安慰语的语用分析

朱婕

【摘要】安慰语是指当事人遭受不幸，失败，挫折而处于忧伤，气愤，痛苦，沉闷等消极状态时，说话人为改变其消极情绪所实施的一种言语行为。在安慰言语行为中，采取合适的策略，是达到安慰他人，完成交际目的的重要途径。安慰语是语用范筹，它的实现必须依赖特定的背景。它在人际关系的协调中起到了举足轻重的作用，是人们必须熟知和掌握的一种言语行为。本文用语用学中的合作原则对安慰语进行阐述，并结合生活中常见的例子来分析安慰语是如何达到安慰效果的。

【关键词】言语行为 安慰语 合作原则

【Abstract】Consolation language is considered as a speech act in communication. Its a speech act that people often use in public communication， which belongs to expressive act. Its also a polite and beneficial behavior. Applying appropriate strategies in consoling process is a good way to console people and attain communicative goal. Consolation language belongs to pragmatics and the realization of it depends on certain context. This thesis will use cooperative principle in pragmatics to explain it and combine examples in daily life to expatiate how consolation language achieves consoling effect.

【Key words】Cooperative principle； Consolation language； Pragmatics

Introduction

In daily life， people always get into bad mood， such as grief， melancholy， anger， anguish and so on. Sometimes people can not get out of bad mood by themselves； at this time， if other people give them a help， even though several words， people may get out of the bad mood immediately. What we give people the most are words to console them， which is called consolation language.

Consolation language is an interpersonal speech act， having the goal of reducing or alleviating the emotional distress experienced by others. The thesis is based on the theoretical framework of the Cooperative Principle.

The Basic Information of Consolation Language

Consolation language is a speech act， having the goal of reducing or alleviating the emotional distress experienced by others.

The Cooperative Principle in Consolation Language

When we console people， we all hope the consolation language can be received by the distressed one， to achieve the ideal effect. At this time， Grices Cooperative Principle plays an important role. The Cooperative Principle is very popular in daily communication； we consciously or unconsciously obey it.

The Application of Cooperative Principle in Consolation Language

When we console people， we often obey these maxims. From the following daily consolation language， we can see how people obey the Cooperative Principle.

Quantity： 1.make your contribution as informative as is required （for the current purpose of the exchange）. 2. Do not make your contribution more informative than is required.

Example1： Situation： after a running race.

A—I would have got a good mark， but I paused in mid-way.

B—Do not be sad. A match does not mean anything.

After the running race， A is very sad， because he could have done a good job， but for a little mistake， he failed in the match. A tells it to B just to seek consolation， and B understands As meaning， so B says“Do not be sad” to encourage him. This conversation is appropriate to the quantity maxim. Bs utterance is easily received by A.

Quality： try to make your contribution one that is true. 1. Do not say what you believe to be false. 2. Do not say that for which you lack adequate evidence.

Example2： A—My grandma died yesterday， I miss her very much.

B—People in the world will die one day， so do not be pessimistic.

B says a truth “People in the world will die one day”. Its a common sense that all creatures will die one day. So B means your grandma is bound to die sooner or later， now the fact that your grandma died yesterday is acceptable. From the conversation we can see A and B are good friends， As utterance is casual. But if A and B are strangers， it is not appropriate to say so.

Relation： be relevant.

Example3： A—He must consider I am very impolite.

B—No. Everyone can see you are very worried.

In a meeting， A thinks his bosss proposition is not very appropriate， so he refutes him. After the meeting， A is afraid that his boss would fire him， so he tells it to B. B consoles A to balance his mood and persuade him to get out of worry. Bs consolation language is closely related to As sad point.

Manner： be perspicuous. 1. Avoid obscurity of expression 2.Avoid ambiguity 3.Be brief （avoid prolixity） 4.Be orderly.

Conclusion

Cooperative Principle plays a role in readjusting the content of communication， which can continue on the condition that the partner is willing to cooperate. This thesis gives people an overall view of how cooperative principle used in daily life.