A Study on Evasive Answers Used in Foreign Affairs Dialogues
Abstract
Euphemism is a common phenomenon used in language. Every nation, country or community has its own euphemistic expressions. There are lots of expressions in euphemism. As an important means of euphemism, evasive answers attract more and more attention of linguistic scholars and experts both home and abroad.
Scholars (e.g. James Bradac, Evan Friedman) abroad analyze a great deal of political materials, on the basis of cognitive context and Relevance Theory and find that the evasion could approach to establishing a peaceful relationship. Through studies they also divide evasive answers into two kinds—overt evasion and covert evasion. Their study emphasis is put on covert evasion. Being different from their research, this thesis is carried out on the basis of analysis of the data, which is colleted mainly from foreign affairs interviews, presidents’ debates on the different websites and newspapers, including both English and Chinese data. This thesis discusses the evasive answers in foreign affairs and analyzes politicians’ motives, strategies and the evasive answers’ functions. Based on the Relevance Theory, the present thesis is intended to investigate the evasive answers from the perspective of cognitive context. It aims at explaining how cognitive assumptions affect politicians to generate evasive answers in the interviews，why politicians evade questions and what kind of strategies are concerned in foreign affairs interviews. After analysis, this thesis indicates that politicians use evasive answers to keep information and avoid conflicts. This may be of some theoretical value for the present study of evasive answers. Coming to the terms with practical significance, this thesis is intended to assist the public to form a series of systematic knowledge that can be valuable during the process of grasping the main purpose, then to help the public understand the underlying meaning of politicians’ evasive answers.
Key words: foreign affairs dialogues, cognitive context, evasive answers, overt evasion and covert evasion
闪避回答在外事语言中的运用研究
摘 要
委婉语是语言使用中一种常用的语言现象。任何民族、国家或者社会团体都有属于自己的委婉语表达。委婉语有很多种表达，闪避作为委婉语使用的重要手段，越来越受到国内外专家、学者的重视。
在认知语境和关联理论的基础上，国外很多学者(如，James Bradac, Evan Friedman等)分析了大量的政治文本材料，发现闪避的运用可以建立起一种和谐的关系。他们将闪避分为了明示闪避和暗示闪避,研究重点放在了暗示闪避上。不同于前人的研究，本文在搜集了相关外事访问、总统竞选的中英文文本材料上，就委婉语中的闪避在政治场合尤其是在外事对话中的运用现象进行讨论，分析政治家使用闪避的动机、策略和语用效果。研究分析发现，政治家运用闪避主要是出于保留信息和避免冲突的目的。本文以关联理论为基础，结合认知语境分析外事访问中的闪避回答现象，着重分析闪避回答使用的动机、策略和语用效果，研究发现政治家使用闪避回答主要出于保留信息和避免冲突进而达到建立和谐关系的目的。在理论上，本文对于闪避在政治中尤其是外事中的运用研究，有一定的参考意义。就实践意义而言，本文旨在通过对闪避的分析研究，帮助公众形成一定系统的知识，从而促使他们更好的理解政治家使用闪避的内在目的，进一步了解闪避回答的隐含意义。
关键词：外事应答，认知语境，闪避回答，明示闪避，暗示闪避
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