话语标记词“额”的语用分析-基于中国学生的日常对话

A Pragmatic Analysis of “额” in Conversation Among Chinese Students

摘要

话语标记语是一种十分常见的话语现象，是说话者为实现成功言语交际所采用的重要手段之一，它们传递的不是命题或语义意义，而是为话语理解提供信息标记，从而对话语理解起引导作用的程序性意义。随着微博，QQ等通讯工具在中国的盛行，一些网络上的话语标记词被赋予了多重意义并开始逐渐出现在人们日常对话中，如“呵呵”，“哈哈”，“嗯嗯”。“额”就是其中一个较为突出的“小词”，作为一个语气助词而言，它本身并没有实际意义，然而，中国大学生在对话中却常常使用“额” 灵活巧妙地进行表达，这其中的原因值得我们思考。

本文旨在探究话语标记词“额” 的语用功能，重点考察“额” 在中国大学生日常交流中的使用。借助于英语中“well”的语用研究——以Svartvik对于“well”的功能分类为理论框架，本文细致分析了中国大学生在日常对话中使用“额” 的情景，指出了“额” 在修饰语和框架语两个方面的语用功能，作为修饰语，“额” 可以用于缓和积极行为或者态度，还可以表达强烈情绪；作为框架语，“额” 可用于信息缺省标记，迟疑标记，话题转换以及自我修正。

本研究有助于我们认识“额” 在汉语对话中不同情景下的具体作用，进一步揭示其对于灵活地表达说话者意图和想法，以及维持人际关系的意义。

关键词：话语标记词, 额, 语用功能, 中国大学生

Abstract
This thesis is an attempt to explore the pragmatic functions of “额” as a discourse marker in the conversation among Chinese college students. Previous studies of discourse markers in Mandarin have covered the most commonly used markers, such as “嘛”, “啊”, “哦”. However, there has been virtually no attention paid to the newly surging marker “额”, which was used on the internet and then spread to everyday conversation. As a neologism in the family of discourse markers in Mandarin, “额” has attracted many Chinese college students who frequently and artfully employ it in their conversation. The aim of the present thesis, therefore, is to unravel the secret behind this language epidemic by investigating the pragmatic functions of “额” as a discourse marker.
The present study examines the pragmatic functions of “额” on the basis of Svartvik’s research on discourse marker “well”. First, it reviews some related studies of discourse markers both in Mandarin and English, focusing on the theory proposed by Svartvik. Then, it illustrates why and how the research is conducted. Finally, within the framework of Svartvik, it provides a thorough explanation and interpretation to six usages of “额” in different discourse contexts in regards to the speakers’ intention and purpose. The data studied in each case comes from recorded naturally-occurring conversation between or among Chinese college students.
Results show that applying “额” while speaking Mandarin not only helps to organize the discourse but also plays an indispensable role in skillfully achieving the speaker’s well-designed purpose in discourse, thus maintaining the interpersonal relationship between speakers.
Key words: discourse marker, 额, pragmatic function, Chinese college students