语用学的语用失误现象和外语教学跨文化交际能力的培养.doc

The Phenomena of Pragmatic Failures and the Cultivation of Cross-cultural Communicative Competence in Foreign Language TeachingAbstract：摘要：翻译界有一种习惯的误解，认为译本应该“读起来不像译本”、“仿佛是原作者的中文写作”，因而译作的语言应是规范的汉语文学语言。实际上，译语是汉语的异化。译语异化是普遍存在于译本中的语言行为和文化现象。本文揭示了译语与译语文化的相互 影响 问题 ，指出译语的异化是两种语言、两种文化的对抗与对话。好的翻译是译语的优化，即保持异化适度。译语的优化将是我国新世纪翻译文学的新的诗学潮流。Key words: 译语；异化；译语文化；优化Introduction1. What is pragmatics and pragmatic failure? Pragmatics is the study of how speakers of a language use sentences to effect successful communication. To get the real meaning and use a kind of language properly, its far from enough merely know the pronounce, vocabulary and grammar, we should also know the affection caused by the understanding of the language and the people. Eg, the surface meaning vs deep meaning, the premise of a conversation, the intention of the speaker, the indication of the hearer and so on. There exist some cultural differences in cross-cultural communication. To the Chinese students, English is a foreign language, so there will be some Chinese culture in learning more or less. Malinowski, an British linguist, said that language roots deeply in cultural reality and the tradition of its people, language analysis cannot get out of this language behaviors phenomena. Understanding a language, you actually must know the cultural background and the life-styles of the speaker. Therefore, in the process of English usage, weather right or wrong, we should always select the proper words according to the context. While in language understanding and expressing, one of the most important problems is to avoid pragmatic failures.Pragmatic failure does not refer to the general error of language usage, but the failures of untimely speech or failures caused by the wrong manner or attention which fails to achieve to the expected impact. The pragmatic failure, as a main factor of cross-cultural communication barrier, has caused many scholars attention at a early time. It is brought forward by British linguist Jenny Thomas in her cross-cultural Pragmatic Failures. Thomas said, In cross-cultural communication, a faithful communication between native speaker and non-native speaker does not result from the error of the pronounce, words or grammar, it is the thinking manner, language habit and social tradition that count. It cannot be called pragmatic error, but pragmatic failure. Thomas divided the pragmatic failure into two categories: pragma-linguistic failure and socio-pragmatic failure.2.Pragma-linguistic failure Pragma-linguistic failure refers to the pragmatic failure caused by the differences of pragmatic meanings to the same word or sentence between the native speaker and non-native speaker, or the non-native speaker transmits his own language behavioral strategy to the target language.Some pragma-linguistic failures are as follows:2.1 Use the Chinese thinking style and expression in English directly. For example, when an America says My father is seriously ill. The properly response should be I am sorry to hear that. Rather than Dont worry with Chinese expression, if so said, your friend will think you dont care about his fathers illness at all.2.2 Unable to recognize the illocutionary act according to the context. For example, when a speaker says It is very cold here, he is not commenting on the weather or the temperature, his real intention is a demanding: Please close the door. Or Pass me my coat. Another example, when someone asks you Can you tell me what time it is?, this is not a doubt about your ability to tell the time, but he want you to tell him the time. According to Austins Speech Act Theory, language does not only used to describing something, but also doing something. In order to understand a sentence correctly, it is not enough to know the meanings by grammar, the more importance is aware of the aim of communication under certain context. 2.3 Animal symbolism differences. Because of our lack-knowledge of animal symbolism, it often occurs some awkward things in cross-cultural business. For example, because we Chinese translate 白象牌电池 into white elephant battery, so this kind of battery meet a difficulty in sailing in English-speaking country. The real reason lays that White elephant means useless and a burden to people. It can be completely evitable if the people relevant know the differences of the symbolism.3. Socio-pragmatic failure.Socio pragmatic failure refers to the failure of language expression caused by unfamiliar with or ignorance of social or cultural background. It relates to the identities and register of the two sides. Some socio-pragmatic failures are as follows:3.1 Improper greeting and farewell. Greeting and farewell are important in communication, it often causes some antipathy if used improperly. It is a common greeting when two Chinese meet, Have you had your dinner? or where are you going? But it will make them puzzled if so said to the westerners, they wonder why they always ask me whether I have had my meal, are they going to invite me to dinner? And why they always ask where I am going since its my own business? The proper greeting should be Good morning, Good afternoon, etc. Meanwhile, the Chinese farewell words, such as: 再坐会吧（Stay for more time）慢走(Go slowly）, would make the westerners puzzled. In English countries, it should be Goodbye, Bye, drop in again! or Thank you for your coming, etc.3.2 Wrong response to compliment. Chinese attach importance to modesty. It is a virtue to lower themselves and upgrade others in communication. When hearing the compliments, we always degrade ourselves to show politeness, usually a negative response 哪里，哪里，过奖了 No, no, I am far from that. While the westerners will accept the compliment happily and say Thank you or Really? I am glad that you think so.3.3 Socio-pragmatic failure caused by different concepts. Owing to the different cultural and social tradition, there are some non-free topics of different culture in cross-cultural communication, such as taboos. One should pay attention to that what can be said, what can be asked, what can not. Chinese like to discuss their earnings or families together. While in western countries, it is privacy, especially the age, religion, income, etc. So you should be cautious to ask those questions, such as How old are you? or Are you married? etc.The reasons for those pragmatic failures are various, the basic reason lies in the different culture and background which cause the different concepts and behavior, or even conflict. From the aspect of cognition, language is developed from peoples concepts to their life-experiences, so it also affects the peoples cognition and thinking models. It is the real reason of pragmatic failures. While the foreign-language teaching emphasizes the grammar, ignores that the cultural teaching and the basic reasons for pragmatic failures. So the most effective measure to overcome the pragmatic failures are to enhance cultural awareness in teaching and promote the students cross-cultural communicative competence. 4.Enhance cultural awareness in teaching and promote the students cross-cultural communicative competence. 4.1 The significance of enhancing cultural awareness in teaching. Just as H.H Sterns said cultural understanding and cultural contrast are essential parts in foreign-language teaching. Cultural-teaching plays an important role in improving foreign-language teaching.First, it can enlarge the students view sight, enhance their knowledge to foreign cultural and also helpful to cultivate the students awareness of cross-culture, improve their communicative competence through the introduce of the target language culture in teaching. The target language culture contains history, geography, architecture, literature, folkway and traditions, etc. learners can get the differences between target language culture and mother-tongue culture, though the contrast of the two culture, it helps to reduce the pragmatic failures in cross-cultural communication. Second, enhancing the cultural teaching will motivate the students interest and enthusiasm to foreign-language learning. Connect language teaching with culture teaching to inspire the students activity, improve the study efficiency.Next, enhancing the cultural-teaching methods, change the traditional teacher-central system into student-central system.Last but not least, enhancing the cultural-teaching can improve the students communicative competence. Because, in spite of language grammar knowledge, communicative competence also includes pragmatic knowledge. In other words, the learners should know how to speak sentences correctly in grammar as well as how to use them properly. 4.2 The measures to enhance the cultural-teaching4.2.1 Change the concept of teaching. Foreign-language teaching occurs only in class in current teaching system, the teachers play a dominate role in the process. If the teacher put their emphasis on grammar and vocabulary, the student cannot get the language application and the cross-cultural communicative competence. Therefore, the teacher should change their concept, realize the danger of the cultural conflict and the importance of the cultivation of students cross-cultural communicative competence. At the same time, the teacher also need to enhance their study, improve their comprehensive quality, only in this way, the quality and degree of the cultural education can be insured.4.2.2 Improve the current teaching method. For a long time, English-teaching emphases the teaching knowledge, ignores the cultivation of cross-cultural communicative competence. In order to change this situation, the teacher must change their teaching method, make full use of the modern teaching methods to improve the students study activity. Besides, holding a course of lectures on cross-culture to meet students desire.4.2.3 Lead the student to read the material concerning the western culture. In university, its limit to learn English just in class, while the student have more time for self-studying. So the teacher should lead their students to read literary works, newspaper and magazines of English, help them absorb the cultural knowledge, improve the competence of cross-cultural communication. Meanwhile, exert the important role played by foreign teachers in western cultural transition. Encourage the student communicate with their foreign teachers directly. It can promote the students cultural-acquisition and their competence of cross-cultural communication.4.2.4 Enhance the teachers training systemZhangailing once pointed out in her Chinas foreign cultural teaching actuality surveys that most of the teacher do not get the training at all. Of the 33 teachers, 67% of them do not receive any training at all, and most of them are young teachers, their knowledge about the foreign culture is limited. So we can see, it is very important to enhance the teachers training system as well as their cross-cultural communicative competence.5. ConclusionThe purposes of foreign-language teaching are to realize the cross-cultural communication, and to communicate with the people of different cultural background. It is a need of Chinas economic development and a task of Chinas higher education to improve the teaching efficiency and