英语一般过去时表示礼貌的语用机制

The Pragmatic Mechanism of Expressing Politeness in English Simple Past Tense

本文从英语过去时的距离性实质出发研究一般过去时(包括情态动词的过去时形式)用来表示客气礼貌的语用机制.在许多情况下一般过去时并不表示过去时间,而是表示说话人的一种试探的或礼貌的态度.这种时态错位的用法属于间接语言的一种表现形式,多见于表示疑问、请求或提供的话语当中.如在请求句中使用一般过去时,由于它的距离性实质便会削弱话语的强加语力,这样就给说话人和听话人双方留有余地,不威胁人们的面子,从而使得话语得体礼貌,实际上也是说话人使用的一种礼貌策略.

From the essence of simple past tense, this paper ventures to explore the pragmatic mechanism of expressing politeness in simple past tense, the past tense of modals included. In many cases the simple past tense does not express the past time, but the attitudal or tentative use of speakers, especially in questions, requests or offers. For example, in a request where simple past tense is used, it will diminish the impositive force because of its remoteness, leaving amount of choice for both the speaker and the hearer, without threatening people's faces, thus being tactful and polite. Actually this is a politeness strategy by the speaker.