劉景明,許 菊
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基于順應(yīng)論的沖突性話語(yǔ)分析——以美國(guó)電視劇《黑名單》中的對(duì)話為例
劉景明,許 菊*
(中南民族大學(xué) 外語(yǔ)學(xué)院,湖北 武漢 430074)
沖突性話語(yǔ)是人類交際中一種普遍而又復(fù)雜的語(yǔ)言現(xiàn)象。本文以Verschueren 的順應(yīng)論為基礎(chǔ),以美國(guó)著名的警匪電視劇《黑名單》第一季和第二季為語(yǔ)料,探討警匪之間的沖突性話語(yǔ)。研究發(fā)現(xiàn),《黑名單》中的沖突性話語(yǔ)源自警匪雙方對(duì)心理語(yǔ)境、社交語(yǔ)境和物理語(yǔ)境構(gòu)成的交際語(yǔ)境的故意不順應(yīng)。其中,心理語(yǔ)境包括交際對(duì)象的心理期待和情感需求;社交語(yǔ)境包括社會(huì)規(guī)范、法律規(guī)范、交際規(guī)范;物理語(yǔ)境包括受話人、時(shí)間維度和空間維度。
順應(yīng)論;沖突性話語(yǔ);美國(guó)電視??;《黑名單》
沖突性話語(yǔ)是廣泛存在于人類交際中的復(fù)雜的語(yǔ)言現(xiàn)象。其產(chǎn)生根源主要在于交際雙方在觀點(diǎn)、立場(chǎng)、利益、個(gè)性等方面存在的分歧和爭(zhēng)議。對(duì)沖突性話語(yǔ)的研究可追溯到二十世紀(jì)七、八十年代Brenneis & Lein (1977)[1]和Boggs (1978)[2]等人對(duì)兒童辯論和爭(zhēng)吵話題的探索,后來(lái)的研究者們從不同視角進(jìn)行的努力進(jìn)一步拓展了沖突性話語(yǔ)研究的視域。例如:Zimmerman & Weat (1975)[3]通過比較夫妻在超市、咖啡廳等不同戶外場(chǎng)合的沖突性話語(yǔ),進(jìn)而發(fā)現(xiàn)男性更傾向于使用打斷的策略來(lái)操控話語(yǔ)權(quán)。Vuchinich(1990)[4], O’Donnell(1990)[5], Phillips (1990)[6], Du,L(2006)[7]分別探討了家庭中的不同成員間、工作場(chǎng)所中的同事間、法庭中的審訊雙方、網(wǎng)絡(luò)聊天室中的交際者之間的沖突性話語(yǔ),并得出了有意義的結(jié)論。Nguyer (2011)[8]研究了醫(yī)患雙方的沖突性話語(yǔ)。
關(guān)于沖突性話語(yǔ)的定義,語(yǔ)言學(xué)界眾說(shuō)紛紜,例如:言語(yǔ)不和(verbal discord)[9]、爭(zhēng)吵(quarrel)[10]、反對(duì)(contracting routine)[2]、話語(yǔ)沖突(adversative episode)[11]等。但是,鮮有人研究警匪間沖突性話語(yǔ),尤其是從語(yǔ)用學(xué)角度、基于順應(yīng)論的研究更為鮮見。
美國(guó)著名的警匪電視劇《黑名單》由喬卡納漢執(zhí)導(dǎo)、NBC電視臺(tái)制作而成,于2013年9月首映。它講述了剛從警官學(xué)校畢業(yè)、初入聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局的女警官Elizabeth Keen 與身為前軍事情報(bào)官、現(xiàn)為犯罪交易中間人的綽號(hào)為“紅魔”的男主人公Raymond Reddington 斗智斗勇、根據(jù)“黑名單”“合作”抓捕各路逃犯的故事。該劇集懸疑、罪案等多種元素于一體,情節(jié)攝人心魄、引人入勝,其中很重要的原因在于充斥著大量的警匪沖突性對(duì)話。較之于其他類型的沖突性話語(yǔ),警匪間的沖突性話語(yǔ)多涉及法律范疇,由于言語(yǔ)雙方在利益上存在根本性的分歧,所以警匪劇中的沖突性話語(yǔ)矛盾更加尖銳、論辯更加激烈、斗爭(zhēng)更不可調(diào)和,因此更具研究?jī)r(jià)值。
由比利時(shí)國(guó)際語(yǔ)用學(xué)會(huì)著名語(yǔ)言學(xué)家 Jef.Verschueren[12]于1999年提出的語(yǔ)言順應(yīng)論認(rèn)為語(yǔ)言的使用是一個(gè)動(dòng)態(tài)的選擇的過程。語(yǔ)言的三大基本特性—變異性(variability)、商討性(negotiability)和順應(yīng)性(adaptability)使得交際者得以在使用語(yǔ)言的同時(shí)不斷做出語(yǔ)言選擇并及時(shí)調(diào)整以實(shí)現(xiàn)順應(yīng)。其中變異性指“語(yǔ)言具有一系列可供選擇的可能性”[12],即語(yǔ)言選擇不是一成不變的而是動(dòng)態(tài)多變的;商討性指“語(yǔ)言選擇不是按機(jī)械的方式或按嚴(yán)格的規(guī)則或形式—功能間的固定關(guān)系做出的,而是在高度靈活的原則和策略的基礎(chǔ)上進(jìn)行的”[12],即語(yǔ)言選擇不是約定俗成的而是極具不確定性;順應(yīng)性則指“能夠讓語(yǔ)言使用者從可供選擇的項(xiàng)目中靈活變通,從而滿足交際需要。”[12]這三大特性以順應(yīng)性為核心、相互作用,構(gòu)成層級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu)。
Verschureen 進(jìn)一步發(fā)現(xiàn),順應(yīng)性可從以下四個(gè)方面闡釋,也就是語(yǔ)境關(guān)系順應(yīng) (contextual correlates of adaptability)、結(jié)構(gòu)客體順應(yīng)(structural objects of adaptability)、順應(yīng)的動(dòng)態(tài)性(dynamics of adaptability)和順應(yīng)過程的意識(shí)程度(salience of the adaptation process)[12]。其中順應(yīng)的動(dòng)態(tài)性要求交際雙方順應(yīng)語(yǔ)境關(guān)系(心理語(yǔ)境、社交語(yǔ)境和物理語(yǔ)境)。而警匪電視劇《黑名單》中的警匪雙方正是由于違背順應(yīng)原則,故意對(duì)心理語(yǔ)境、社交語(yǔ)境和物理語(yǔ)境構(gòu)成的交際語(yǔ)境不順應(yīng),從而形成了沖突性話語(yǔ)。
Verschueren (1999) 指出語(yǔ)言選擇要順應(yīng)交際雙方的心理語(yǔ)境,如:情感、愿望、動(dòng)機(jī)、目的、信念等,以保證會(huì)話的順利進(jìn)行。相反,有意或者無(wú)意違法心理語(yǔ)境的順應(yīng)將導(dǎo)致沖突性話語(yǔ)。由該因素形成的警匪間沖突性話語(yǔ)具體體現(xiàn)在以下兩個(gè)方面:
1. 違背心理期待
由于交際雙方立場(chǎng)、利益、社會(huì)背景等得不同,對(duì)待未來(lái)還未發(fā)生的或不確定的事物便會(huì)產(chǎn)生不同的假設(shè)和期待。和諧的對(duì)話必定順應(yīng)了說(shuō)話人和聽話人的心理預(yù)期;反之,沖突性話語(yǔ)就會(huì)產(chǎn)生。
(1)Agent Keen: Were you in the hospital room when he died? Did you kill my father? Did you kill him?
Reddington: Yes.
Agent Keen: I was right. There was something he wanted to tell me before he died and you didn’t want me to know.
Reddington: It’s not quite that simple.
Agent Keen:
Reddington: I don’t expect you to understand.
Agent Keen:
(Episode 11, Season 1)
女警官Keen正在調(diào)查一樁關(guān)于謀殺她的父親的命案。當(dāng)她詢問嫌犯Reddington是否出現(xiàn)在醫(yī)院時(shí),他承認(rèn)在場(chǎng),欲進(jìn)一步辯駁案情并非Keen 推理地那樣簡(jiǎn)單,他本人并非兇手,Keen 一口回絕了他,因?yàn)樵贙een的心理期待中,從一個(gè)弒父兇手口中不可能聽到任何值得信任的真話?!癎o hell!”和反問句“Understand? How could I possibly understand when you take someone I love away from me and then try to justify it?!”表明了警匪雙方由于心理期待的不同而造成的沖突性話語(yǔ)。
2. 違背情感需求
由美國(guó)著名心理學(xué)家馬斯洛提出的“層次需求理論”(1943)[13]認(rèn)為人類擁有五大基本需求:生理需求、安全需求、社交需求、尊重需求、自我實(shí)現(xiàn)的需求。恰切的會(huì)話必然尊重了言語(yǔ)雙方的情感需求。違背情感需求必將導(dǎo)致交際雙方的言語(yǔ)沖突。
(2)Agent Keen: Do you want to spend the rest of your life in solitary confinement? The full force of the FBI is coming for you.
Reddington: None of that matters.
Agent Keen: You want me to tell you were right, don’t you?
Reddington: This is about Sam.
Agent Keen: I’m not gonna give you that.
Reddington: What did you know about Sam?
Agent Keen:
(Episode 14, Season 2)
此例中,Reddington 企圖協(xié)助女警官Keen 找出綽號(hào)為Kingmaker 的黑社會(huì)頭目 Sam, 但出人意料的是,Keen 斷然拒絕了Reddington 的幫助。因?yàn)樗潦贾两K無(wú)法原諒Reddington 殺害了她的父親。由于警匪雙方情感需求的矛盾導(dǎo)致了沖突性話語(yǔ)的產(chǎn)生?!啊北砻髁薑een 的喪父之痛和對(duì) Reddington 深惡痛絕。
社交語(yǔ)境包括社會(huì)環(huán)境、社交場(chǎng)合、規(guī)范交際者的言語(yǔ)行為的原則和準(zhǔn)則。在交際中,交際者對(duì)社交語(yǔ)境的順應(yīng)與否也制約著會(huì)話的發(fā)展?!逗诿麊巍分芯穗p方對(duì)社交語(yǔ)境的有意違反體現(xiàn)在以下三個(gè)方面:
1. 違背社會(huì)規(guī)范
在言語(yǔ)交際過程中,說(shuō)話人應(yīng)當(dāng)注意遵守社會(huì)規(guī)則、風(fēng)俗習(xí)慣、倫理道德,選擇語(yǔ)言時(shí)應(yīng)順應(yīng)這些因素做出正確選擇;若忽略這些因素,則會(huì)導(dǎo)致交際失敗、引發(fā)沖突性話語(yǔ),例如下面這則警匪對(duì)話:
(3)Agent Keen: Tell me, exactly when have I been wrong? I told you...there are political considerations.
Reddington: If we raid Kenyon’s compound and come up empty-handed.
Agent Keen: You will not come up empty-handed.
Reddington: But if we do then we’ll have validated Kenyon’s allegations that the federal government is a pack of jackbooted thugs.
Agent Keen: We’ll have raised him up as a martyr for the constitution.
Redington: That’s exactly what he wants.
Agent Keen:(Episode 15, Season 2)
Reddington極力勸誡女警官Keen 武力圍剿罪犯頭目Kenyon 的住宅,但Keen考慮到這勢(shì)必會(huì)引發(fā)周邊民眾不必要的傷亡,傷及無(wú)辜,盡管FBI警察升職的關(guān)鍵在于緝拿罪犯、除暴安良,但與百姓生命安危相比,她仍斷然拒絕了Reddington 的提議。案例中的警匪雙方由于彼此在是否順應(yīng)社會(huì)規(guī)范上的矛盾觸發(fā)了沖突性話語(yǔ)。
2. 違背法律規(guī)范
法律規(guī)范也制約著言語(yǔ)交際。警匪會(huì)話多涉及法律案件,對(duì)法律的違背必然導(dǎo)致分歧,產(chǎn)生沖突性話語(yǔ)。例如:
(4)Agent Keen: Tell me the enemies you blackmailing and who are they?
Dr. Vogel: No, they’re not my enemies at all. They’re just different people from all walks of life.
Agent Keen:(Episode 15, Season 1)
醫(yī)學(xué)博士Nicolaus Vogel 將致命病毒注射到人類體內(nèi),以解藥為要挾逼迫受害人為其效命。女警官Keen 則以其人之道,還治其人之身,將病毒注射到Dr. Nicolaus Vogel 體內(nèi),以提供解藥脅迫他提供受害人名單。顯然,這種以死相逼的訊問方式在法律上是明令禁止的,因此對(duì)法律規(guī)范的違反導(dǎo)致了沖突性話語(yǔ)。
3. 違背交際規(guī)范
交際規(guī)范從語(yǔ)言使用、文化規(guī)約、以及禮儀文化等方面制約著交際者的語(yǔ)言選擇。交際雙方需要順應(yīng)動(dòng)態(tài)變化著的交際規(guī)范以順利實(shí)現(xiàn)會(huì)話。以下案例是警匪雙方違背了這一規(guī)范導(dǎo)致的沖突性話語(yǔ):
(5)Reddington: Donald, I understand how you feel beneath the iron-and-rust exterior heats the heart of a man swimming in immeasurable grief. There are few that understand love and loss more than I.
Agent Ressler:
Reddington:
Agent Ressler: I’m not turning back. (Episode 10, Season 2)
警官Donald Ressler 的女友Audrey 被黑社會(huì)老大Tanida 殺害, Ressler 決心為女友報(bào)仇,然而Reddington 卻向他潑來(lái)冷水,認(rèn)定他不是老奸巨猾的Tanida 的對(duì)手,勸告他不要以卵擊石,應(yīng)當(dāng)放棄復(fù)仇的計(jì)劃,“”“” “”。Reddington沒有遵守交際規(guī)范、對(duì)Ressler 警官的提問答非所問導(dǎo)致了沖突性話語(yǔ)。
影響說(shuō)話人的語(yǔ)言交際的物理語(yǔ)境主要包括交際對(duì)象、交際主體、交際話題和時(shí)空維度。其中,時(shí)間和空間指示關(guān)系是最主要的因素。時(shí)間指示關(guān)系包含說(shuō)話時(shí)間、指稱時(shí)間和事件時(shí)間;空間指示關(guān)系包括絕對(duì)空間和相對(duì)空間關(guān)系?!逗诿麊巍分芯穗p方由于故意違背物理語(yǔ)境造成的沖突性話語(yǔ)主要體現(xiàn)在以下三個(gè)方面:
1. 違背受話人的認(rèn)知環(huán)境
受話人的社會(huì)背景、受教育程度、性別、年齡、國(guó)籍、認(rèn)知環(huán)境等影響語(yǔ)言選擇,例如:
(6)Agent Keen: Danny, back up. This is how your daughter and wife would remember you.
Danny:
Agent Keen: Gun down! Danny:
Agent Keen: This is really how you want to die? (Episode 12, Season 2)
警官Keen緝拿要犯Danny時(shí),極力勸阻Danny 多替妻兒考慮,繳械投降。而Danny 卻矢口否認(rèn)了他的行為是鋌而走險(xiǎn)的違法犯罪行為。相反,這正是他在考慮過全家的利益之后的鄭重抉擇,Keen 對(duì)他的阻攔才是無(wú)視他的家人利益的表現(xiàn)。“Gun down!”“”,這則警匪間的沖突性話語(yǔ)正式基于說(shuō)話人違背了聽話人的認(rèn)知環(huán)境而引發(fā)的。
2. 違背時(shí)間維度
Verschueren(1999)指出,“時(shí)間不是一個(gè)絕對(duì)的概念,而是一個(gè)相對(duì)的概念”,語(yǔ)言選擇要順應(yīng)不斷變化的時(shí)間。由于不順應(yīng)時(shí)間而造成的沖突性話語(yǔ)體現(xiàn)在下例中:
(7)Agent Keen: Denisov has contacted us. I know this is your case but if Denisov wants to talk to the FBI.
Reddington:
Agent Keen: It’s an option if Denisov says it’s an option. He’s the one who’s holding an American hostage. You can’t order us not to talk to him.
Reddington:
Agent Keen:What? Investigation? You’ve been tracking down this guy and his group for over one year. He’s still abducting innocent people, holding them for ransom. (Episode 7, Season 2)
例(7)中,Reddington命令女警官Keen不要與罪犯Denisov交談,以免她泄露機(jī)密,妨礙自己搜捕“黑名單”上的逃犯。然而Keen 卻質(zhì)疑Reddington的辦事效率。距離案發(fā)至今已經(jīng)過去了一年時(shí)間,案子仍舊沒有進(jìn)展,Denisov依舊逍遙法外,魚肉百姓,這與警方預(yù)計(jì)的破案時(shí)間大相徑庭,警匪間的沖突性話語(yǔ)由此產(chǎn)生。
3. 違背空間維度
交際雙方所處的空間維度也是影響語(yǔ)言選擇的一個(gè)重要因素。雙方由于對(duì)話不合乎場(chǎng)合而導(dǎo)致的沖突性話語(yǔ)在《黑名單》中屢見不鮮。如:
(8)Reddington: You can never do that again.
Agent Keen: We took down dozens of wanted criminals, recovered millions of dollars in stolen property and saved innocent lives.
Reddington: I’m not talking about that.
Agent Keen:
Reddington: You don’t understand my real life. (Episode 13, Season 2)
例(8)中,Reddington 在警察辦公室勸說(shuō)女警官Keen 放棄警察這一高危職業(yè),而Keen 極力辯駁,她認(rèn)為這一工作可以最大程度地幫助社會(huì)挽救經(jīng)濟(jì)損失,拯救處于水深火熱之中的人民,并且Reddington 當(dāng)著她的眾多同事的面阻撓她的工作顯然是不合時(shí)宜的,故而觸發(fā)了沖突性話語(yǔ)。
沖突性話語(yǔ)大量存在于美國(guó)警匪劇中。本研究表明,《黑名單》中警匪間沖突性話語(yǔ)的形成主要是由于交際雙方故意不順應(yīng)心理語(yǔ)境、社交語(yǔ)境和物理語(yǔ)境。其中,心理語(yǔ)境包括交際對(duì)象的心理期待和情感需求;社交語(yǔ)境包括社會(huì)規(guī)范、法律規(guī)范、交際規(guī)范;物理語(yǔ)境包括受話人、時(shí)間維度和空間維度。本研究拓展了順應(yīng)論的研究領(lǐng)域,證實(shí)了該理論對(duì)分析特定語(yǔ)言現(xiàn)象和交際現(xiàn)象,如《黑名單》中的沖突性話語(yǔ)具有強(qiáng)大的解釋力,是語(yǔ)用分析的強(qiáng)有力的工具。建議后續(xù)研究可進(jìn)一步將語(yǔ)料拓展至師生間、買賣雙方、劇本中角色或勞工之間的沖突性話語(yǔ),以豐富研究視角。
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Adaption-Theoretic Approach to the Conflict Talks——A Case Study of American TV Series The Blacklist
LIU Jing-ming, XU Ju
(College of Foreign Languages, South-Central University For Nationalities, Wuhan Hubei 430074, China)
Conflict talk is a universal and complicated linguistic phenomenon in human communication. The present research, based on Verschueren’s Adaptation Theory, is intended to analyze police-gangster conflict talks, with the corpus selected from the first and second seasons of the famous American gangster TV series The Blacklist. The conflict talks in The Blacklist result from the policemen and gangsters’ deliberate inadaptation to the communicative context which is composed of three “worlds”, say, mental world (i.e. the communication partners’ psychological expectations and emotional needs), social world (i.e. social norms, legal norms and communicative norms) and physical world (i.e. the addressee, temporal dimension, spatial dimension).
Adaptation Theory; Conflict Talks; American TV series; The Blacklist
H030
A
2095-414X(2016)05-0076-05
許菊(1965-),女,教授,研究方向:語(yǔ)用學(xué)、普通語(yǔ)言學(xué)和二語(yǔ)習(xí)得.