationship between form and meaning.By way of explanation,the semantic features can be further related to factors in context of situation and culture.Such exploration from lexico-grammar,through semantics,to the context of situation as well as the context of culture is a manifestation of the stratificational model of language,as is posited in functional linguistics.On another dimension,features exhibited in particular texts can be explained by referring to the genre to which these texts can be attributed to,i.e.,the dialectal relationship between text and system offers another way of explanation.Thus the central concepts of system,function,stratification,etc.can all be made use of in explanation in discourse analysis.