虚假拒绝言语行为的礼貌性探析

虚假拒绝是汉文化中经常出现的一种语言现象,但目前对于虚假拒绝的系统研究可谓是一片空白。由于文化背景的差异,合作原则、礼貌原则和面子理论等西方经典语用学理论无法对汉文化中特有的虚假拒绝作出合理的解释。虚假拒绝在表现形式上是威胁面子的不礼貌行为,但本质却是礼貌的。礼貌有表层礼貌和深层礼貌之分,虚假拒绝是表层礼貌的一种体现。

A Study on the Politeness of the Speech Act of Ostensible Refusal

Ostensible refusal is a common phenomenon in Chinese culture but lacks systematic research. Due to the differences of cultural background, classical pragmatic theories such as cooperative principle, politeness principle and face theory fail to properly account for the special speech act of ostensible refusal in Chinese. On the surface, ostensible refusal is an impolite speech act which threatens others＇face. In essence, however, it is polite. A distinction between surface politeness and deep politeness should be made and ostensible refusal is a kind of surface politeness.