反语的幽默属性和语用功能.docx

反语的幽默属性和语用功能.docx

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反语的幽默属性和语用功能

摘要:

反语作为一种普遍使用的修辞格，引起了认知心理学家和语言学家的关注。

反语研究的角度从传统的修辞学和美学转向了认知心理学和语用学的探究。

本文首先从定义和分类上，对反语进行认知层面上的归纳总结。

其次，基于语用学角度分析了反语与合作原则和礼貌原则的联系。

反语违反合作原则主要体现在对质量准则的违反上。

反语作为一种间接言语，成为礼貌的一种手段。

反语原则独立于礼貌原则之外，是对礼貌原则的一大补充。

此外，反语是言语幽默的一种表现形式。

英汉反语的语用功能大致相似，但也存在不少差异。

文中对此异同进行归纳总结，从而得知，反语的幽默属性是其基本属性，在其语用功能中也得到了很好的体现。

关键词”反语；语用功能；幽默；英汉反语

Abstract:

Verbalirony,asawidelyusedfigureofspeech,hasreceivedconsiderableattentionfromcognitivepsychologistsandlinguists.Thetraditionalstudyofverbalironyfromrhetoricalandaestheticalapproacheshasbeenshiftedtocurrentcognitiveandpragmaticinvestigation.Inthispaper,focuswillbelaiduponthehumorfeatureofverbalironyfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics.First,throughthecomparisonofdifferentkindsofdefinitionsofirony,ageneralideaaboutwhatisironyisestablished.Then,thispaperexaminestheCooperativePrinciple（CPforshort）ofAmericanlinguistGricewhichputforwardsthatironyactsasaviolationofCP.Lastbutnottheleast,withthehelpofthecomparisonofthepragmaticfunctionsofEnglishironyandChineseirony,thehumorfeatureofverbalironycanbewelldisplayed.InEnglish,ironycouldbeusedtostateone’snegativeattitudetosomething.Itcouldbeusedasameanstosatirize,anapproachtopoliteness,anapproachtohumor.Chineseironycanbeclassifiedintofivetypesfromtheperspectiveofpragmaticfunctionsasfollows:

ironyforcommendationandderogation,ironyforsatire,ironyforfun,ironyforaffectionandironyforemphasis.Thepragmaticfunctionsofironyinbothlanguagesaresimilar.

KeyWords:

verbalirony;pragmaticfunction;humor;EnglishandChineseironies

1.Introduction

Ironyisacommonlinguisticphenomenoninverbalcommunication.Recentyearshaveseenamushroomgrowthofdistinctlyangledtheorizationsinthisorientation,whichneverthelessexhibitstrongcomplementarity.Traditionally,ironyistreatedasafigureofspeechwhoseintendedmeaningistheoppositeofthatexpressedbythewordsuttered.Thestudyofironyinthiswaybelongstothatofrhetoric.AmericanlinguistGricetakesironyasoneofthosefiguresofspeechthatfloutstheCooperativePrinciple（CPforshort）,especiallytheMaximofQuality.Ironyinterpretedunderthispragmaticmodelconveysthecontradictionofwhatisliterallysaid.LinguistsSperberandWilsontreatironyasanechoicmentionwhilelinguistCuddonstatesthat“Atitssimplest,verbalironyinvolvessayingwhatonedoesn’tmean.”[1]

Inthispaper,focuswillbelaiduponthehumorfeatureofverbalironyfromtheperspectiveofpragmatics.First,throughthecomparisonofdifferentkindsofdefinitionsofirony,ageneralideaaboutwhatisironyisestablished.Secondly,thispaperexaminesGriceanCooperativePrinciplewhichputforwardsthatironyactsasaviolationofCP.Thirdly,withthehelpofLeech’sideaofirony,thepragmaticfunctionofironycouldbebetterdisplayed.Finally,thelastpointisaboutthepragmaticfunctionsofbothEnglishironyandChineseirony.Inaword,ironyisonewaytoproducehumorinverbalcommunication.

2.Whatisirony

Itisdifficulttodefinethewordof“irony”whichcouldbeunderstoodinvariousways.Theexpansionofitsresearchareamaybethedirectcauseofthediversityofthedefinitionofirony.Thefollowingaresomedefinitionsofironyfromdictionaries.2.1Dictionarydefinitionsofirony

1）Expressionofone’smeaningbysayingthedirectoppositeofone’sthoughtsinordertobeemphatic,amusing,sarcastic,etc.[2]

OxfordAdvancedLearner’sEnglish-ChineseDictionary

2）Useofwordswhichareclearlyoppositetoone’smeaning,usuallyeitherinordertobeamusingortoshowannoyance（e.g.bysaying‘Whatcharmingbehaviour’whensomeonehasbeenrude.）[3]

LongmanDictionaryofEnglishLanguage&Culture（English-Chinese）

3）Ironyisaliterarytechniquethatachievestheeffectofsayingonethingandmeaninganotherthroughtheuseofhumorormildsarcasm.[4]

Webster’sNewWorldEncyclopedia

4）Theuseofwordstoexpresssomethingotherthanandespeciallytheoppositeoftheliteralmeaning.[5]

WebsterEnglishDictionary

5）Ironyisafigureofspeechthatachievesemphasisbysayingtheoppositeofwhatismeant,theintendedmeaningofthewordsbeingtheoppositeoftheirusualsense.Thisformofironyiscalledverbalirony,anddiffersfromthestylisticdeviceofdramaticirony.[6]

EnglishRhetoricalOptions

6）DefinitionofironyfromGrolierInternationalDictionary:

a）.Anexpressionorutterancemarkedbysuchadeliberatecontrastbetweenapparentandintendedmeaning,forhumorousorrhetoricaleffect.

b）.Incongruitybetweenwhatmightbeexpectedandwhatoccurs.[7]

Theabovedefinitions,althoughexplainedbydifferentexpertsfromdifferentangles,roughlydisplaythenatureofironyfromboththeformandfunction.Amongthesedefinitions,thebasicmeaningofironycouldbefoundas“sayingonethingbutmeaninganother.”Thebestdescriptionofirony,say,theGrolierInternationalDictionary,takesboththeformandfunctionofironyintoconsiderationandgivesusabetterpicture.However,allofthesedefinitionshavesomeshortcomings.First,noneofthemprovidesaneffectivewaytoidentifyironyfromnon-irony.Second,theybasicallyregardironyasatropeorafigureofspeechwhoseliteralandconnotativemeaningsaremutuallyopposedtoeachother.Thistraditionalunderstandinghasbeenunderchallengesbymodernresearch.

2.2Classificationofirony

Theclassificationofironyispresentedindifferentwaysbythosewhoworkonit.Boothidentifiesquiteanumberoftypes:

tragicirony,comicirony,stableirony,unstableirony,dramaticirony,situationalirony,verbalirony,rhetoricalironysoonandsoforth.KreuzandRobertsdistinguishfourtypesofirony:

Socraticirony,dramaticirony,ironyoffateandverbalirony.[8]

Ingeneral,ironyinvolvesacontradictionbetweenappearanceandreality.Ironyresultswherethereisadifferenceinpointofviewbetweenacharacterandthenarratororreader.Traditionally,therearefourmajortypesofirony:

verbal,dramatic,situationalandcomic.

2.2.1Verbalirony

Verbalironyreferstospokenwordsonly.Verbalironyoccurswhenacharactersaysonething,butsuggestsorintendstheopposite.Thecontrastisbetweenwhatthespeakersaysandwhatheactuallymeans.Forexample,inJuliusCaesar,MarkAntonyrepeatsthewords“andBrutusisanhonorableman”inthefamous“Friends,Romans,Countrymen”speech.[9]MarkAntony’smeaning,however,isthatBrutusiscompletelydishonorablebecauseBrutus,Caesar’sbestfriend,joinedtheotherconspiratorsandplungedaknifeintoCaesar’schest.

Inthispaper,thediscussionislaiduponthistypeofirony,verbalirony.

2.2.2Dramaticirony

Dramaticironyinvolvesmorethanjustspokenwords.Dramaticironyoccurswhenthemeaningintendedbyacharacter’swordsoractionsisoppositeofthetruesituation.Thecontrastisbetweenwhatthecharactersays,thinks,ordoesandthetruesituation.Further,thecharactercannotseeorunderstandthecontrast,buttheaudienceorreadercan.Forexample,inOthello,dramaticironyoccurswhenOthelloreferstoIagoas“honestIago”.[10]UnknowntoOthello,IagoisavillainwhodeceiveshimintothinkingthatDesdemona（Othello’swife）hasbeenunfaithful.Forthis,Othellounjustlykillshiswife,believingthewholetimeinIago’shonesty.

Thedifferenceinexamplesforverbalanddramaticirony:

AntonycallsBrutus“honorable”andknowsheisnothonorable,whileOthellocallsIago“honest”anddoesnotknowofIago’sdeceit.

2.2.3Situationalirony

Situationalironydefieslogicalcause/effectrelationshipsandjustifiableexpectations.Forexample,ifagreedymillionaireweretobuyalotteryticketandwinadditionalmillions,theironywouldbesituationalbecausesuchacircumstancecannotbeexplainedlogically.Suchacircumstanceseems“unfair”.Thissenseofbeing“unfair”or“unfortunate”isatrademarkofsituationalirony.Becausepeoplecannotexplaintheunfairness,itcausesthemtoquestionwhetherornotthewordmakessense.

2.2.4Comicirony（orIronyoffate）

Someironygoesbeyondbeingunfairandismorallytragic.SuchironyisoftensoseverethatitcausespeopletoquestionGodandseetheuniverseashostile.Forexample,ifanhonest,hardworking,andgenerouspersonbuysalotteryticketandwinstenmilliondollars,onlytodieinanautocrashtwodayslater,theironywouldreachtragicproportions.Whensituationalironyreachesthisscale,itisoftencalledcomicironyorironyoffate.Suchironytypicallysuggeststhatpeoplearepawnstomaliciousforces.

3.IronyandtheCooperativePrinciple

3.1TheCooperativePrinciple

“AmericanphilosopherH.P.Gricemadeanattempttoexplainthecourseofnaturalconversation,inwhichimpliedmessagesarefrequentlyinvolved.Hisideaisthatinmakingconversation,theparticipantsmustfirstofallbewillingtocooperate;otherwise,itwouldnotbepossibleforthemtocarryonthetalk.ThisgeneralprincipleiscalledtheCooperativePrinciple,abbreviatedasCP.Itgoesasfollows:

Makeyourconversationalcontributionsuchasrequiredatthestageatwhichitoccursbytheacceptedpurposeordirectionofthetalkexchangeinwhichyouareengaged.

Theprinciplebreaksdownintoparticularmaximsthatsummarizeparticularassumptionsaboutconversation.DifferentpragamaticistsproposedifferentnumbersofthesemaximsbutasoriginallyproposedbyGrice,thePrinciplecontainedfoursetsofmaxims:

Themaximsofquantity

a）.Makeyourcontributionasinformativeasisrequired（forthecurrentpurposesoftheexchang