静态语境与动态语境.doc

Differences Between Static Context and Dynamic Context With the development of contextual research, people realize that context is not a static, fixed concept, but a dynamic concept of cognitive development, and that context has close relationship with verbal communication and plays a vital role in it .The development of Contextual research has deepened peoples cognition of the essence of context, having enlightening and guiding significance for Firth, founder of the London School, once put forward the view of static context, maintaining that context is the premise of communication. The main features of static context are as follows: 1) Contextual factors are a group of individuals existing prior to communication process;2) Context has two major functions: paraphrasing and restriction;3) Context ignores the subjective initiative of communication subjects. From these features, we can conclude that traditional contextual research puts the communicating speakers in a passive position , in other words, context exists prior to communication process and communication is controlled by context. But with the development of contextual research, people begin to realize that the view of static context is quite partial and unrealistic. As we all know, the process of verbal communication is not stationary and static, so traditional static context does not adapt to dynamic process of verbal communication. In 1986, Dan Sperber and Deidre Wilson in their book Relevance: Communication and Cognition, put forward the Relevance Theory, the two major points of which are ostensive-inference model and dynamic context. Dynamic context is a new challenge and reconsidering of the traditional static context. In dynamic context, Sperber and Wilson point out that context is the result of speakers communication based on their common cognition and that verbal communication is actually a process of cognition participation and a communication activity depending on reasoning in the dynamic process. During the process of dynamic verbal communication, context is not determined in advance or a simple invariable rendezvous of external factors, but dynamic system in constant development and change. However, in static context, context is a collection of external objective factors, which restricts the language expression and understanding of the speakers. In static context, the communicating speakers are in a passive position and controlled by the invariable context, while in dynamic context, context has not only the function of restriction but also the function of communicative participation. Both sides in communication will be restricted by contextual elements as well as take advantage of all sorts of communicative means to manipulate the context . Speakers can construct a context to create an appropriate environment for the following verbal communication so as to achieve their communication objectives effectively. To conclude, context should be considered process of constant development and change, which reflects the dynamic relationship between communicating subjects and communication environment. Dynamic context has offered new ideas for contextual research,