礼貌原则下英汉道歉策略的对比研究分析文学专业

1、AcknowledgementsI am indebted to our university for providing me with such a precious opportunity of writing this thesis to conclude my four years undergraduate education. In the course of writing, I have gained more knowledge and enlightenment than I expected.I would like to express my most sincere

2、 appreciation to my respected supervisor, Mrs. Gao Yanmei, an amiable and knowledgeable teacher, who patiently and painstakingly fulfilled the task of reading, critiquing, shaping and polishing all the preliminary drafts of this thesis.In addition, my thanks also go to my classmates who have offered

3、 me help and suggestions.AbstractWith the economic globalization, cross-cultural communication activities are more and more frequently. During intercultural communication, politeness plays a very important role. In this paper, I make a comparative study of Chinese and English apology strategies unde

4、r the category of politeness principle by the summarizing sum method, contrast method and literature research method. Through the study of Chinese and English apologies, apologies and the cultural values embodied in them, people can learn more about the apology in different contexts, clarify the dif

5、ferences between Chinese and English culture, and help people ensure the accuracy and courtesy of language in cross-cultural communication, and to better promote cultural communication between different regions.Key Words: apology; apology strategies; comparison摘 要随着经济全球化，跨文化交际活动越来越频繁。在跨文化交际中，礼貌扮演着十分

6、重要的角色。本文运用归纳总结法、对比法、文献研究法等方法，在礼貌原则的范畴下，对中英道歉策略进行了对比研究。通过对中英道歉语、道歉策略及其所体现的文化价值的探究，人们能更深入地掌握不同语境下的道歉用语，明确中英文化的差异，同时有助于人们在跨文化交际中确保语言的准确性和礼貌性，能更好地促进不同地域之间的文化交际活动。关键词：道歉语；道歉策略；比较A Contrastive Study on English and Chinese Apology Strategies from the Perspective of Politeness PrinciplesIntroductionWith the

7、 development of science and technology in modern society, the intercultural contact becomes increasingly frequent. Politeness plays an important role in intercultural communication. Both in China and in the English-speaking countries, people focus on politeness in interpersonal relationships, and ap

8、ology behavior is common in the communication process. However, there are some differences between Chinese and English apology. The choice of apology strategies is greatly different. Social distance, relative power, relative rights and obligations, gender, the severity of offending and other factors

9、 have a great influence on the apology and the choice of apology strategies in China and in the English-speaking countries, and the choice of different apology strategies reflects the differences Cultural value between China and the West. China is a high context of culture, and Anglo-American countr

10、ies are low-context culture.2. Theoretical BackgroundPoliteness is not only a sign of the progress of human civilization, but also an important criterion for human social activities. Language activities are subject to this criterion. In real life, it is a common thing that improper language and rude

11、 language caused by unnecessary misunderstanding and friction lead to interpersonal tension, which illustrates the importance of courtesy in language use. People need to use apology to maintain interpersonal harmony, and establish a humble and friendly personal image.2.1 Politeness PrinciplePenelope

12、 Brown and Stephen Levinson think (Brown et al. 137 ) that politeness is a variety of rational behavior that Model Person, in order to meet the needs of face, takes. Many speech acts are essentially threatening face. Stress politeness is alleviate the threat posed by certain communicative actions to

13、 the face. Their politeness concept is strategic, that is, they achieve the purpose of leaving the face of both sides of the mind by taking the language strategy. Brown and Levinsons politeness theory is often referred to “face-saving theory”. The Model Persons face is the “self-image” that soc

14、iety members want, including “Negetive face”, that is, do not want their behavior are interfered and hindered by others; and “positive face”, that is, want someone elses approval and love. Social interaction should not only respect each others positive face, but also take care of each others negativ

15、e face, which can give each other a little face and earn their own face, so as not to bring embarrassing situation or deterioration of the relationship. The politeness strategy in verbal communication is only a means. The real purpose of using the politeness strategy is better to achieve the communi

16、cative purpose and meet the needs of the people. Face is the basic needs of Model Person. All the Model Person have both positive face needs and negative face needs. They are rational. They can choose a certain means to meet a certain face needs. Many speech acts are essentially “face-threatening”.

17、Apology is a speech that threatens the speakers positive face. When the speaker realized that the listeners negative face are threatened, he needs to take an apology, which is Negative politeness strategies, to relieve the threat of the face of the listener, to maintain the face of the other, t

18、o restore the relationship between the two.2.2 Apology StrategiesApology is an indispensable language means of social interaction. In daily work and life, our intentional or unintentional acts and actions may cause distress and injury to family, friends or strangers. In order to maintain a harmoniou

19、s interpersonal relationship and protect the benefits of inside or outside of the face of the other, we need to use apology to restore the situation and reduce the damage and loss.2.2.1 The Definition of ApologyWhen a person damages the others face, he can take an apology to indicate he is unwilling

20、 to infringe the negative face of the listener. Therefore, the apology compensates for the damage of the negative face. The apology is not just words that contain words like “sorry”, “please forgive me” and “sorry”, but all words contain function of apology. Apology is not only a common polite langu

21、age, but also an important manifestation of politeness principles of pragmatics. People often use it in their daily lives. There are many definitions of apologies. American scholar E. Goffman thinks apology is a compensatory communication aimed at rebuilding social harmony at risk because of real or

22、 hypothetical offenses. J. Holmes emphasizes the social function of apology. His definition of apology is broader. Apology is such a speech act: “When A offended B, apology can be used to maintain the face of B, and make up for the consequences of offending. Then restore the harmony between A and B.

23、” (Searl 32)2.2.2 Apology Strategies and Restraining FactorIn interpersonal communication, there are many behaviors of face-threatening. In order to preserve their face and leave for the face of the other, the communicator often use some strategies. An apology strategy is a kind of politeness strate

24、gy that people often use to save each others face. However, if the strategy is not appropriate, you can not save each others face; you can not maintain good social relations between the two sides; you can not make the smooth realization of communication purposes.E. Olshtain and A. D. Cohen used ques

25、tionnaires to summarize five different semantic formulas to express apology. (E. Olshtain 123)The first type of formula is the expression of apology. It can be broken down into: express regret; express sorry; request forgiveness.For example: Im sorry; I apologize; Excuse me.The second type of formul

26、a is the responsibility. It can be divided into: accept the responsibility; express own shortage; express unintentionally do it.For example: Its my fault; You are right; I did not mean it.The third type of formula is to explain what happened.For example: The bus was delayed.The fourth type of formul

27、a is make up for the fault. This type is commonly used in physical or material damage.For example: when you are not careful to break your friends favorite vase, you can say: Ill pay for the vase.The fifth type of formula is the guarantee is never again committed. This type is often used to knowingly

28、 violate. It often is used after making mistakes: It will not happen again.In these five strategies, one or both of the first two can be used in any situation that need to apologize. The final three strategies can be used to replace the first two strategies. However, these three strategies are relat

29、ively used in specific circumstances. In addition, people can not only modify the apology, but also strengthen or weaken from the extent. For example: If it needs to strengthen the extent, we can say “I strongly you could forgive me!”. If it needs to weaken, we can say “I wish you were not wronged.”

30、 These five apologies has been widely used in the subsequent apology of the study. They almost conventionally become a “Apology strategy” template. However, with the deepening of research in this field, these five divisions have shown their shortage in their daily communication. Therefore, in 1989,

31、it made a change. Based on the study of apology strategies by some scholars such as Fraser, Waltsey and Cohen, this paper divides the apology into seven categories: (1) strategy of apologizing; (2) strategy of explaining; (3) strategy of acknowledging; (4) strategy of offering repair; (5) strategy o

32、f promising forbearance; (6) strategy of showing concern; (7) strategy of rejecting.Sociolinguists and pragmatists, according to their research, argue that the choice of apology strategies is largely governed by social factors. These social factors include:1. The social distance between the speaker

33、and the listener;2. The relative power between the speaker and the listener;3.The severity of the offense;4. The relative rights and obligations between the speaker and the listener.（Zhao,72）The performance of these social factors in different cultures is different.3. Differences of Apology on Engli

34、sh and Chinese3.1 “Apology” Expression Language in Chinese and EnglishWhether it is in Chinese or in English, the means of expressing apology are rich and varied. The choice of specific terms depends on the specific contextual characteristics. The use of different apology language and behavior often

35、 accord with the differences of situation. However, on the whole, the occasion is more formal, and behavior is more serious. The apologetic terms are more advanced, and the sincerity of need is greater. Whether it is in China or in English-speaking countries, apology is a manifestation of virtu

36、e. The following are common English and Chinese apology:English：Apology Applicable OccasionsPardon me; Oh, my fault. InformalExcuse me; I am sorry. NeutralMay I offer you my profoundest apologies? I apologize for. FormalChinese：Apology Applicable OccasionsI am sorry; Please forgive me for being impo

37、lite ( 不好意思; 失礼了。)（Commonly used in older people） InformalSorry.（对不住） NeutralI apologize. (我深表歉意) FormalUsually, English and Chinese use “I am sorry, Excuse me” to express apology. “I am sorry” means “simple sympathy or apology”, and “Excuse me” expresses the desire of drawing ones attention (Hao 3)

38、. It is worth mentioning that this is a place where English and Chinese apologies are consistent. In addition, there are “I apologize”, “Forgive me”, “I regret” and other usage in English, as the Chinese have “sorry (对不起)” , “I apologize to you”, “sorry (不好意思)” and other forms of expressions.In the

39、Sino-British culture, as long as the behavior is less offensive, apology language tends to be simple. In Chinese, “sorry” is the use of high frequency of apology; in English, “Pardon me” is also a habit. It should be noted that the above expressions are generally used only for informal occasions.“Im

40、 sorry (对不起)” or “Im sorry” is the most popular apology in English and Chinese and they are used on general occasions, which is not used in the serious behavior. As if there is a greater consistency between “Im sorry (对不起)” or “Im sorry”. However, carefully to distinguish, they will be aware of

41、 their differences. According to the Ci Hai , for the sorrys standard definition, “Im sorry” refers to the “people are ashamed, and it often used as apology formula. It also used as the words of threat, which said it will take adverse behavior against each other” (Hao 3). Because of the existence of

42、 distinction of Sino-British cultural value judgments, personality traits and other factors, “sorry (对不起)” and “sorry” are used does not correspond. Known as the East etiquette of China, when people damage the interests of others, people should apologize, which is subject to moral public opinion. In

43、 the Anglo-American culture, there is the promotion of the gentlemans character; therefore, “sorry” is the British and American commonplace spoken language.Although there are the great cultural differences, the behavior once has a huge offensive. Whether in English or Chinese, people need to be a fo

44、rmal apology. The language must be sincere and earnest. The tone must be strong. Like “I apologize (我深表歉意）” and “I apologize for .”, forms of apology are more complex and advanced, so that they can reflect the apology of a strong attitude.3.2 The Difference Between English and Chinese Apology3.2.1 T

45、he Understanding of ApologyIn the understanding of apology, the Sino-British and Chinese culture have differences. J. Holmess explanation is roughly around the motive of the “apology” for restoring the face of the object and ensuring the normal operation of interpersonal relationships. Compared to t

46、he utilitarian nature of English apology, in Chinese culture, apologies tend to humanistic characteristics and focus on the emotions of the perpetrators themselves. If people feel guilty, they will apologize. English-speaking countries tend to make ritual as a means of behavior. They dont focus on v

47、alue conscious feelings, but the external form. The understanding of apology in Chinese shows the ritual characteristics of Chinese culture, which specifically pay attention to morality and humanity. They apologize from the their internal, and manifested in their external. Although there are differe

48、nces in the understanding of “apology” in China and English-speaking counties, they all see apologize as necessary social acts. It has a politeness performance that makes up for the purpose of maintaining harmonious communication.3.2.2 The Frequency of Using of ApologyIn the frequency of using of ap

49、ology, the British people is winner. In the case of Anglo-American, apology is a key part of everyday. Even if the degree of offending can turn a blind eye, the British and American people have to use apology, regardless of time, occasion or object. They apologize anytime and anywhere, because indiv

50、idual is the center in the Anglo-American culture. They highlight their own interests. The boundaries are clear between people. They fear their words and deeds offend others. They always alert their own “cross country” move. Fart will offend the sensory organs of other people; coughing and sneezing

51、will spread the bacteria. Although these seemingly are small move, Anglo-American people say “Im sorry”. In the eyes of the Chinese people, “to apologize” is a biased behavior. It must be relative with the degree of offense. Therefore, the using frequency of English and Chinese apology is a differen

52、t .British and American people pay great attention to differences of opinions. Even if it is irrelevant to conflict, they will be enlarged it, which is seen as a positive manifestation of democratic spirit. Differences are not terrible for them. They often think difference is a happy thing, unlike C

53、hinese people curb the occurrence of differences. British and American people actively use apology to ease the differences, therefore their apology rate is higher than that of Chinese people. In the actual exchanges, the Chinese people usually think a thing is insignificant. Anglo-American will rega

54、rd it as privacy because the British people think a lot of things are their privacy, including time, space, etc. Their privacy is often violated. If privacy is violated, people need to immediately apologize. Therefore, the apology rate of community is much higher than that of in China.3.2.3 The Infl

55、uence of Social DistanceSocial distance refers to the distance between the offender and the offender, that is, the degree of familiarity. It specifically includes strangers, known people, familiar people, intimate people and other levels. The influence of social distance shows obvious difference on

56、the choice of apology strategy.Chinese will use a single apology to strangers, which usually is a direct apology. Chinese will use informal or easily apologetic to intimate people, such as “dear, that is my fault, sorry. (老婆，是我不好，对不起啦)”. People tend to use a formal apology to known people, such as “

57、yesterday, it is my fault. I should not misunderstand you. I apologize to you.” In contrast, the British people apologize to friends, which is not so polite. The British people apologize to intimate people, which is not so casual. Anglo-American apologize everywhere, from their culture to self-orien

58、ted, emphasizing their own interests. “People have a clear line. They speak or doing things for fearing hinder others. They always do not forget to “infringe” behavior. “Im sorry” is a kind of compensation to others. Although this “compensation” is not worthy to spent, it has to pay.” (Lin P104) Chi

59、nese people almost do not apologize to their loved ones, especially between parents and children. According to the survey, it is found that only one percent, when parents forget to fulfill their commitment to buy gifts, apologize to their children. In the same circumstances, most of the US parents will say “sorry”, while choosing to make up for their commitment.3.2.4 The Influence of Relative PowerRelative power refers to that the offender is relative t