语体转换与角色定位

Style-shifting and Identity-projection

语体是语言变异研究的核心构念。拉波夫将语体定义为:说话人对自己说话所留意的程度。但贝尔提出"听众设计",强调语体选择在很大程度上取决于说话人对听话人的态度,即说话人针对在场的听众选择回应式听众设计或以不在场的听众为参照系,选择引发式参照者设计。对此库普兰德等人予以支持,认为语体转换是说话人的身份认同行为,是一种策略,是说话人利用符号资源进行角色定位的过程。本文依据贝尔和库普兰德的理论观点分析两篇新闻报道的语体特征,从而为证明该理论的合理性提供一些证据。

Style is a central construct of variation study. According to Labov, style is the amount of attention the speaker pays to his speech. But Bell puts forward'Audience Design'. He argues that style shifting primarily depends on the speakers attitude toward the audience. The speaker varies his speech in response to the audience present or uses initiative referee design to identify with the third group which is absent in the setting. Coupland and other scholars agree with this view. They think that style shifting is an act of social identity, a kind of strategy, and a process in which the speaker makes use of semiotic resources to project a personal identity in social space. This paper provides some evidence for its rationality via an analysis of two pieces of news reporting.