谢@黄鹤喵,我觉得在国外学习和生活带给我影响比较大的是一种“避险”Hedge (linguistics)的说话方式,以至影响了我中文的说话习惯。从事学术研究的知友可能很熟悉这一说法「什么是「坏」语言? - 拾荒少女的回答」,不过避险不仅适用于academia,也广泛用于日常交流。接下来,我们用先归纳后分析的方法来跟大家讲一讲这一种语用现象:Hedging.
「模拟拾荒少女的一天」
#1. 家里
拾荒:早啊。这是毕业典礼的guest ticket,谢谢你肯去帮我拍照。
室友:没事,我也想去凑凑热闹。中午吃过饭去来得及吗?
拾荒:哦,我不知道你说的中午具体是几点,不过以你平时吃饭的点儿来看,我觉得会有点赶。
室友:这样,我平时12点睡醒了就去吃饭(室友是码农)。你觉得最迟几点来得及?
拾荒:哎呀又要打搅你昼伏夜出的生活了。典礼下午一点开始,但提前四十五分钟就开始进场,典礼前十五分钟已经不允许进场了。我们能不能十一点半出发?
室友:也好,或许我们可以一起吃个早午饭什么的?
拾荒:没问题!再次谢谢啦。
#2. Dinner
侍应生:Hi, What can I get you?
拾荒: Hi, Can I have the house salad and Thai Chili Soup?
侍应生:Take away or...
拾荒:Take away, thanks. Oh, I'm sorry to ask, but can you give me 5 £1 coins for the change?
侍应生:Yeah, sure. You can wait at the table, I'll bring it to you.
拾荒:Thanks.
#3. Hallway
Daniel:You are early, didn't expect to see you on graduation day.
拾荒:Hi, Daniel. I'm here to see Antonella. But she isn't in here office, so...
Daneil:I guess you didn't make an appointment?
拾荒:Oh well, I assume she would be here, it's Wednesday.
Daniel:I'm not sure if it helps, but I was told the developmental lab are attending the seminar today.
拾荒:The amnesia one? Yeah I also got that email. When does it end, maybe around half ten?
Daniel:That's right. How's the proposal thing going?
拾荒:Not bad I think, I'm here to discuss the draft with Antonella.
Daniel:Good luck then, gotta run.
拾荒:Fingers crossed! I'll see you around.
#4. Administration Office
拾荒:Hi Katie, I'm wondering when and where the Amnesia Seminar is taking place?
Katie:Let me check (typing...) if you mean the one held by our Developmental Lab, it began half hour ago at the ground floor conference room in 7 George Square, and it will end at 11:30.
拾荒:Thanks a lot!
Katie:Anytime.
#5. Library Help Desk
拾荒:Hi, I'm wondering when my library card expires, can you check it for me?
Staff:Sure, just one sec (typing...) Em, from what I see here, it will expire on someday in November, I cannot tell the exact day.
拾荒:I see, but it's already 26th, I'm curious by what time I will no longer have access to the office building, and the lab.
Staff:From previous experience, I suppose it might be after the graduation ceremony, but I can't be sure.
拾荒:Many thanks, that's very helpful.
Staff:Sure.
#6. Professor's office
Antonella:Hi, how are you?
拾荒:Very well, thanks! Your automatic reply indicates you were still in the states yesterday, being at the uni so early, it must be exhausted.
Antonella:(haha) Well, exhausted but happy. So, I just finished reading your draft, and I think compared to the first draft, you've made a great improvement. It's very clear what you want to do for your PhD. There are some insignificant problems in the writing, you can see in the comments.
拾荒:That's great! Thank you professor. But I'm not sure if I should include detailed experiment methodologies in the research proposal.
Antonella:We don't expect to see detailed methodologies at this stage, because you haven't started yet. Also, the first year is intended for developing and improving the formal proposal, and based on that you will build your PhD dissertation project. This is just a rough idea.
拾荒:I was told during the first year I still need to take some courses in experimental design, data analysis, something like that. (rising tone)
Antonella:Yes, and also some introduction courses in psychology, since your project also involves working memory, sounds good?
拾荒:Sounds perfect. About that, since we brought it up, is it my responsibility to contact with secondary supervisor, maybe someone in the psychology department, who works on working memory?
Antonella:Working memory is not my strong suit, so I agree you need someone to help you in this area. But let me worry about that.
#7. 电话
拾荒:大王我的导师通过我的research proposal了!!!
大王:恭喜恭喜!太好了,是不是导师通过博士申请就没问题了?
拾荒:按理说是这样。因为博士申请不走学校,直接从院系到指导老师。院系的committee也只起到一个基本条件把关的作用,过了这一关以后最终决定权就在导师啦。我的基本条件合格,所以我想不出有什么理由让我不通过。
大王:想不出有什么理由不通过……你看你这话说得。
拾荒:怎么啦,双重否定表委婉语气嘛,最后结果没出来谁也说不好的。就比如说,与其说“通过的可能性很大”,不如说“不通过的可能性很小”。意思一样,但意思又完全不一样了。不跟你说了我要买酒去!
大王:你快尝试一下我上次推荐的粉象!
拾荒:啤酒不算酒!
大王:……
拾荒:等我回国你能不能请我喝酒呀!
大王:那还用说!干嘛问能不能……又是习惯吗haha
从以上的例子来看,我们基本上可以得出避险用法的适用范围和功效:当说话者想使表达变得委婉、缓和的时候。那么经过「避险」处理的语句是更加模糊还是更加清晰了呢?这个有意思的问题我们且放一放,先来归纳一下「模糊限制语」的种类。
和#1中「不过以你平时吃饭的点儿来看」的表达相似的有:
#4「if you mean」如果你指的是
#5「From what I see here」从我这里看到的是#5「From previous experience」从过去的经验来看#6「compared to the first draft」跟你的第一篇草稿作对比#7「按理说是这样」它们均限定了接下来语句成立/理解的范围。
#1 「吃完饭走有点晚」这个结论成立的前提是你和平时吃饭的时间一样;#4「it began half hour ago at the ground floor conference room in 7 George Square, and it will end at 11:30」(它半个小时前在7 George Square一层的会议室召开,将会在11:30结束)这条信息正确的前提是,我们讨论的它是「the one held by our Developmental Lab」(发展语言学实验室组织召开的研讨会);#6「you've made a great improvement」这个评价成立的前提是把这篇稿子和第一篇草稿作比较;#7「导师通过博士申请就没问题了」这个结论成立的前提是这件事情的发展和通常情况下一样。也就是不能保证在出现非常情况时结论依然成立。在这番解释后,我们再回到之前提出的那个问题:经过「避险」处理的语句是更加模糊还是更加清晰了呢?我相信答案是显而易见的。在语义层面上,好像这些语句在表达上比不作避险处理的句子要模糊和不确定一些。但是从语用层面上,从和说话人说话意图的匹配性上来讲,作了避险处理的句子表达得更加精准和严谨。
这些表达,和#3「around」(约莫)#5「someday」(某一天)#6「something like that」(类似的东西)这样的模糊词语都属于「范围变动语」,指的是表达范围变动的词和短语,其作用就是限定语句理解和成立的范围。从这个定义来讲,我们生活中绝大多数表达都应该有使用「范围变动语」的需求,因为除了自然法则这样具有universal属性的事物,其他的表达对象都应该是在一定时空条件限制下才能够成立的。