蔡瑞辰

摘 要： 在英語交際過程中，強調是人們交流思想的一種重要手段。恰當使用強調方式可使語言具有強烈的感情色彩，有助于交際的順利進行。英語中的強調手段運用非常豐富，本文系統(tǒng)地從語音、詞匯、語法、修辭四個方面探討英語中的強調手段。

關鍵詞： 強調 語音手段 詞匯手段 語法手段 修辭手段

無論說話或行文，人們?yōu)榱吮磉_不同的思想感情，常常需要給句子的某一部分以突出的地位，加以強調，這樣就產生了強調手法。英語中主要運用語音、語法、詞匯和修辭四種手段完成強調任務，下面分別舉例論之。

一、用語音手段進行強調

根據(jù)說話人的需要通過調心（nucleus）位置的移動，達到對同一語調組（tone unit）中不同詞語進行強調的目的。

1.強調主語

——Which is yours and which is mine？

——Thats mine and this is yours.

2.強調表語

——Whose is that and whose is this？

——Thats mine and this is yours.

3.強調謂語

——I cant sing this song in English.

——Lucy can sing this song in English well.

4.強調賓語

——Tom can sing that song in English well.

——Lucy can sing this song in English well.

5.強調狀語

——Tom can sing this song in Chinese well.

——Lucy can sing this song in English well.

6.強調定語

“Its your order，” said William Tell， “not mine. ”

Well show you whose order it is...

7.強調補語

——What did she want to make her mother？

——She wanted to make her mother happy.

二、用詞匯手段進行強調

根據(jù)說話人的需要，采用一些具有強調意味的詞、詞組，諸如形容詞、副詞（詞組）、疑問詞、否定詞、反身代詞等進行強調。

1.用形容詞強調

（1）Dont you believe me？ No， and I wont until I see you in the jar with my own eyes.

（2）I had to think of a way of preventing him from following me around all morning.

2.用副詞強調

（1）This beast is exactly like a wall.

（2）So Gessler decided to get even together.

3.用詞組強調

（1）The pacific is by far the largest ocean.

（2） The program is performed by the women of the area.

（3）What on earth are you doing here？

4.用疑問詞強調

What did you come here to do？

5.用不定代詞強調

（1）This elephant is like a snake，as anybody can see.

（2）Even the blindest person must see that this elephant isnt like any of the things you name.

6.用反身代詞強調

（1）May I help you carry the box upstairs？

（2）No， I can do it by myself.

7.用否定詞/詞組強調

（1）I dont know anything about it at all.

（2）I never enjoy meeting Bert Hall.

8.用介詞強調

（1）Last night I didnt have any supper except a piece of bread.

（2）They invited nobody in my office but me.

9.用連詞強調

It is not important to you but to me.

三、運用語法手段進行強調

說話人用改變詞序、倒裝句子、運用被動語態(tài)或強調句等手段突出語意的主要信息。

1.改變詞序

（1）a. Antonio gave Bassanio the money.

b. Antonio agreed and gave the money to Bessanio.

（2）a. Della had only $ 1.87 with which to buy Jim a present.

b. Della had only $ 1.87 to buy a present for Jim.

以上四句略加比較，就可知句（1）a 、（2）a是一般陳述，用了正常語序；而句（1）b、 （2）b句則將間接賓語借助介詞后置，強調了間接賓語。

2.倒裝句子

（1）a. I have never seen him before.

b. Never have I seen him before.

比較：（1）a句為正句，一般表述；（1）b句則是倒裝句，由于never一詞置于句首，受到了強調，致使助動詞have（部分謂語動詞）放在了主語“I”之前。很明顯，倒裝句較之正常語序語氣重。

（2）Only then did I understand that he， too， was an Englishman.

顯然，該句強調的是狀語then， only是有強調意味的副詞，放在then前，對then再強調。

（3）This they kept for themselves.

該句中，this 是kept 的賓語，賓語前置，受到強調。

（4）There， on the shore， were nine savages.

There 與on the shore是同位語，用作表語，前置句首，受到強調。

3.運用被動語態(tài)

English was required for study in many schools.

主語English受到強調。

4.利用強調句型、助動詞或詞組

（1）It is not only blind men who make such stupid mistakes.

（2）It is not until a blind person is treated like a normal human being that he knows his hidden strength.

It is ...that （who）...是典型的強調句型之一。這種強調句型的特點是將It is ...that （who）...去掉，整個句子依然成立。它一般可用來強調主語、賓語、時間狀語、地點狀語等。上邊兩個例句，句（1）強調的是主語，句（2）強調的是時間狀語。

（3）His enemies could not let Lincoln continue his work.

該句的謂語部分中，could not 本可以縮寫，現(xiàn)在不縮寫，則具有了強調意味。下列各句皆屬此類：

a. The doctor did not dare to tell the king the reason.

b. It was no use pretending that I had not seen him...

c. I am a citizen of Switzerland， not Austria.

d. I do not want you simply to promise me with words...

（4）I do not remember what they all were，but I do know that “mother， father， sister， teacher” were among them——words that were to make the world blossom for me.

謂語動詞know前加了do，表示強調。下列各句皆屬此類：

a. Do write to me soon.

b. Do give her my regards.

c. I do hope you have a merry Christmas！

（5）There was clearly nothing left to do but drop herself onto the shabby little couch and weep.

Then it has no choice but to lie down and sleep.

該句型一般強調but之后的內容（注意to do nothing but +不帶to 的不定式和has no choice but +帶to的不定式的用法區(qū)別）。

5.利用大寫

（1） Why， the blackboard was NOT a blackboard.

（2） The cry was taken up and soon everyone was nodding and saying “But He Has Nothing On！”

句（1）中的NOT一詞大寫，對“這不是黑板”作了否定強調。句（2）中的“But...”句大寫，有力地道出了真實，對統(tǒng)治者作了最辛辣的諷刺，從而把整個故事推向了高潮。

6.運用破折號

破折號一般表示解釋、轉折等，但有時也起強調作用。如：

You see， life is made up of sobs， sniffles and smiles —— but mainly of sniffles.

顯然，該句中的破折號強調了“生活主要的是由抽噎構成的”的語意。

7.利用獨詞（詞組）句

（1）“Snake！”

（2）Sixty years！

顯然，獨詞句沒有贅詞，意念集中，好似異軍突起，一支獨秀，起到了較好的強調作用。

8.利用感嘆句（號）

（1）I want to go to school！

（2）How hard all they are working！

比較：“All the people are working very hard”. 就可知感嘆句較之陳述句語意更肯定、堅挺；感情更充沛、濃烈。

9.運用省略

每一種省略都減少了贅詞，避免了語意重復啰唆，突出了新的言語信息，從而達到了強調作用。除了獨詞句可看作省略句外，還有：

（1）省略了的感嘆句：

a. What a good girl！

b. What a great teacher！

（2）簡答句：

Where shall we have the talk on the history of the Party？ In the meeting-room.

（3）習慣省略句型：

a1. Will the swimming pool be open today？

b1. No， it wont.

a2. Why not？

b2. Because theyre cleaning the pool.

上述對話中b1是簡答句，a2是習慣省略句型。

（4）承前省略：

a. Im a nurse， not a doctor.

b. We were robbed by that man who is standing there， taxed by him...

c. I was very late that morning on my way to school and was afraid of being scolded.

10.運用插入語

在句中、句尾運用插入語（如呼語、補充語等），也往往起到強調作用。如：

a. Where is Lucy， do you know？

She is in the reading-room， I think.

b. Go quickly to your place， little Franz， we were going to begin without you.

四、 運用修辭手段進行強調

1.重復（the repetition）

重復即說話人或作者故意重復某些詞或句子，以表達某些重要言語信息或感情的修辭方法。它和“啰唆”的根本區(qū)別在于言語的質量上：“啰唆”給人以拖沓、累贅之嫌，而重復則使人感到“重要”，或心靈上受到感動、沖擊。如：

（1）One dollar and eighty-seven cents...Only one dollar and eighty-seven cents.

故事開篇作者就以重復修辭格先聲奪人：$1.87這一故事線索的反復較好地突出了故事背景的重心，交代了矛盾的焦點，設置了懸念，抓住了讀者，并為整個故事的展開籠罩了一層悲劇氣氛。

（2）It was not anger， nor surprise， nor disappointed， nor horror， nor any of the emotions that she had been prepared for.

Nor一詞在該句上的反復出現(xiàn)，不僅是句子結構的需要，而且使讀者看到了Jim眼光中所流露出的復雜感情在Della心屏上的各色投影，從而加深了讀者對Della此時此刻慌亂害怕心理的理解。

（3）“Poor boy！” the captain said over and over.

Over 一詞在該句中的反復，充分表現(xiàn)了 “the captain” 對小英雄之死的無比惋惜和憐愛之情。

（4）I love you more than my own life， more than my wife， and more than all the world.（He cried.）

More than 在該句中三次反復，表達了Bassanio 對Antonio的黃天厚土般深厚至極的感情。

（5）Here for four very difficult years， they worked every moment that they could spare， weighing and boiling and measuring and calculating and thinking.

連詞and 在該句中反復出現(xiàn)，好似穿針引線將5個狀語動作緊密“縫合”，不但加強了語言氣勢，而且生動地展現(xiàn)了the Curies完全沉浸在放射性元素——鐳的發(fā)現(xiàn)之中的那種執(zhí)著、專注、高度緊張、繁忙、分分秒秒必爭的忘我工作情景。同時，誦讀該段，使我們（讀者）感受到了鐳元素發(fā)現(xiàn)的艱辛，以及作者對the Curies的無比敬重、推崇和熱情謳歌。

2.夸張（the hyperbole）

夸張是將事物作擴大或縮小的描述的修辭格。如：

（1）Dellas hare fell about her， rippling and shining like a brown waterfall. It reached below her knees and almost made a garment for her.

（2）I can wait all my life， sir.

句（1）借助比喻，對Della的頭發(fā)之長、之美作了過分的渲染和贊許，既為故事情節(jié)的進一步展開（剪發(fā)、賣發(fā)）做了鋪墊，又增強了故事的悲劇性。

句（2）顯然是夸張的說法，表明the owner對“I”（a millionaire）償還能力的信任。

還有一些修辭格，諸如比喻、頭韻等亦能突現(xiàn)主要言語信息，使之受到強調。

英語語言中的強調手段是多種多樣的，在英語語言交際中起著非常重要的作用，是英語不可或缺的一種表義手段。我們在學習和使用英語時，應把這幾個方面有機地結合起來，從而達到恰如其分的強調效果。隨著英語語言的發(fā)展，其表意功能將更準確、更生動。因此，強調手段也會越來越受到人們的重視。

參考文獻：

[1]章振邦.新編中學英語語法[M].上海：上海譯文出版社，1990.

[2]張道真.實用英語語法[M].北京：外語教學與研究出版社，1998.

[3]鄭雪青.英語語法教程[M].大連：大連理工大學出版社，1993.

[4]董桂枝.英語特殊表現(xiàn)法[M].石家莊：河北人民出版社，1981.

[5]連淑能.英漢對比研究[M].北京：高等教育出版社，1993.