从修辞角度论间接言语行为在英语言语交际中的运用英语论文

本科毕业论文题目（中文） 从修辞角度论间接言语行为在英语言语交际中的运用（外文）On the Application of Indirect Speech Act in English Verbal Communication on the Basis of Rhetorical DevicesOn the Application of Indirect Speech Act in English Verbal Communication on the Basis of Rhetorical DevicesAbstract Communication plays a significant role in peoples daily life. Through communication, people could express their opinions and understand others needs. Good communication is conducive not only to present viewpoints properly but also to improve interpersonal relationships. In addition to direct speech, indirect speech is another indispensable part of communication. In order to communicate better, people need to know some basic knowledge about it. So, this paper analyzes the application of indirect speech in English verbal communication on the basis of rhetorical device. In the first part, the author gives a brief introduction to the speech act theory and the indirect speech act. In the second part, the author elaborates on the application of indirect speech, including its classifications and motivations. In the third part, the author probes into types of rhetorical device used in indirect speech. There are three types according to their functions, which are politeness, vividness, and expressiveness. In the last part, the author moves on to a natural conclusion.Key words: indirect speech act; English verbal communication; rhetorical devicesOn the Application of Indirect Speech Act in English Verbal Communication on the Basis of Rhetorical DevicesOutlineThesis Statement: This paper discusses the application of indirect speech act in English verbal communication from the perspective of rhetorical devices.I. IntroductionII. The Application of Indirect Speech ActA. The Classifications of Indirect Speech 1. The Conventional Indirect Speech Act2. The Non-conventional Indirect Speech ActB. The Motivations of Using Indirect Speech Act1. To Be Polite2. To Make Requests3. To Express Refusals ImplicitlyIII. Types of Rhetorical Devices Used in Indirect Speech ActA. PolitenessB. Vividness1. Metaphor2. MetonymyC. Expressiveness1. Hyperbole2. Pun3. IronyIV. ConclusionOn the Application of Indirect Speech Act in English Verbal Communication on the Basis of Rhetorical DevicesI. IntroductionThe main function of language is communication. It not only includes the accurate understanding, but also the appropriate expression. Indirect speech is one aspect of English verbal communication which means “say something indirectly”. The other one is direct speech which means “call a spade a spade”. Just like direct speech, indirect speech is also a common phenomenon in peoples daily communication.Speech Act Theory was put forward by John Austin in 1950s. It is an important part in the study of pragmatics which includes Locutionary Act, Illocutionary Act and Perlocutionary Act. It is the theoretical basis of the Indirect Speech Act which was presented by John Searle. Searle claimed that “One illocutionary act is performed indirectly by way of performing another.”1 He also proposed the notions of primary and secondary illocutionary act. The primary illocutionary act is the indirect act and the secondary illocutionary act is the direct one. For example, “Could you close the window?” The surface form of this sentence is a question. In fact, the speaker doesnt ask whether the listener has the ability to close the window or not, while expressing his intention which is a request.Whether the application of indirect speech act is successful or not has an important impact on peoples communication. For example, in a certain context, when someone asks “What do you think of my new bag?”, the answer “Im afraid it does not suit you” will be much more proper and polite than “Its ugly”. Based on the importance of indirect speech, it is necessary to grasp some basic knowledge of it. And it is widely acknowledged that, rhetorical devices are a significant part of the application of indirect speech, thus this paper will probe into this topic through the0viewpoint of rhetorical devices. 0II. The Application of Indirect Speech ActIn social intercourse, the core of communication is appropriateness. Thus the application of indirect speech act is a universal phenomenon. This chapter will discuss the classifications of indirect speech act and the motivations of using indirect speech act.A. The Classifications of Indirect Speech ActIndirect speech act theory tries to solve the problem of how to figure out implied meaning of conversation, that is pragmatic meaning, through literal meaning. This problem can be explained by the following classification of indirect speech acts.2 On the basis of sentence structure or context, indirect speech act could be classified into conventional indirect speech act and non-conventional speech act.1. The Conventional Indirect Speech ActThe conventional indirect speech act means the indirect speech act that can be inferred from the literal meaning. In other words, the listener could deduce the implicit meaning according to the sentence structure. Hence this act can be regarded as a sort of habitual usage. The reason that people use it is out of the respect to the listener. And to some extent, its main feature is that the illocutionary force is fixed in a standard format and it has been universally accepted. For example:(1) Could you pass me the paper?(2) I would appreciate if you could close the window.(3) Would you mind turning off the light?These sentences are just two questions and one statement literally, but according to the conventions, the illocutionary force is giving instructions, because the marked word “please” can be put in these sentences which indicate the 0politeness. 2. The Non-conventional Indirect Speech ActThe non-conventional indirect speech act is more complicated and flexible than the conventional indirect speech. The former is mainly depending on the context while the latter is mainly depending on the linguistic forms. The listener deduces the illocutionary force largely on the basis of the mutual background information. And maybe an identical sentence has different illocutionary force in different context. For example, a woman says “the flower is beautiful” to a man.(1) It can be used to express her favor to the flower.(2) It can be used to suggest the man that he should buy it for her.(3) It can be used to remind the man that she will buy it for her mother.Therefore people need to pay extraordinary attention to this kind of speech act in daily communication and give a proper reply based on the specific circumstances.B. The Motivations of Using Indirect Speech ActAlthough the motivation of the application of indirect speech act is different in different circumstances, the main motivations can be classified as follows:1. To Be PoliteNot all politeness is about language, but language is the main means for the expression of politeness. The essence of politeness is related to the “face” issue, and it is everywhere in social communication. The Face Theory is put forward by Brown and Levinson in 1978. According to Goffmans explanation, the “face” is related to some emotional concepts, such as “embarrassed”, “humiliated” or “losing face”. Therefore, Brown and Levinson held a view that people should keep 0others face if they want to cooperate with them successfully. And the best way to keep others face is using polite language. Based on Grices Cooperative Principle, Leech proposed another pragmatic principlePoliteness Principle.3The using of inappropriate words may cause misunderstandings, and even give rise to the failure of communication in social intercourse. Hence the politeness is indeed a significant principle for successful communication. For example:A: How do you like my skirt?B: Im afraid I have no eyes to appreciate beauty. It seems that B gives an irrelevant answer, but its so rude to say “I dont like it at all” directly, so he tries to say in an implied way.A: Where is your sister?B: Shes either in the classroom or in the playground.B cant tell exactly where his sister is, but out of politeness, he says opaquely to avoid letting A down. 2. To Make RequestsWhen people want someone else to do them a favor, the imperative sentence is quite stiff and unacceptable, and others may feel undesirable even offensive. But the use of indirect speech could make the tone more mild and courteous. For example:(1) I order you to turn off the television.(2) Turn off the television.(3) I want you to turn off the television.(4) Will you turn off the television?(5) Can you turn off the television?(6) Would you turn off the television?(7) Would you mind turning off the television?The first example is the most direct one. In fact, its an impolite order rather 0than a mannerly request. But the last sentence is quite opposite. Its not only courteous, but also respectful. Even though the essence of this sentence is an order, it makes the listener do it willingly. So it could be said that converting an imperative sentence to an interrogative sentence is an excellent way to make requests more indirect. Besides this, people tend to sound out others response. For example:A: Excuse me, do you have an English dictionary?B: Yes.A: Could you lend it to me?B: Sure.The speaker asks the listener whether he has the dictionary or not before he makes his request. And when he gets the affirmative reply, he then posts his request. By this way, the speaker not only gains his ends, but shows his courtesy to the listener.3. To Express Refusals ImplicitlySometimes, people have to refuse others requests which are beyond their ability or their willingness. But when they express their refusals, they should pay attention to the speaking manner and the mood choosing, because the refusals are easy to make others feel embarrassed and even harm the interpersonal relationships. Thus, people need to express their refusals indirectly as much as possible. For example:(1) A: Can you lend your notebook to me?B: No way.(2) A: Can you lend your notebook to me?B: Im afraid I cant.In the latter example, as compared with the former, the speaker does not hurt the listeners feeling as well as achieves his communication goal. Apart from the above examples, t