庭审互动中被告人模糊语言的特征及语用功能研究

A Study of the Features and Pragmatic Functions of the Defendant’s Vague Language in Courtroom Interaction

在庭审互动中,被告人常常通过模糊语言来实现特定的交际目的。基于对25起刑事案件的庭审视频片段中被告人模糊语言的分析,本研究发现被告人模糊语言在语音层面主要表现为发音不连贯和音高渐弱,在词汇层面主要表现为模糊限制语、模糊情态词、模糊指示语和委婉语,在句法层面主要表现为有意的成分省略,在语篇层面主要表现为间接回答和无关回答。借助Praat语音分析软件的分析,本研究发现在不同交际目的的驱动下,被告人选择的模糊策略不同,其模糊语言语调表征不同,语用功能也不尽相同。被告人模糊语言的语用功能主要包括弱化语势、故意隐瞒信息、提供适当信息、自我保护、填补会话空白和减少面子威胁。

In courtroom interaction, defendants often strategically use different types of vague language to fulfill their specific communicative purposes. Based on the analysis of the vagueness in defendants’ utterances in 25 authentic criminal court cases, it is found that vagueness at the level of phonology is mainly manifested by disjointed articulation and faded pitch;at the level of lexicon, vagueness features hedges, modal words, vague references and euphemism;vagueness is mainly characterized by omitting certain components at the syntactic level and using indirect response and irrelevant response at the discourse level.With the aid of Praat, a speech analysis tool, it is also found that the intonation features and the pragmatic functions vary when defendants choose different types of vague language to fulfill their purposes. The main pragmatic functions of vagueness used by defendants are as follows: weakening utterance force, deliberately withholding information, providing proper information, self-protection, filling in lexical gap, and reducing face threat.