汉英恭维言语行为对比研究
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摘要
恭维是人们日常交际中频繁使用的一种礼貌言语行为。作为交际的“润滑剂”，它使交际得以在和谐融洽的气氛中向前推进。作为一种社会语言，它不仅可以缩短交际者之间的社会距离，而且还可以联络感情，维系社会正常的人际关系。然而在全球化日益发达的今天，来自不同文化的人们对恭维语的理解也不尽相同。在跨文化交际中，交际参与者有时甚至对如何给予或回应恭维感到十分困惑。有鉴于此，本文对英汉恭维言语行为进行了一次全面深入的对比，试图找出二者之间的相似点和差异，从而揭示出隐藏在这一简单语言现象下的中美两个民族间根本的文化差异，帮助人们有效的提高跨文化交际能力。
本文从语用学的角度出发，在语言与文化的相互关系，言语行为理论和礼貌原则等理论基础的指导下，对汉英恭维言语行为进行了全面深入的共时性研究，涉及到两种言语行为在语言形式，话题，回应策略，社会功能和分布等方面的相同点和不同点，探讨造成这些差异的因素，并揭示中美两个民族文化的差异性。
文章把文化差异的研究作为重点，从民族信仰，思维方式和价值观三个角度探讨中美文化的不同点，如中国儒家思想和西方的基督教义的比较，中国传统的等级观念和西方的平等主义的比较，中国人一元、综合思维和西方人二元、理性思维的比较，中国的集体主义和西方的个体主义的比较，中国人谦虚保守的性格和美国人互相尊重和开放的性格比较。
在此研究的基础上作者得出如下结论：(1)恭维是一种复杂的语言现象它与文化密切相关；(2)汉英恭维言语行为之间既有共同点又存在差异，这些差异正反映了两个民族的文化差异；(3)恭维言语行为对比研究对英语语言学习和教学及跨文化交际有着十分重要的意义。
在结束语中，作者指出中美恭维言语行为之间的具体差异充分反映了中美文化领域的差异。对这些文化差异的认识将有助于人们提高在跨文化交际场合下准确恰当地给予和接受恭维语的能力，最终有效地提高人们的跨文化交际的能力。作者同时也提出了研究中的局限性以及今后的努力方向。
The compliment is a polite speech act that frequently occurs in people's daily verbal interaction to show greetings, appreciations, encouragements, thanks, etc., even to solve controversy and maintain solidarity with others. Some people believe compliments are as critical to social success as oxygen is to breathing. While in the present globalizing world, because of different cultural backgrounds, people from different cultures sometimes may misunderstand others' complimenting behaviors, even may be quite confused about how to give or receive a compliment.
Based on the relationships between language and culture, directed by speech act theories and the related politeness theories, this paper studies the similarities and differences of Chinese compliments and American compliments from a synchronic perspective, thus revealing the different cultures between these two nations. It begins with the definitions and the theories related to the compliment speech acts, and then elaborates on the specific contrasts from different aspects, including semantic and syntactic formulas, topics, responding strategies, social functions and distributions. After associating compliments with some influential social factors, this paper finally reveals the different cultures between these two nations, i.e. different beliefs: Confucianism vs Christianity, Hierarchy vs Equality; different thought patterns: Holistic thinking vs Dualistic thinking, Synthesis vs Analysis; different values: Collectivism vs Individualism, Modesty vs Mutual Respects, Reserve vs Open-Mindedness. These contrasts also provide some implications to foreign language teaching and learning and cross-cultural communication. Based on the preceding chapters and the contrastive analyses, the author finally draws the following conclusions: 1) Complimenting is a phenomenon of complexity and it is related deeply to specific culture. 2) There are differences as well as similarities in the compliment speech acts in English and Chinese, which reflects the different cultures between the two nations. 3) Contrastive analysis of compliment speech acts is of great significance to language teaching and learning and cross-cultural communication.
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the major similarities and differences in the compliment speech acts between English and Chinese and highlight the cultural disparities between the two nations. It should also be claimed that the use of compliments is dynamic and open to social changes. As a complex phenomenon in any speech community, compliment speech acts reflect the specific society and culture and deserve continuing process of inquiry. The present writer will feel gratified and rewarded if her tentative study does something to help those who are engaged in cross-cultural communication to recognize the different complimenting behaviors and to know more about different cultures, so as to improve their cross-cultural communicative competence.
本文从语用学的角度出发，在语言与文化的相互关系，言语行为理论和礼貌原则等理论基础的指导下，对汉英恭维言语行为进行了全面深入的共时性研究，涉及到两种言语行为在语言形式，话题，回应策略，社会功能和分布等方面的相同点和不同点，探讨造成这些差异的因素，并揭示中美两个民族文化的差异性。
文章把文化差异的研究作为重点，从民族信仰，思维方式和价值观三个角度探讨中美文化的不同点，如中国儒家思想和西方的基督教义的比较，中国传统的等级观念和西方的平等主义的比较，中国人一元、综合思维和西方人二元、理性思维的比较，中国的集体主义和西方的个体主义的比较，中国人谦虚保守的性格和美国人互相尊重和开放的性格比较。
在此研究的基础上作者得出如下结论：(1)恭维是一种复杂的语言现象它与文化密切相关；(2)汉英恭维言语行为之间既有共同点又存在差异，这些差异正反映了两个民族的文化差异；(3)恭维言语行为对比研究对英语语言学习和教学及跨文化交际有着十分重要的意义。
在结束语中，作者指出中美恭维言语行为之间的具体差异充分反映了中美文化领域的差异。对这些文化差异的认识将有助于人们提高在跨文化交际场合下准确恰当地给予和接受恭维语的能力，最终有效地提高人们的跨文化交际的能力。作者同时也提出了研究中的局限性以及今后的努力方向。
The compliment is a polite speech act that frequently occurs in people's daily verbal interaction to show greetings, appreciations, encouragements, thanks, etc., even to solve controversy and maintain solidarity with others. Some people believe compliments are as critical to social success as oxygen is to breathing. While in the present globalizing world, because of different cultural backgrounds, people from different cultures sometimes may misunderstand others' complimenting behaviors, even may be quite confused about how to give or receive a compliment.
Based on the relationships between language and culture, directed by speech act theories and the related politeness theories, this paper studies the similarities and differences of Chinese compliments and American compliments from a synchronic perspective, thus revealing the different cultures between these two nations. It begins with the definitions and the theories related to the compliment speech acts, and then elaborates on the specific contrasts from different aspects, including semantic and syntactic formulas, topics, responding strategies, social functions and distributions. After associating compliments with some influential social factors, this paper finally reveals the different cultures between these two nations, i.e. different beliefs: Confucianism vs Christianity, Hierarchy vs Equality; different thought patterns: Holistic thinking vs Dualistic thinking, Synthesis vs Analysis; different values: Collectivism vs Individualism, Modesty vs Mutual Respects, Reserve vs Open-Mindedness. These contrasts also provide some implications to foreign language teaching and learning and cross-cultural communication. Based on the preceding chapters and the contrastive analyses, the author finally draws the following conclusions: 1) Complimenting is a phenomenon of complexity and it is related deeply to specific culture. 2) There are differences as well as similarities in the compliment speech acts in English and Chinese, which reflects the different cultures between the two nations. 3) Contrastive analysis of compliment speech acts is of great significance to language teaching and learning and cross-cultural communication.
The purpose of this paper is to reveal the major similarities and differences in the compliment speech acts between English and Chinese and highlight the cultural disparities between the two nations. It should also be claimed that the use of compliments is dynamic and open to social changes. As a complex phenomenon in any speech community, compliment speech acts reflect the specific society and culture and deserve continuing process of inquiry. The present writer will feel gratified and rewarded if her tentative study does something to help those who are engaged in cross-cultural communication to recognize the different complimenting behaviors and to know more about different cultures, so as to improve their cross-cultural communicative competence.
引文
[1] Austin, J. 1962. How to Do Things with Words. London: Oxford University Press.
[2] Brown, P. and S. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[3] Chen Rong. 1993. Responding to compliments: a contrastive study of politeness strategies between American English and Chinese speakers. Journal of Pragmatics 20
[4] Daikuhara. M. A Study of Compliment from a Cross-cultural Perspective:
[5] Grice. H. P. Logic and Conversation. 1975. In Peter Cole and Jerry Morgan (eds.). Syntax and Semantics, Vol. 3: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press.
[6] Gu Yueguo. 1990. Politeness Phenomena in Modern Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics. 14(2).
[7] Gu, Yueguo. 1992. Politeness, pragmatic and culture. Foreign Language Teaching and Learning.
[8] Herbert, R. K. 1991.The Sociology of Compliment Work in Polish and English. In Nikolas Coupland and Adam Jaworski eds. Sociolinguistics A Reader and Course Book, NY: Martin's Press Inc.
[9] Herbert, R. 1987. Sex-based differences in compliment behavior. Language in Society.
[10] Herbert, R. 1990. The ethnography of English Compliments and Compliment Responses: a Contrastive Sketch. In Olesky Wieslaw (ed.), Contrastive Pragmatics. Amsterdam: John
[11] Holmes, J. 1988. Paying compliments: a see;-preferential positive politeness strategy. Journal of Pragmatics.
[12] Holmes, Janet, 1988. Paying compliments: a sex-preferential politeness strategy. Journal of Pragmatics 12, 445-465
[13] Hu Wenzhong (ed.). 1988. Cross-cultural Communication—What It Means to Chinese Learners of English. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Press.
[14] Hymes, D. 1972. Models of the interaction of language and social life. In J. gumperz &D. Hymes (eds.).
[15] Manes, Joan&Nessa, Wolfson. 1981. The Compliment formula. In Florian Coulmas (ed.) Conversational Routine. Hague: Mouton.
[16] Manes, Joan. 1983. Compliments: A mirror of cultural values. In N. Wolfson&J. Manes (eds.), Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition.
[17] Nelson G, E. Al-Batal,&E. Echols. 1996. Arabic and English compliment responses: Potential for pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics.
[18] Pomerantz, Antia. 1978. Compliment responses: Notes on the co-operation of multiple constraints. In Jim Schenkein J. (ed), Studies in the organization of conversational interaction. New York: Academic Press.
[19] Schmidt, R. W.&J. C. Richards. 1980. Speech acts and language learning. Applied Linguistics 23.
[20] Scollon, R.&Scollon, S. 1995. Cross-cultural Communication: A Discourse Approach. Blackwell. Scale, John R. 1969. What is a Speech Act? In Pier Paolo Giglioli (ed.), Language and Social Context. London: Penguin Books.
[21] Searle, John R., 1975. Indirect speech acts. In: Cole, P., Morgan, J. (Eds.), Syntax and semantics, vol. 3: speech acts. Academic Press, New York, pp. 59-82.
[22] Searle, John R. 1976. The classification of illocutionary acts. Language in Society.
[23] Watts. Richard. 1992. Linguistic politeness and politic verbal Behaviour: Reconsidering claims for universality. In Politeness in Language: Stuclies in its History Theory and Practice ed. by Sachiko Ide and Konrad Ehlich.
[24] Wierzbicka. Anna. 1985. Different Cultures, Different Languages. Different Speech Acts. Journal of Pragmatics: 145—178.
[25] Wolfson, Nessa. 1989. The social dynamics of native and nonnative variation in complimenting behavior. In M. Eisenstein (ed.), The dynamic interlanguage: Empirical studies in second language variation. New York: Plenum.
[26] Yang Su-ying, 1987. A comparison between Chinese and American cultures in forms of address, greetings, farewells, and compliments. Cross Currents 13, 13-28.
[27] Ye, L., 1995. Complimenting in Mandarin Chinese. In: Kasper, G. (Ed.), Pragmatics of Chinese as native and target language. Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, pp. 207-295.
[28] Yule, G 2000. Pragmatics. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
[29] Zimin, S. 1981 Sex and Politeness: Factors in First- and Second-Language Use. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 27, 35—58.
[30] Zuo Huanqi. 1988. Verbal interactions of compliment in American English and Chinese．《跨文化交际与英语学习》，胡文仲主编，117-136页．
[31] 蔡春驰．英汉恭维语的对比研究[J]．《浙江教育学院学报》第2期，2003．
[32] 戴帏栋．《简明英语语言学教程》(修订版)[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1988．
[33] 邓炎昌，刘润清．《语言与文化》[M]．北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1989．
[34] 佴云国．恭维语应答策略的社会变异研究[J]．西南交通大学，2004．
[35] 方颖芝．英汉礼貌用语对比分析[J]．上海海运学院，2002．
[36] 贡献．恭维答语[J]．《解放军外语学院学报》，1997第3期，10-19页．
[37] 顾曰国．礼貌、语用与文化[J]．《外语教学与研究》1992第四期．
[38] 郭爱先．美国称赞语的应答模式[J]．《外语与外语教学》，1998第10期，14-15页．
[39] 韩静．中美商务谈判中恭维语的对比研究[J]．山东师范大学，2006．
[40] 郝薇薇．中英文恭维语回应对比研究[J]．吉林大学，2004．
[41] 何自然．《语用学概论》[M]．长沙：湖南教育出社．
[42] 何自然．《语用学与英语学习》[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1997．
[43] 胡文仲．《超越文化的障碍》[M]．上海：外语教学与研究出版社，2002．
[44] 胡晓丽．A Contrastive Study of Compliments in English and Chinese in Respect of Culture and Language Relationship[J]．北京语言文化大学，2002．
[45] 胡壮麟．《语言学教程》(修订版)[M]．北京：北京大学出版社，2001．
[46] 贾玉新．《跨文化交际学》[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1997．
[47] 林峰．American and Chinese Compliments：A Cross-cultural study[J]．曲阜师范大学，2000．
[48] 李剑．汉语恭维语差异及成因初探[J]．华东师范大学，2006．
[49] 李强．对中国大学生在恭维回应语中性别差异的社会认知分析[J]．郑州大学，2004．
[50] 刘君红．中美电影中的恭维言语行为跨文化比较研究[J]．华中科技大学，2004．
[51] 门高春．汉语恭维答语的社会语言学研究[J]．武汉理工大学，2004．
[52] 卜时红．论中美恭维语在日常交际中的差异．2001．
[53] 石宁．英汉称赞语之比较[J]．《中国人民大学学报》，1997第4期，86-91页．
[54] 王建陵．汉语恭维语初探[J]．四川大学，2003．
[55] 吴友富．《外语与文化研究》[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，2001．
[56] 张永梅．恭维及其反应英汉对比研究[J]．河南大学，2003．
[57] 赵英玲．英语称赞语的应答模式[J]．《外语与外语教学》1998第10期，17-18页．
[58] 赵永新．《汉外语言文化对比与对外汉语教学》[J]．北京：北京语言文化大学出版社，1997．
[2] Brown, P. and S. Levinson. 1987. Politeness: Some Universals in Language Usage. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[3] Chen Rong. 1993. Responding to compliments: a contrastive study of politeness strategies between American English and Chinese speakers. Journal of Pragmatics 20
[4] Daikuhara. M. A Study of Compliment from a Cross-cultural Perspective:
[5] Grice. H. P. Logic and Conversation. 1975. In Peter Cole and Jerry Morgan (eds.). Syntax and Semantics, Vol. 3: Speech Acts. New York: Academic Press.
[6] Gu Yueguo. 1990. Politeness Phenomena in Modern Chinese. Journal of Pragmatics. 14(2).
[7] Gu, Yueguo. 1992. Politeness, pragmatic and culture. Foreign Language Teaching and Learning.
[8] Herbert, R. K. 1991.The Sociology of Compliment Work in Polish and English. In Nikolas Coupland and Adam Jaworski eds. Sociolinguistics A Reader and Course Book, NY: Martin's Press Inc.
[9] Herbert, R. 1987. Sex-based differences in compliment behavior. Language in Society.
[10] Herbert, R. 1990. The ethnography of English Compliments and Compliment Responses: a Contrastive Sketch. In Olesky Wieslaw (ed.), Contrastive Pragmatics. Amsterdam: John
[11] Holmes, J. 1988. Paying compliments: a see;-preferential positive politeness strategy. Journal of Pragmatics.
[12] Holmes, Janet, 1988. Paying compliments: a sex-preferential politeness strategy. Journal of Pragmatics 12, 445-465
[13] Hu Wenzhong (ed.). 1988. Cross-cultural Communication—What It Means to Chinese Learners of English. Shanghai: Shanghai Translation Press.
[14] Hymes, D. 1972. Models of the interaction of language and social life. In J. gumperz &D. Hymes (eds.).
[15] Manes, Joan&Nessa, Wolfson. 1981. The Compliment formula. In Florian Coulmas (ed.) Conversational Routine. Hague: Mouton.
[16] Manes, Joan. 1983. Compliments: A mirror of cultural values. In N. Wolfson&J. Manes (eds.), Sociolinguistics and Language Acquisition.
[17] Nelson G, E. Al-Batal,&E. Echols. 1996. Arabic and English compliment responses: Potential for pragmatic failure. Applied Linguistics.
[18] Pomerantz, Antia. 1978. Compliment responses: Notes on the co-operation of multiple constraints. In Jim Schenkein J. (ed), Studies in the organization of conversational interaction. New York: Academic Press.
[19] Schmidt, R. W.&J. C. Richards. 1980. Speech acts and language learning. Applied Linguistics 23.
[20] Scollon, R.&Scollon, S. 1995. Cross-cultural Communication: A Discourse Approach. Blackwell. Scale, John R. 1969. What is a Speech Act? In Pier Paolo Giglioli (ed.), Language and Social Context. London: Penguin Books.
[21] Searle, John R., 1975. Indirect speech acts. In: Cole, P., Morgan, J. (Eds.), Syntax and semantics, vol. 3: speech acts. Academic Press, New York, pp. 59-82.
[22] Searle, John R. 1976. The classification of illocutionary acts. Language in Society.
[23] Watts. Richard. 1992. Linguistic politeness and politic verbal Behaviour: Reconsidering claims for universality. In Politeness in Language: Stuclies in its History Theory and Practice ed. by Sachiko Ide and Konrad Ehlich.
[24] Wierzbicka. Anna. 1985. Different Cultures, Different Languages. Different Speech Acts. Journal of Pragmatics: 145—178.
[25] Wolfson, Nessa. 1989. The social dynamics of native and nonnative variation in complimenting behavior. In M. Eisenstein (ed.), The dynamic interlanguage: Empirical studies in second language variation. New York: Plenum.
[26] Yang Su-ying, 1987. A comparison between Chinese and American cultures in forms of address, greetings, farewells, and compliments. Cross Currents 13, 13-28.
[27] Ye, L., 1995. Complimenting in Mandarin Chinese. In: Kasper, G. (Ed.), Pragmatics of Chinese as native and target language. Second Language Teaching and Curriculum Center, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, pp. 207-295.
[28] Yule, G 2000. Pragmatics. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
[29] Zimin, S. 1981 Sex and Politeness: Factors in First- and Second-Language Use. International Journal of the Sociology of Language 27, 35—58.
[30] Zuo Huanqi. 1988. Verbal interactions of compliment in American English and Chinese．《跨文化交际与英语学习》，胡文仲主编，117-136页．
[31] 蔡春驰．英汉恭维语的对比研究[J]．《浙江教育学院学报》第2期，2003．
[32] 戴帏栋．《简明英语语言学教程》(修订版)[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1988．
[33] 邓炎昌，刘润清．《语言与文化》[M]．北京：外语教学与研究出版社，1989．
[34] 佴云国．恭维语应答策略的社会变异研究[J]．西南交通大学，2004．
[35] 方颖芝．英汉礼貌用语对比分析[J]．上海海运学院，2002．
[36] 贡献．恭维答语[J]．《解放军外语学院学报》，1997第3期，10-19页．
[37] 顾曰国．礼貌、语用与文化[J]．《外语教学与研究》1992第四期．
[38] 郭爱先．美国称赞语的应答模式[J]．《外语与外语教学》，1998第10期，14-15页．
[39] 韩静．中美商务谈判中恭维语的对比研究[J]．山东师范大学，2006．
[40] 郝薇薇．中英文恭维语回应对比研究[J]．吉林大学，2004．
[41] 何自然．《语用学概论》[M]．长沙：湖南教育出社．
[42] 何自然．《语用学与英语学习》[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1997．
[43] 胡文仲．《超越文化的障碍》[M]．上海：外语教学与研究出版社，2002．
[44] 胡晓丽．A Contrastive Study of Compliments in English and Chinese in Respect of Culture and Language Relationship[J]．北京语言文化大学，2002．
[45] 胡壮麟．《语言学教程》(修订版)[M]．北京：北京大学出版社，2001．
[46] 贾玉新．《跨文化交际学》[M]．上海：上海外语教育出版社，1997．
[47] 林峰．American and Chinese Compliments：A Cross-cultural study[J]．曲阜师范大学，2000．
[48] 李剑．汉语恭维语差异及成因初探[J]．华东师范大学，2006．
[49] 李强．对中国大学生在恭维回应语中性别差异的社会认知分析[J]．郑州大学，2004．
[50] 刘君红．中美电影中的恭维言语行为跨文化比较研究[J]．华中科技大学，2004．
[51] 门高春．汉语恭维答语的社会语言学研究[J]．武汉理工大学，2004．
[52] 卜时红．论中美恭维语在日常交际中的差异．2001．
[53] 石宁．英汉称赞语之比较[J]．《中国人民大学学报》，1997第4期，86-91页．
[54] 王建陵．汉语恭维语初探[J]．四川大学，2003．
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