英语语用学言语理论Speech-Act-Theory

SpeechActTheoryVera(韩玉霞)2ConstativevsPerformative1GeneralDefinition5DevelopmentofSpeechActs4Thetheoryofillocutionaryacts3CollapseofthedichotomyContents1.1GeneralDefinition•Aspeechactinlinguisticsandthephilosophyoflanguageisanutterancethathasperformativefunctioninlanguageandcommunication.•ThecontemporaryuseofthetermgoesbacktoJ.L.Austin'sdevelopmentofperformativeutterancesandhistheoryoflocutionary,illocutionary,andperlocutionaryacts.1.2SpeechActTheoryOriginatedwiththeBritishphilosopherJohnAustininthelate50’softhe20thcenturyChallengedtheso-called“descriptivefallacy”Furtherdevelopedbyotherscholars,particularlyJ.Searle•JohnLangshawAustin(March26,1911[1]–February8,1960)wasaBritishphilosopheroflanguage,borninLancasterandeducatedatShrewsburySchoolandBalliolCollege,OxfordUniversity.1.3Austin1.4Austin’sWork1.WordsandDeeds《言与行》（1952）AccordingtoJ.Austin,thereseemstobenoclear-cutboundarybetweenspeakingandacting.Rather,sayingissometimesacting.Alternatively,toputitinanotherway,wordsarepartofdeeds.2.HowtoDoThingswithWords《如何以言行事》（1962）Austinmadetheprimarydistinctionbetweentwotypesofutterances:constative:表述句performative：施为句2.1Constativevs.PerformativeConstativeutterances（表述话语）areverifiable(trueorfalse)statements,aimingtoeitherstateordescribe.–IgototheparkeverySunday.•Performativeutterances（施事话语）arestatementsnotverifiable(nottrueorfalse),aimingatperformingacertainact..(Austin1962)1.Ido.2.InamethisshipQueenElizabeth.Performativeverbs:name,bet,etc.Theterm“speechacts”wasinitiallyinventedtoportraytheactionsaccomplishedviaperformativeutterances.Initslaterbroadsense,speechactsalsocoveractionsperformedbyutterancethatarenotstrictlyperformative.Now,speechactsareconsideredtobethebasicorminimalunitsoflinguisticcommunication.2.2DefinitionExpansionCommonfeanturesofclassicexamplesofperformantives:1First-personsubject（第一人称主语）2Thesimplepresenttense（一般现在时））3Indicativemood（陈述句）4Activevoice（主动语态）5Performativeverbs（施为动词）3.1CollapseofthedichotomyHowever,Austinsoonfindsoutthat:1.thesubjectmaybe:thefirstpersonplural,asinWepromisetocleantheroomafterwards”;secondperson,asinYouareherebyauthorizedtopayforthepurchase“;orthirdperson,asin“Passengersarewarnedtocrossthetrackbythebriageonly”.2.thevoicemaybepassivee.g.Noticeisherebygiventhatpassengerswillbeprosecuted.3.Ininformalsituations,othermoodsthantheindicativemaybeused.e.g.Turnright.(Insteadof“Iorderyoutoturnright”).4.vocabularymaynotbeareliablecriterion.e.g.toissueanorder,onedoesn'tneedtousethewordorder“.5.performativesverbscanbeusedinconstativeways.e.g.ShenamesthissiptheQueenElizabeth.sothespeakercanperformcertainactseitherbyutteringsentenceswithexplicitperformativeverbsorbyotherdevicesidentifiedaswordorder,stress,intonation,andevencontext.4.1Thetheoryofillocutionaryacts(言语行为三分说）Owingtotheseproblemsandothers,J.Austinrejectedthedistinctionbetweenconstativesandperformatives.Instead,heproposedanewandmoregeneralframeworkofspeechactanalysis——locutionaryact,illocutionaryact,andperlocutionaryact.(P206)•Alocutionaryactistheactofutteringwords,phrases,clauses.Itistheactofconveyingliteralmeaningbymeansofsyntaxlexiconandphonology.•Anillocutionaryactistheactofexpressingthespeaker’sintention.Itistheactperformedinsayingsomething.•Aperlocutionaryactistheactperformedbyorresultingfromsayingsomething.itistheconsequenceof,orthechangebroughtabouttheutterance.(Austin1962)•Amongthethreeacts,theillocutionaryactiswhatlinguistshavebeenstudyingallalong,whichinvolvesmanypsychologicalandsocialfactors,ofwhichwearestillmoreorlessinthedark.•SotheillocutionaryactiswhatAustinreallydrivingat.•Inthissense,speechacttheoryisinfactatheoryoftheillocutionaryact.4.2(Illocutionary)SpeechactsclassifiedAccordingtoJ.Austin,(illocutionary)speechactsfallintocertaintypesintermsoftheirillocutionaryforce,aslistedbelow:verdictives(裁决型),exercitives(行使型),commissives(承诺型),behavitives(行为型),expositives(阐述型)A.verdictives裁决类It’saverdictgivenbyajury,arbitratororumpire.e.g.finaldecisions,estimate,reckoningorappraisalB.exercitives行使类Itinvolvestheexercisingofpowers,rightsorinfluence.e.g.appointing,voting,ordering,urging,advising,warning,etc.C.Commissives承诺类Itisessentiallyactofpromisingorotherundertakingwhichincludesdeclarationsorannouncements.D.behabitives行动类Itischaracterizedbytheexpressionofattitudesandsocialbehavior,coveringsuchactsasapologizing,congratulating,commending,condoling,cursing,andchallenging.E.expositives表述类Itreferstothosespeechactsofexpoundingone’sviews,conductingarguments,clarifyingusagesandreferencesandthelike.5.1DevelopmentofSpeechActsSearle’sunderstandingoflinguisticcommunication:Man’suseoflanguageisanintentionedactconditionedbyrules.Andthebasicunitofspeechcommunicationisnotwordsorsentencesbutspeechactsastheyexpressthespeaker’sintention.Also,thespeechactisafunctionofsentencemeaning.5.2Searle’sIndirectSpeechActTheoryLanguageisrestrictedbyrules.Searle’stwodifferentrules.Regulativerules(调节性规律）arethosewhichmodifytheexistingactivitiesandcouldexistingindependently.Thecancellationoftherulewouldnotbethecancellationoftheactivity.Ruleswestickto