反问句否定含义强度及(不)礼貌等级的实验语用学研究

An Experimental Pragmatic Study of Gradability of Negative Implicature and (Im)politeness in Rhetorical Questions

本文选取计算机辅助交际会话(CMC)的真实语料,收集采用反问句作为答语的数据,旨在分析交际会话中这一现象所蕴含的否定含义与显性否定和隐性否定的强度等级差异,进而探究其(不)礼貌性问题。研究结果表明:(1)反问句通常用于表达否定的语用含义;(2)反问句、显性否定、隐性否定含义的强度等级呈现由最强到最弱的排序:反问句>显性否定句>隐性否定句;(3)礼貌性呈现由最强到最弱的排序:显性否定句>隐性否定句>反问句。本研究发现,汉语交际中越间接未必越礼貌;相反,表达否定含义时,倾向于越直接越礼貌。研究结果为交际互动中的礼貌建构和语言形式选择的内在关联提供了实验证据。

This paper aims to explore the interrelationship between the gradability of negative implicatures and that of(im)politeness by drawing on the data,specifically,rhetorical questions as responses,from computer-mediated communications(CMC).The findings reveal that(1) rhetorical questions are often used to express negative implicatures;that(2) rhetorical questions,explicit negations and implicit negations are arranged from the strongest to the weakest in expressing negative implicatures;that(3) rhetorical questions,implicit negations and explicit negations are ranked from the weakest to the strongest in terms of their(im)politeness in interpersonal interactions.The study suggests that more indirect utterances may not produce more politeness in Chinese interpersonal interactions,but on the contrary,more direct utterances tend to be more polite when it comes to expressing negative implicatures.In addition,the present study provides experimental evidence for the interrelationship between politeness constructions and linguistic choices.