跨文化交际的语用失误研究英语论文.docx

跨文化交际的语用失误研究英语论文.docx

《跨文化交际的语用失误研究英语论文.docx》由会员分享，可在线阅读，更多相关《跨文化交际的语用失误研究英语论文.docx（11页珍藏版）》请在冰豆网上搜索。

跨文化交际的语用失误研究英语论文

跨文化交际的语用失误研究

AStudyofPragmaticFailureinInterculturalCommunication

摘要

本论文尝试从一些基本的语用学理论入手对比分析不同文化差异引起的语用失误现象，以便从更科学和系统的角度了解不同文化、不同社会、不同群体的人们是如何以不同的标准来进行他们各自的言语行为。

本文重点从言语交际失误方面展开对语用失误的研究，主要包括语用语言失误和社交语用失误两种。

并且通过对这两种语用失误的分析，作者提出了一些针对语言教学的启示。

关键词:

跨文化交际；文化差异；语用语言失误；社交语用失误；语言教学启示

Abstract

Thisthesisattemptstoanalyzepragmaticfailureaccordingtosomebasicpragmatictheories,inordertounderstandpeoplemorescientificallyandsystematicallywhocomefromdifferentculture,societyandcommunityhowtooperateinteractionbasedondifferentstandards.Thethesiswillemphasizeonverbalcommunicationwhichconcludespragmalinguisticfailureandsocio-pragmaticfailure.Andthroughanalyzingonthetwokindsofpragmaticfailures,theauthorputsforwardsomeenlightenmentforlanguageteaching.

Keywords:

InterculturalCommunication;CulturalDifferences;PragmalinguisticFailure;Socio-pragmaticFailure;EnlightenmentforLanguageTeaching

ChapterOneIntroduction

Interculturalcommunicationactivitiesgowiththehistoryofmankind,butasasubjectitonlyemergedseveraldecadesagoandagreatmanyresearchesfromdifferentperspectiveshavebeenconductedonitbyscholarsathomeandabroad.Thethesisattemptstomakeanalysisonthepragmaticfailuresintheinterculturalcommunicationfromtheviewpointofsociolinguisticsandpragmatics.

Chaptertwoexplainsseveralimportantissues.Thefirstistogivethedefinitionandcharacteristicsofcultureandcommunication,whichleadtotheconclusionthatculture,communicationandlanguageareinseparable.Thesecondisanoverviewofinterculturalcommunication.Thestudyofinterculturalcommunicationisamulti-discipline,anditcompasseseveryaspectofcommunication.

Chapterthreediscussestwotypesofpragmaticfailureinverbal-communication,namely:

pragmalinguisticfailureandsociopragmaticfailure.Intermsofpragmalinguisticfailure,failuresinlexiconandgrammarareillustrated;intermsofsociopragmaticfailure,failuresinwhattosayandhowtosay.

Chapterfourgivessomeenlightenmenttoimprovelanguageteachingapproachesandconcepts.Inrecentyears,researchershavemadegreateffortstoimproveforeignlanguageteaching,anditisthoughtthatthepragmaticcompetenceofforeignlanguagelearnershasbeenimprovedalot.However,pragmaticfailurestillhauntsthelanguagelearnersandteachersbecauseitiscloselyconcernedwithculture,communicationandlanguage,whichareindispensableinacademicandsociallife.

ChapterTwoABriefSurveyofSomeSpecifiedIssuesinInterculturalCommunication

2.1TheDefinitionsofClassroomQuestioning

2.1.1Culture

Cultureissuchavastandlargeconceptthatitishardanddifficulttogiveanexactdefinitionthatisacceptedbyallpeople.Itissaidthattherehavebeenatleastover150definitionsaboutculture,butnoneofthemcancoveralltheaspectsofculture.Thefollowingdefinitionsaresomeofthewell-knownones.

EdwardT.Hallgaveadetaileddescriptionas“Cultureisman’smedium;thereisnotoneaspectofhumanlifethatisnottouchedandalteredbyculture.Thismeanspersonality,howpeopleexpressthemselves,includingshowsofemotion,thewaytheythink,howtheymove,howproblemsaresolved,howtheircitiesareplannedandlaidout,howtransportationsystemsfunctionandareorganized,aswellashoweconomicandgovernmentsystemsareputtogetherandfunction.”（Hall,1959,p.97）

BatesandPlogproposedadescriptivedefinition“Cultureisasystemofsharedbeliefs,values,customs,behaviors,andartifactsthatthemembersofasocietyusetocopewiththeirworldandwithoneanother,andthataretransmittedfromgenerationtogenerationthroughlearning.Thisdefinitionincludesnotonlypatternsofbehaviorbutalsopatternsofthought,artifacts,andtheculturallytransmittedskillsandtechniquesusedtomaketheartifacts.”（Bates&Plog,1990,p.152）

Fromtheabovedefinitions,wehaveseencultureisubiquitousmultidimensional,complex,andall-pervasive.Inmanyways,Halliscorrect:

cultureiseverythingandeverywhere（Samovar&Porter,2000,p.34）.Forthepurposeresearchonpragmaticfailureininterculturalcommunication,theauthorwouldliketounderstandcultureasaparticularwaytosatisfyhuman’sbasicneeds.AccordingtoapsychologistAbrahamMaslow,humanbeingsharesfivebasicneeds:

thephysiologicalneeds,thesafetyneeds,thebelongingnessneeds,theesteemneedsandtheself-actualizationneeds.Thefivebasicneedsofhumanbeingareshapedandaffectedunconsciouslybycultureandgraduallywetakeitforgrantedandtreatthemascultural-rootedhabits.Takefoodasanexample,peoplefromoneculturemightthinkthefoodeatenbyanotherculturalgroupisnotdeliciousandevendisgusting.JustlikeChinesethinkitgoodforhealthtoeatdogmeat,whilethethoughtofeatingdogdisgustswesternpeoplebecausedogsaretreatedaspeople’sbestfriendsintheirculture.Butnomatterhowdifferentculturehasitswaysofdoingthingsindailylife,itcannotbesimplyjudgedbytheright-or-wrongquestion.Itisinterpretedasdifferentpeopledothesamethingsindifferentmanners.

2.1.2Communication

Theword“communicate”originatefromtheLatinword“commonis”thatmeans“common”.Sothepremiseofcommunicationisthattheparticipantsshouldsharethecommonknowledge.Asisthecasewithculture,communicationiscomplexandmultidimensional.Whenpeopledecodethesignalandobtainthemessage,itisimportantforthemtointerpretmessagesintermsofculturalorientation.AndSamovardefinescommunicationas“ithappenswhenevermeaningisattributedtobehaviorortotheresidueofbehavior”（Samovar,1981,p.75）.Hisdefinitiontellsuscommunicationcangoonthroughourconsciousorunconscious,intentionalorunintentionalbehavior.Peoplearecommunicatingeverywhereallthetimeinvariousmannersfordifferentpurposes.

Inordertoclarifyhowcommunicationactuallyoperates,thereareseveralcharacteristicsofcommunicationneedtobefullyunderstood.First,communicationischangingallthetime.Duringtheprocessofcommunication,participantsareunconsciouslyaffectedbytheinputofnewmessages.So,therewillbechangedinsomeway,whichmeanseveryonewillbeadynamicindividualinhiswholelife.Second,communicationisirreversible.Oncemessagesarereceivedanddecodeditisimpossibletoeliminatetheresultandthesender’sonlychoiceistomodifyorimplementtheformermessages.Therefore,oncepragmaticfailuresoccurintheprocessofcommunicationitisnotaneasyjobtoerasesomenegativeresultsandinfluencescompletely.Therefore,thestudyofpragmaticfailurewillbehelpfultominimizemisunderstandingininternationalcommunication.

2.2InterculturalCommunication

2.2.1DefinitionofInterculturalCommunication

Itisanundeniablefactthatweliveinaglobalvillagenowadays.Interculturalcommunicationoccurseverydaywiththerapideconomicandculturaldevelopmentofsociety.Itinvolvestheinteractionofculturesfromdifferentnations.Asanindependentsubject,interculturalcommunicationonlyemergedafewdecadesago.HallputforwardtheterminterculturalcommunicationfirstinhisbookTheSilentLanguage.Itcanbesimplydefinedasinterpersonalcommunicationbetweenmembersofdifferentcultures.Thetermhasbeenexpressedinmanyways,suchasinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalcommunication,thestudyofinterculturalcommunication,andthestudyofcross-culturalcommunication.Amongthem,interculturalcommunicationandcross-culturalcommunicationaremorewidelyadopted.Thoughthetermcross-culturalcommunicationwasadoptedearlierbyscholars,nowtheformerreceivesmorepreference.

Inmanycases,interculturalcommunicationandcross-culturalcommunicationareunderstoodasbeingthesame.Thestudyofinterculturalcommunicationisgenerallyconsideredtoincludecross-culturalcommunication.AccordingtoSamovar,&Porter,interculturalcommunicationiscommunicationbetweenpeoplewhoseculturalperceptionsandsymbolsystemaredistinctenoughtoalterthecommunicationevent.AccordingtoGudykunstandKin,interculturalcommunicationisacomparisonofsomephenomenaacrosscultures,butcross-culturalcommunicationisaninteractionbetweenpeoplefromdifferentcultures.Theyholdthatinterculturalcommunicationputsemphasisonthestudy,whilecross-culturalcommunicationintheinteraction.Inthisthesis,hereby,theauthorwilladopttheterminterculturalcommunication.

2.2.2AnOverviewofInterculturalCommunication

ThestudyofinterculturalcommunicationcanbetracedbacktoAmericainthelate1950sandtheearly1960s.AsanewworldforEuropeans,Asians,andpeoplefromothercontinentswhowanttorealizetheirAmericandreams,Americaattractsmillionsofimmigrantsallovertheworld.Theseimmigrantsbroughtnotonlytheirskills,buttheirculturesaswell.Therefore,asameltingpotofimmigrants,avarietyofbarriers,conflicts,andfrictionsduetoculturaldifferencesincommunicationactivitiesaroseinAmerica.Thisphenomenonarousedmuchinterestinthewesterncountries,especiallyinAmerica.Communicationspecialistsbecameinterestedinthesubjectofcommunicationamongmembersofdifferentcultures.ThebookTheSilentLanguageisoftenconsideredastheinitialsignalofinterculturalcommunicationstudies.Fromthenon,anthropologists,socio-psychologists,sociolinguistshavedevotedwithgreatenthusiasmtothestudyfromavarietyofperspectives.

InterculturalcommunicationwasdeliveredasacourseinsomeAmericanuniversitiesinthelate1960s.Withthetrendofglobalization,thedevelopmento