中文假設句的語用功能
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2010
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本研究旨在研究中文假設句的語用功能。分為邏輯假設句(typical)、話題標示(topic-marking)、知識性推論(epistemic)、個人評價(evaluative)、補述說明(afterthoughts)，以及在進行語言行為(speech act)中一種表示禮貌之用法。
中文雖無顯性的時態標記系統(tense-marking)，卻可選擇不同的假設標記來表示不同的假設程度。在研究中發現，完全基於推論的假設句多只用來描述對未來的不確定性或是修飾句中的否定；又假設句亦可用來做為話題轉變的一項緩衝工具。但研究後發現假設句鮮少用做知識推論一用；因假設句中的不確定性雖可以讓說話者免責，卻也相對的減低了其推論的可信度。反倒是假設句作為用來表達說話者較偏情感面向的評價為多；而假設句中的假設空間可對說話者所表示的帶有負面字詞的評價帶來緩衝。且研究中亦發現假設程度的高低未必與事情的可能性高低呈相對反比，而是與假設句裡的否定程度較為密切相關。在對話進行補述說明時，打破話題的連貫性而任意發表對之前話題的意見為一較不為合適的行為。因聽說者必須付出更多的注意力去重新連結話題，故說話者可採用假設句來緩衝對聽話者已造成的額外負擔。最後在進行命令或要求等語言行為中，假設句可提供聽話者其他的選擇性而表示禮貌之用。
This study aims to investigate what the pragmatic functions conditionals serve in daily Mandarin interlocutions. There are eighteen conditional markers examined in the database collected for this study. Furthermore, it is as well found that even Mandarin is a language without overt tense marking system; this language applies various conditional markers with different hypotheticality degrees, to accommodate propositions with various negativity degrees. Sweetser (1990) categories conditionals into content conditionals, epistemic conditionals, and speech act conditionals. The present study, based on her illuminating findings, further distinguishes the pragmatic functions of Mandarin conditionals into typical, topic-marking, epistemic, evaluative, afterthoughts, and conditionals for politeness. Typical conditionals are those whose relations between the protases and apodoses are deduced from pure logical reasoning. Such conditionals are uttered either for describing the uncertainty with a hedged tone, or to wrap up the overt negativity within. Conditionals for pure topic-marking are those for mitigating the contrast of topic shifting in interlocutions; however, the apodoses within conditionals usually carry speaker’s certain intentions or attitudes so that we further subcategory them into epistemic and evaluative. Epistemic conditionals are those based on speaker’s knowledge or judgments; however, such function is never as dominant as Su (2005) claimed, since we hardly deduce the most likely interference among all the possibilities without carrying our personal attitudes. Thus, what stands out in why conditionals are uttered would be to provide personal evaluations, since conditionality forms an evaluative frame itself (Akatsuka and Clancy 1993; Akatsuka and Strauss 2000; Bloom and Keil 2001; Dancygier 1993, 1998; Eiser and Mower White 1974, 1975; Eiser and Osmon 1978; Huang 1982; NOH 1996; Sweetser 1990; Van Schie, Martijn and Van der Pligt 1994; Xu, Li-jie 2008). Such a function especially dominates word-of-saying conditional markers, which might be a unique linguistic feature in Mandarin. Since conditionals offers options, it is a politeness strategy in performing speech acts, and the politeness increases along with the hypotheticality degrees since room for options expands. Due to the fundamental linguistic feature, i.e., discourse-linking, in conditionality as well as its serving a politeness strategy in easing the imposing extra cognition load and the disturbance of information flow, conditionals may well be uttered for adding extra comments to what has been uttered previously. There are abundant literature examining conditionals in Mandarin before as well; however, this study starts from a different perspective, i.e., from it pragmatic functions instead of certain conditional marker only.
This study aims to investigate what the pragmatic functions conditionals serve in daily Mandarin interlocutions. There are eighteen conditional markers examined in the database collected for this study. Furthermore, it is as well found that even Mandarin is a language without overt tense marking system; this language applies various conditional markers with different hypotheticality degrees, to accommodate propositions with various negativity degrees. Sweetser (1990) categories conditionals into content conditionals, epistemic conditionals, and speech act conditionals. The present study, based on her illuminating findings, further distinguishes the pragmatic functions of Mandarin conditionals into typical, topic-marking, epistemic, evaluative, afterthoughts, and conditionals for politeness. Typical conditionals are those whose relations between the protases and apodoses are deduced from pure logical reasoning. Such conditionals are uttered either for describing the uncertainty with a hedged tone, or to wrap up the overt negativity within. Conditionals for pure topic-marking are those for mitigating the contrast of topic shifting in interlocutions; however, the apodoses within conditionals usually carry speaker’s certain intentions or attitudes so that we further subcategory them into epistemic and evaluative. Epistemic conditionals are those based on speaker’s knowledge or judgments; however, such function is never as dominant as Su (2005) claimed, since we hardly deduce the most likely interference among all the possibilities without carrying our personal attitudes. Thus, what stands out in why conditionals are uttered would be to provide personal evaluations, since conditionality forms an evaluative frame itself (Akatsuka and Clancy 1993; Akatsuka and Strauss 2000; Bloom and Keil 2001; Dancygier 1993, 1998; Eiser and Mower White 1974, 1975; Eiser and Osmon 1978; Huang 1982; NOH 1996; Sweetser 1990; Van Schie, Martijn and Van der Pligt 1994; Xu, Li-jie 2008). Such a function especially dominates word-of-saying conditional markers, which might be a unique linguistic feature in Mandarin. Since conditionals offers options, it is a politeness strategy in performing speech acts, and the politeness increases along with the hypotheticality degrees since room for options expands. Due to the fundamental linguistic feature, i.e., discourse-linking, in conditionality as well as its serving a politeness strategy in easing the imposing extra cognition load and the disturbance of information flow, conditionals may well be uttered for adding extra comments to what has been uttered previously. There are abundant literature examining conditionals in Mandarin before as well; however, this study starts from a different perspective, i.e., from it pragmatic functions instead of certain conditional marker only.
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假設句, 知識推論, 個人評價, 語言行為, 假設程度, 否定程度, Conditionals, Epistemicity, Evaluative, Speech-act, Hypotheticality, Negativity