中德叙述语篇中的因果关系结构

Structure of Causal Relation in the Chinese and German Narratives

语篇中的因果关系历来受到语言学的关注,篇章语言学更是将其看做语篇连接的一个重要手段。本文除借助篇章语言学理论对作为语篇组织手段的因果关系进行分析外,还以因果关系为例,对中德两国语篇的结构差异进行了比较。最后的分析结果表明,德语语篇中因果链均指向冲突瞬间,而汉语语篇中存在大量对冲突背景的描述,这一差异显然与叙述者的文化背景有关。

As a cohesive device, the structure of causal relation in discourse has always been the focus of text linguistics. Starting with an analysis of the structure as a means of organizing discourse, this article compares narrative texts written by Chinese and German college students, with a view to uncovering the differences in using the structure. We find that the elements of causality in the German narratives are inevitably directed toward the moment of the conflict, while those in the Chinese narratives tend to elaborate the background of the conflict. The disparity is apparently related to the different cultural backgrounds of the writers. 