李祖明

摘要強調(diào)手段在英語交際中扮了一個重要的角色。可以說人們在交際中離不開強調(diào)這一手段,它存在于言語交際的各個方面。強調(diào)手段呈現(xiàn)多樣化,既有語音手段、詞匯手段、語法手段,也可以采用其它手段實現(xiàn)強調(diào)的目的。強調(diào)手段的運用極大豐富了語言的交際內(nèi)涵,同時也引起了學者們的廣泛關注。

關鍵詞強調(diào)手段 言語交際 語法手段

中圖分類號:H314文獻標識碼:A

為了更有效地進行思想交流,人們在使用英語的過程中把強調(diào)(emphasis)這一常用修辭手段用到了極致。無論在口語還是在書面語中,表示強調(diào)的例子俯拾即是,強調(diào)這一手段已成為人們生活的一部分。

在口語中,說話者為了更準確、有效的表達自己的意圖,往往會把一個詞或詞組重讀、加重語氣、或者拖長以示強調(diào)。說話者在應用這一語音手段表示強調(diào)時顯示出巨大的靈活性和柔韌性,幾乎可以做到隨心所欲。因此初學者學習起來感覺難度大,甚至有些不可捉摸。試看下面一例:Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. 該句子看似平淡,讀起來容易,理解也不難,只需依據(jù)它的語法重音將其中的名詞、動詞重讀即可。但在語言的實際應用中說話者可根據(jù)交際的需要特意強調(diào)某個詞,便可以達到強調(diào)的目的,使該句子產(chǎn)生更為豐富的意義。

①Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)主語)(下劃線部分表示重讀)

②Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)謂語)

③Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)地點)

④Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)方式)

⑤Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)時間)

隨著重音的改變,被強調(diào)的對象也隨之變化,所產(chǎn)生的額外意義(extra meaning)各不相同。這種變化全憑說話者當時的感覺和所要表達的意圖,聽者只好聽話聽音了。有趣的是,這種看似無規(guī)律的強調(diào)卻在書面語中得到了充分的體現(xiàn)和美妙的對應。上面五個口語強調(diào)句子幾乎都可以用“It is…” 強調(diào)結構表示出來。

① It was Tom who came to school on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)主語)

③ It was school that Tom came to on foot this afternoon. (強調(diào)地點)

④ It was on foot that Tom came to school this afternoon. (強調(diào)方式)

⑤ It was this afternoon that Tom came to school on foot. (強調(diào)時間)

我們也不難看出口語中的強調(diào)方式更多、更微妙、弦外之音更多,也更難被初學者掌握。由于說話者的語調(diào)、語氣變化萬千,同時,由于聲勢語(body language)的巨大輔助表達功能,有時人們很難用書面語去準確描繪說話者是怎樣使用這一強調(diào)手段的。因此,在書面語中人們會采用較為特殊的方式表示強調(diào),如通過使用黑體: The English are different. The English are even more different than they think they are, though not more different than they feel they are. 作者把這兩個動詞用黑體標注出來表示這兩個動詞要特別重讀——強調(diào)。人們在使用英語的過程中用于表示強調(diào)的手段是多種多樣的,其中被人們談論得最多的是語音手段、詞匯手段和語法手段。說話者用詞匯手段表示強調(diào)的例子非常多,似乎無規(guī)律可循,使用副詞表示強調(diào)最為普遍。詞匯強調(diào)手段也會導致句子結構的變化。尤其是當副詞never, lonely, little, where, very, such,scarcely 等前置時,句子結構會發(fā)生改變。有時形容詞前置時,句子結構也會改變。在本文中作者將重點討論用于表示強調(diào)的若干語法手段。

(1)用 it 引導強調(diào)句。

It was this afternoon that Tom came to school on foot.

It was Tom who (that) came to school on foot this afternoon.

It was your sister that Tom met in the zoo yesterday.

It was in the zoo that Tom met your sister yesterday.

It was on foot that Tom came to school this afternoon.

用 it 引導強調(diào)句在英語中使用很廣泛,該結構幾乎可以強調(diào)句子各個成分,不足的是它不能強調(diào)謂語動詞,其結構特征和使用方法也被廣泛掌握,在這里就不贅述了。

(2)用what引導的強調(diào)句。該強調(diào)句的主要目的是要引起讀者的注意,指出所要強調(diào)的內(nèi)容,與口語中的呼語一樣,有異曲同工之妙。

What she lacks is intelligence.

What hurt me most was her indifference.

(3)添加助動詞do表示強調(diào)。句子中的謂語動詞的位置往往比較固定,要強調(diào)突出有一定難度。采用添加助動詞do表示強調(diào)不失為一種方便簡潔的強調(diào)手段。

Do come in, please!

Do be calm!

She did say so.

We are very pleased that she does intend to come.

(4)使用倒裝句inversion表示強調(diào)。該強調(diào)手段較為常見,我們通常把在正常語序下較晚出現(xiàn)的成分移至句首,使之處于突出的位置,從而受到特殊強調(diào)。在移動句子成分時,有時需要改變結構順序,有時則不必改變。

Sympathy I dont want!

Beautiful she was!

Down on his head the boy came.

Gone are the days when they could do what they liked to the Chinese people!

Only in this way can we learn English well.

(5)用雙重否定double negation表示強調(diào)。用雙重否定表示強調(diào)的優(yōu)點是句子顯得鏗鏘有力。

It must not be thought that I was without love for this girl.

No one has nothing to offer to society.

There is no man but has his fault.

(6)通過重復repetition以示強調(diào)。把想要表達的意思重復,加以強調(diào),較為直接的做法是將一個句子,某個單詞重復,或是用某個單詞的近義詞進行重復陳述。該強調(diào)方式往往能顯示作者的決心等。

From this nothing will turn us——nothing.

We will never parley. We will never negotiate.

(7)用修辭問句rhetorical sentence表示強調(diào)。修辭問句是作者或者演說者問而不答的一種疑問句,這種問句的答案是顯而易見的。這種修辭問句主要用于強調(diào),以表達說話者強烈的思想感情。

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?

If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

(8)使用祈使句imperative sentence表示強調(diào)。用祈使句表示強調(diào)往往某種人際關系,如上下級,朋友,或是表達強烈情感,如表示客套,憤怒。

Read the text loudly!

Dont be silly!

Never do that again!

Get out!

Do have another cake.

(9)使用縮略句elliptical sentence表示強調(diào)。

Sometimes it does rain——and ( it does rain ) hard.

He saw her lying there. Dead.

Good taste. Kent style.

(10)使用掉尾句periodic sentence表示強調(diào)。掉尾句有故弄玄虛,制造懸念之優(yōu)點。

As they were singings and dancing and playing cards, he was snoring.

The man who was wearing an overcoat and talking loudly and at the same time smoking a cigarette was my father.

(11)用感嘆句exclamatory sentence表示強調(diào)。該句式主要用于表達說話者的主觀情感,做到有感而發(fā)。

How well he speaks!

What a lovely girl she is!

Oh, what a lie!

(12)使用其它修辭手段達到強調(diào)目的。為了達到強調(diào)目的,說話者幾乎可以不擇手段。只要能突出主題,建立印象,表達情懷,甚至需要本人,說話者都會毫不猶豫地采用。筆者列舉數(shù)例僅供參考。

And so, my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.(對比antithesis)

We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success ofliberty. (排比 parallelism)

You are the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space. (夸張 hyperbole)

出于對英語的愛好,筆者對英語中表示強調(diào)的種種語法手段進行了很不成熟的歸納,算是自己多年來學習和教授英語的一點體會,提出與大家共勉。

參考文獻

[1] 張道真.實用英語語法[M].外語教學與研究出版社,1995.

[2] 章振邦.新編英語語法[M].上海:上海譯文出版社,1983.

[3] 馮翠華.英語修辭大全[M].外語教學與研究出版社,1996.

[4] 張漢熙.高級英語(第一冊),(第二冊)[M].外語教學與研究出版社,1995.