英汉寒暄语对比研究englishversion.ppt

A contrastive study of the phatic communion in English and Chinese （英汉寒暄语对比研究）,contents,Introduction (definition, origin) Purpose Content patterns (5 categories) Conversational patterns (2 moves) Conclusion References,Introduction (definition, origin,),Phatic communion is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed. The phenomenon of phatic communion was initially studied in 1923 by Bronislaw Malinowski. The ability to conduct phatic communion is a social skills.,Purpose,In spite of seeming to have little useful purpose, phatic communion is a bonding ritual and a strategy for managing interpersonal distance. It serves many functions in helping to define the relationships between friends, work colleagues, and new acquaintances. In particular, it helps new acquaintances to explore and categorize each others social position.,Acquaintances -to build gentle introduction before engaging in more functional topics of conversation. New acquaintances - to show that they have friendly intentions and desire some sort of positive interaction.,At the beginning of a conversation,Suddenly ending an exchange may risk appearing to reject the other person. to mitigate the rejection, affirm the relationship between the two people, and soften the parting.,At the end of a conversation,In many cultures, silences between two people are usually considered uncomfortable. To reduce tension until a more substantial subject arises.,As a space filler,two colleagues who pass each other in a corridor:,Dave : Morning, Jane. Jane : Oh, morning, Dave, how are you? Dave : Fine, thanks. Have a good weekend? Jane : Yes, thanks. Catch you later. Dave : OK, see you.,Content Patterns,问候式（greeting）,A: Hello, Mary. B: Hello, John.,传统意会型问候 “上哪去呀?” “吃过饭了吗?” “怎么这么忙啊?”,古典型问候 “幸会”、“久仰”,中文,English,询问式 (inquiring) A: How are you getting along with the research？ B: Oh, not so bad. 嘘寒问暖 “你看起来不舒服，要不要 回去休息？”,English,中文,评论式 (commenting) 论天气 “Lovely day, isnt it?” “Very cold, right?” 论对方（或对方的物品） “Your T-shirt is very pretty”, “Your house is very cozy”, “You are so beautiful today” 就事论事 “The bus is late, isnt it?” “The flower smells fragrant, isnt it?” 攀认型 “大家是广州人，我母亲出生在广州，说起来，我们算是半个老乡了。”,回顾式 (retrospecting) “I haven t seen you for ages” “Long time no see” 好久不见，到哪发财去了？,English,中文,致谢式 ( appreciating) 致谢的原则不同 English - 不分亲疏公私 中文 - 亲疏不同，公私分明 致谢的方式不同 “Thats a lovely dress you have on.” Chinese-“No, no. Its just a very ordinary dress.” English -“Thank you!”,Conversational patterns,In PhD thesis, Small Talk: Analyzing Phatic Discourse, Klaus Schneider theorizes that phatic communion consists of a number of fairly predictable segments, or “moves“.,The first move is usually phrased so that it is easy for the other person to agree. It may be either a question, or a statement of opinion with a tag questions. For example, an opening line such as “Lovely weather, isnt it?“ is a clear invitation for agreement. The second move is the other persons response. An acknowledgement such as “I see“, a positive evaluation such as “Thats nice“, or whats called “idling behavior“, such as “Mmm“, or “Really?”,Q: In functional conversations that address a particular topic, Grices Maxim of Quantity suggests that responses should contain no more information than was explicitly asked for. Schneider claims that one of the principles of small talk contradicts the Maxim of Quantity. He suggests that politeness in small talk is maximized by responding with a more substantial answer. Going back to the example of “Lovely weather, isnt it?” to respond by just saying “Yes“ is less polite than saying, “Yes, very mild for the time of year.“,Conclusions English and Chinese phatic communion perform similar role in the two languages, however, their forms and contents are quite different. their rules and topics can differ widely between cultures. Therefore, better understanding of phatic communion between English and Chinese can achieve better understanding of cultures and thus pursue better social relations.,References,1. Malinowski, B. (1923) “The problem of meanin