Abstract:
To present a more comprehensive and systematic understanding of conflict talk, this paper takes as its object the formats, and mechanisms of mitigation functions of metaphors in terminating conflict talk. It approaches the object from the perspective of discourse analysis. Methodologically speaking, this is a qualitative study based on the data collected from the popular American sitcom Friends, which has 43 conflict episodes in total. It finds the mitigation functions of metaphor in conflict talk by studying three phases: initiating phase, escalating phase and terminating phase. It points out that metaphors’ mitigation functions lie in the following aspects: aligning the addressee, diverting the topic, and downgrading the conflict.
Key Words   conflict talk   metaphor   mitigation function   qualitative   discourse analysis   

本文希望通过对话语冲突这一语言现象进行更全面系统的分析，了解在话语冲突的化解中隐喻是如何有效地避免、缓解、消除话语冲突，从而对构建和谐社会起到积极的作用。本文试图从话语分析的视角分析和研究话语冲突这种语言现象。本文的语料来源于美国经典情景喜剧《六人行》，该剧中共有43段冲突话语，本文从中选出3段进行分析。本文运用定性的方法，首先分析所选片段中冲突的三个阶段，即开始阶段、深化阶段、化解阶段是如何开展的，然后来分析隐喻在三个阶段中是如何使用，进而起到语用弱化功能，即缓解双方冲突，改善紧张关系。通过分析，本文得出冲突话语中隐喻的语用弱化功能主要体现在以下几方面：可拉近听众的心灵距离；转移话题；缓解谈话氛围。
关键词：冲突话语   隐喻   弱化功能   定性   话语分析

At present, although conversation has already drawn much attention from linguists throughout the world, conflict talk hasn’t, due to its disorderly and unsystematic structure and difficulty in collecting linguistic data, restrictions to the discourse analysis itself as well. Linguists focus on the theoretical study of the metaphor but pay little attention to its use in practical application. The study is conducted with a qualitative method. By analyzing the conflict talks collected from the popular American sitcom Friends, the thesis is trying to probe into the conflict talk and explore the mitigation functions of metaphor in it so as to achieve reunification and harmony in communication.