表情符號對華語「拒絕行為」的禮貌認知程度影響

Abstract

隨著數位溝通日益頻繁，表情符號已成為電腦中介傳播（computer-mediated communication, CMC）中重要的語用資源。然而，對於表情符號的語用功能探討，較少聚焦於特定的言語行為中，故本研究以華語拒絕為討論範疇，期望藉由量化研究法，探討表情符號對華語拒絕行為的禮貌程度影響，並分析性別、年齡、社會地位與親密程度等變項是否會對禮貌程度評價產生影響。本研究藉由四種表情符號（🥺、🙂‍↔️、🙇、🙅）與四種變項設計情境式問卷，邀請104名受試者針對情境中的拒絕語句進行禮貌評分。接著將所得資料經敘述統計與變異數分析處理，以探討表情符號與不同變項對華語拒絕行為的禮貌程度影響。首先，研究結果反映出表情符號的有無與種類皆顯著影響受測者對拒絕語句的禮貌認知。其中🙇表情獲得最高禮貌分數，而純文字則得分最低。進一步分析不同社會變項後，發現親密程度在表情符號與拒絕行為的禮貌解讀上，有著顯著的影響。相較之下，性別、年齡與社會地位的影響則未呈現顯著性。值得注意的是，儘管年齡、性別及社會地位等變項對表情符號與拒絕行為的禮貌程度影響較小，但當不同變項與表情符號種類產生交互作用後，受測者的禮貌分數出現了明顯改變，顯示表情符號的功能可能具有主導性的地位，弱化了社會變項的影響力。最後，根據分析結果，本研究亦對語用學、數位溝通及華語教學領域提出應用建議，認為教師可引導學習者認識不同表情符號在語氣緩和與禮貌策略上的功能，進而提升其在真實語境中的交際能力。With the rise of digital communication, emojis have become an important tool in computer-mediated communication (CMC). However, there has been little research focusing on the role of emojis in specific speech acts. This study explores how emojis affect the level of politeness in Mandarin Chinese refusals. It also examines whether factors such as gender, age, social status, and intimacy influence how people judge politeness. To achieve these aims, the study used a questionnaire based on different situations. Four emojis (🥺, 🙂‍↔️, 🙇, 🙅) and four social variables were included. A total of 104 participants rated the politeness of refusal messages in 80 different situations. The results were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The findings show that both the use and type of emoji significantly affected how polite the refusals were seen. Among the options, the 🙇 emoji was rated as the politest, while the plain text messages were rated the least polite. Among the social factors, only intimacy showed a strong effect on politeness ratings. Gender, age, and social status had much smaller effects. Interestingly, when emojis were combined with different social variables, the politeness ratings changed noticeably. This suggests that in these refusal situations, the type of emoji may play a more important role than the social factors. In conclusion, based on the findings, the study gives practical advice for pragmatics, digital communication, and Mandarin teaching. It encourages teachers to help students understand how different emojis can soften tone and express politeness, helping them communicate better in real-life online situations.