中英寒暄语对比研究

对比研究

2

贵州师范学院毕业论文（设计）

Ⅰ

. Introduction

With the fast growing of the intercultural communication activities, Chinese and western

countries are getting to know more and more from each other about their history, culture, and

customs. People always conjecture from many different angles for their different experiences.

Phatic communion, as one function of language, has been used into solecism. After that, there

are

more

and

more

studies

about

phatic

communion.

Different

countries

and

customs

have

different

expressions

to

perform

phatic

communion.

The

function

of

phatic

communions

is

similar

in

Chinese

and

western

countries,

that

is

to

keep

comfortable

relationship

between

people.

1.1 Research Purpose

To

compare

phatic

communion

between

English

and

Chinese

is

to

improve

mutual

understanding

between

people

from

the

two

different

cultures.

Phatic

communions

under

different

cultures

of

different

countries

are

quite

different.

At

the

same

time,

different

conditions such as different backgrounds, different thinking way, and different habits result in

different phatic communion. All kinds of living ways make great influences on people?s mind.

And people in different countries also have different ideas of phatic communion.

1.2 Research Significance

This

paper

analyzes

the

differences

of

phatic

communion

between

English

and

Chinese

language.

Phatic communion?s emotional information is passed as a

language method under the

constraints of thinking, manners and customs and other factors, and the meaning and purpose of

expression is different. After knowing these, we can make accurate and rational use of greetings

at

different

occasions.

In

the

21st

century

global

intercultural

communication

becomes

more

usual

as

the

exchange

of

Chinese

and

Western

trade

has

become

more

frequent.

And

the

constant trade frictions between China and the West have a regulatory and eliminating role in

promoting cross-cultural communication.

Ⅱ

. Theoretical Frameworks

2.1 The Definition of Phatic Communion

Phatic

communion,

to

make

greetings

when

people

meeting,

is

a

lip

service

from

the

Word-Ocean. From Ci Hai, phatic communion was used to ask the weather whether it is warm

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贵州师范学院毕业论文（设计）

or cold. But O? Donnel and Todd have the relativel

y broad division. They believe that takings

can be seemed as phatic communion except the subject (Todd, 1980:124).

Sun Xuemei

said that

greetings are used to

produce

a certain

atmosphere or maintaining social

contact

(2009:122).

Phatic

communion

is

including

two

different

sides---Language

communication

and

non-language communication (Zhu, 1989:16). He said that language is not the only method to

make the contracts between people. Sometimes, only a smile, a nodding, a shaking and a hug

can

achieve

the

same

effect.

And

there

is

another

definition

of

phatic

communion.

Phatic

communion

is

an

informal

type

of

discourse

that

does

not

cover

any

functional

topics

of

conversation or any transactions which need to be addressed

(Wang, 2012:238).

There are some

definitions of the phatic communion in people

?

s daily life. Different nations and countries have

different ways to perform the phatic communion. From here we can see that phatic communion

is not only used to ask the weather, but also can be greeting words of communication with each

other.

Phatic

communion

on

a

certain

occasion

used

properly

or

not

will

directly

affect

the

following communication. Sometimes even can directly relates to whether the state and society

harmonious development. Currently, deeply understand the definition of the phatic communion

and properly use it is what the people need to do right now.

2.2 The Origin of Phatic Communion

Phatic communion is the prologue when people meet and a stepping stone for the communication. It as a

conversational interaction between friends and acquaintances, often can only provide a little information, is

driving the conversation to a great extent of the both sides. Norrick once said that from the pragmatic function of

the speech acts, phatic communion acts as a sufficient amount of social roles.

In

order to show the good

behavior from the speaker

(Norrick, 1978:277)

.

As

people mention about the phatic communion, we can

naturally think of a great British social anthropologist---Malinowski. He was

the first man in the world who put

forward the term-- phatic communion and start using it .Primitively, there is a study about social changes and

cultural custom of Trobriand Islands in the west of Pacific. He ate with the local residents about two years while

he lived there. Although it seems to have little useful purpose to maintain and establish the good relationships

between

themselves

and

the

society,

he

found

that

there

are

many

subtle

words

in

the

interpersonal

communication between people.

Phatic communion in China is also known as socializing language, which refers to socializing general

sense

of

language,

rather

than

establishing

and

maintaining

social

ties

associated

with

body

language.

According to Malinowski?s article “The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Language”, phatic communion is

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