缓和、强化、顺应——“啊”的语气功能辩

Mitigation,Intensification or Adaptation:An Analysis of the Functions of the Modal Particle“ɑ(啊)”

语气词“啊”有缓和与强化功能。“啊”是情感因子,在动态语境中,会根据语境的情感基调进行情感调适以顺应语境需要。当表缓和功能时,“啊”平缓延宕,基于礼貌原则通过增加情感投入以实现情感趋同、缓和人际关系,以人际和谐为语效取向;当表强化功能时,“啊”急降短促,既可以强化言者积极情感获得情感趋同,也可以通过强化消极情感、强化认知信据力,违反礼貌原则,以情感趋异为语效取向。“啊”的缓和与强化并不矛盾,两者分工明确,相得益彰,是与语境协商并顺应语境需要的结果,其中“啊”的传情功能是基本核心,言者的心理世界对语气词“啊”的功能影响最大,是关键语用参数。

The modal particle“ɑ(啊)”has the functions of mitigating and intensifying.“ɑ(啊)”,an emotional factor,can adjust the tone of the discourse to adapting to the context.When performing the mitigation function,“ɑ(啊)”is phonetically moderate and delaying.Based on the principle of politeness,it facilitates interpersonal relationship,and interpersonal harmony is taken as the grammatical orientation by increasing emotional input to achieve emotional convergence.When performing the intensification function,“ɑ(啊)”is phonetically short and sharp.It can not only strengthen the speaker’s positive emotions in order to achieve emotional convergence,but also strengthen the speaker’s negative emotions,thereby violating the politeness principle.The grammatical orientation is determined by the emotional divergence.However,mitigation and intensification are not mutually exclusive.They are the result of negotiating with and adapting to the context.The emotional function is the core of“ɑ(啊)”and the key pragmatic parameter is the speaker’s mental world,which has the greatest impact on the functions of“ɑ(啊)”.