The Linearity of Thought Patterns

Abstract

在凱普蘭看來，英語因受亞力士多德邏輯影響而呈直線式思維的特性，與非西方語言的迥異邏輯思維方法呈現顯著差異。儘管凱氏對語言思維具獨到之見解，但其直線式思維概念的建立不僅違背語言形成的自身邏輯，且現實中無以查證，因而無助於對話與修辭的客觀準確觀察，甚至有誤導研究之嫌。本文解析了凱氏直線式思維概念的主要弊端，認為它阻礙了對比修辭及話語分析研究領域之實質性進步，遂建議探索更合理準確的理論概念以取而代之，從而促成真正意義上的對比修辭研究。

Kaplan perceived the English thought patterns as constrained by the Aristotelian syllogism and thus characteristically linear, in contrast to the non-linear foreign patterns constrained by their different logics. Insightful as his perspective is, this conception of linearity contains serious flaws: it is logically absurd, referentially unsubstantiated, and conceptually misleading and confusing. It actually prevents researchers from discerning and delineating the complex and subtle discourse features in EFL composition or any text. It is suggested that the construct of linearity currently invoked in contrastive rhetoric be abandoned, and that more sophisticated theoretical constructs be explored for to replace it in research design.