论文总字数：34099字

摘 要

语言是时代的反映,“淘宝体”作为一种新兴的网络语言，既拥有网络语言的一般特点，又有其独特之处。礼貌是成功交际中的一个重要因素。礼貌原则对“淘宝体”的使用有直接指导作用，运用礼貌原则不能生搬硬套，我们要根据实际情况灵活运用各条准则。本文以“淘宝体”为切入点, 在对网络语言一般特点的研究基础上分析淘宝称呼语“亲”的特点。通过进一步探讨淘宝体称呼语的语用功能，得出以下结论：恰当地运用淘宝体语言，有利于其语用价值的实现，主要在符合礼貌原则方面；但是不分语境的滥用，则容易造成语用失误。

关键词： “淘宝体”；礼貌原则；语用失误

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. “Taobao” Register 1

3. Analysis from Semantic and Pragmatic Approach 3

3.1 Semantic Approach 3

3.2 Pragmatic Approach 4

4. Comments on “Taobao” Register 11

4.1 The Positive Evaluation 11

4.2 The Pragmatic Failure 12

5. Conclusion 13

Works Cited 15

1. Introduction

The 21st century is an information age, as a new media, network has been widely used and gradually becomes an integral part of people’s life. Meanwhile, this fantastic progress of technology promotes the emergence of a new language form “network language”. In recent years, there appears a variety of network phrases. They have been widely and frequently used in people’s daily life, which has aroused more and more domestic and international scholars’ attention. “Taobao” register, as a new and popular network language, was produced and prospered with the development of electronic commerce and network language, so it not only has the general linguistic features of network language, but also has its special characteristics. Based on previous studies of network language, this paper regards the research of “Taobao” register as an entry point, focusing on analyzing “Taobao” register in pragmatic perspective, aiming at a better understanding of “Taobao” register, in order to avoid pragmatic failures effectively and achieve its maximum pragmatic value.

1. “Taobao” Register

Taobao language is a popular network language which originally appears on China’s best online trading platform “Taobao”. The “register” in Taobao register refers to the style, belongs to linguistic category, rather than in the body of literature. “Taobao” register is a way of speaking, is naturally produced in the specific network transaction environment. The earliest origin of “Taobao” register is the dialogue between both sides in Taobao network transaction or sellers’ description of the goods. There is one thing in common for online shopping, that is all of transaction is done on the internet, so the communication between buyers and sellers is mainly relies on online chatting. With the growing popularity of online shopping, the online chatting has become more and more frequently, it promoted a new kind of network language’s appearance. Because that new language was initially used on “Taobao”, it was simply called “Taobao” register.

There are three features of “Taobao” register.

The first feature is that it uses the second person and the intimate appellation. “Taobao”

register is the evolution of online transaction’s dialogue, so it keeps the second person and the address form “Qin”, this is one of the outstanding characteristics of “Taobao” register. It reflects the simplicity and flexibility of network style by transferring “Qin ai de” into “Qin”, and makes “Taobao” register warmer.

The second feature is that it is with entertainment and interactivity. Because “Taobao” register is fresh and it can be copied, coupled with the rapid spread of the network, a lot of people use “Taobao” register. But most are created by the funny interaction between net friends, some are sellers’ advertisements.

The third feature is that it is with creativity and fashionability. The development of society will inevitably lead to the change of language, the arrival of the Internet age which reflected in language is a kind of creative psychology (Xie Guangyao, 2011: 147). The emergence and popularity of “Taobao” register reflects the strong innovative awareness of users, such as it changes “Qin ai de” into “Qin” and changes the form of a dialogue into no form and can apply these into real life, these are sufficient to show the creative use of language. At the same time, “Taobao” register also reflects fashionability of language. The fashionability of language is one public language behavior in a certain period (Zeng Yiping, 2002: 46). For these who pursuit fashionability of language, they will show the tendency towards verbal expression as long as they have any chances, and achieve self–satisfied expression effects, so the pursuit of fashion has become a language strategy of them. At present, many netizens use “Taobao” register is the performance of people’s pursuit of language fashion.

One of the obvious features of “Taobao” register is that everyone is called “Qin”( the abbreviation of “Qin ai de”) in chatting, and often with some mood particles such as “Oh”, “Ah” and “Wow” at the end, so it will make people feel closer (Xie Guangyao, 2011: 146). At the beginning, the Taobao register was only used in online shopping, but gradually, its using scope was growing, it slowly penetrated into people’s daily lives.

3. Analysis from Semantic and Pragmatic Approach

3.1 Semantic Approach

I want to analyze “Qin” from two aspects, the first aspect is from semantic extension and the second aspect is from generalization.

Semantics is an open system, it can be extended or narrowed with the change of context. Semantic extension refers to the specific meaning of a word can be extended with the change of the environment in which language is used (Cole and Morgan, 1975: 286).

In ancient times, “Qin” can be used as nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs. It has seven meanings: parent, kinsfolk, relative, confidence, intimacy, love, personally. In modern times, the meanings of the word “Qin” can be summed up as the following: the person’s name, such as father, mother, bride etc; people with blood relationship or good relationship, such as brothers, relatives, friends etc, it represents love, affection and intimacy.

The word “Qin” is given a new meaning in the transmission of Internet recently. Although the network is an illusory, wide world, it can gather these who have common features and pursuits, they may choose a more free language expression. These years, with the rapid development of network shopping, a new occupation on the network appeared which dedicated to service network shoppers-net inn customer service. In order to narrow the distance between themselves and the customers, they often call customers “Qin”. Taobao uses “Qin” as a salutation, obviously beyond the traditional meaning of “Qin”. Some people think that “Qin” is an abbreviation of “Qin ai de”, a mutation which belongs to the network language. It is firstly used on women buyers and gradually spread from sellers to buyers. It can be interpreted as “dear”, it can also be interpreted as “friend”. For example:

Seller: “The style of this cloth is more suitable for you, Qin!”

Customer: “Qin, you say how much?”

The address form “Qin” was only used for people with close relationships, now the reference object of “Qin” has expanded, it can be used between relatives, acquaintances or strangers. In this example, the meaning of address form “Qin” is not the same with its original meaning, but it is the semantic extension that can achieve unexpected pragmatic effects in virtual transactions of network shopping or even in real transactions.

Social alteration causes contradictions between society and language, this contradiction reflects the inharmony between its surface and depth, it reflects the variational phenomenon on appellation, and thus it causes the chaos of generalization. The popularity of “Qin” is a very typical phenomenon of the generalization of address forms caused by address forms’ deletion. As we know, one of the characteristics of network shopping is fast. Whether merchants or consumers, the only they want to do is to reach a transaction by communicating in a short time, so they are not willing to waste time and energy in asking other information unrelated to the transaction. Another characteristic of network shopping is that businesses and consumers are unfamiliar with each other, they do not know other sides’ gender, age, occupation and other social factors.

Customer: “Qin, is there any discount?”

Seller: “Sure, come in.”

In this example, “Qin” can call any parties, no matter they are customers or sellers, no matter they are women or men, no matter they are beauties or handsome guys. Beauty and handsome guy are also typically generalized address forms. Beauty doesn’t only refer beautiful women, but it refers women of all ages, no matter they are beautiful or ugly. They turn marked words into unmarked words. Similarly, it is the same with handsome guy. Beauty is still used by the restrictions on gender, one of the communication parties can use this generalized appellation only by knowing others’ gender. The emergence of “Qin” just meets the desire of both sides. “Qin” can call any of the parties, whether merchants or consumers. Gender, age and other social problems need not be considered.

3.2 Pragmatic Approach

Pragmatics is a general cognitive, social, and cultural perspective on linguistic phenomena in relation to their usage in forms of behaviour (Mey, 2001: 9). Pragmatics places its focus on language users and their conditions of using the language. This implies that it is not sufficient to consider the language users only, but that there are specific social factors which influence the use of language, both in the acquisition stage and in usage itself (Mey, 2001: 287). In pragmatics, three things are important: meaning, context and users. Pragmatics is concerned with the study of meaning based on context and language users. Social pragmatics has to do with the whole of society, with its cultural and social contexts. The address form “Qin” emerged under the background of society, there are various social pragmatic functions of it. However, I want to research address form “Qin” in pragmatic perspective from politeness principle.

3.2.1 Pragmatic Basis of Politeness Principle

Although our conversation seems to be a random activity, it is actually based on principles. There are literally thousands of communication and conversation principles that guide us. To go on a successful conversation, we must follow some of them, and maybe at the same time violate some of them. Here, politeness principle will be discussed. The politeness principle is the polite norms that restrain the language activity. The politeness principle may be formulated in a general way from two aspects: to minimize the impolite beliefs and maximize the expression of polite beliefs.

Politeness is universal to all cultures, largely because all people have the need to be appreciated and protected. So in conversation we should follow politeness principle. According to Leech, politeness principle tells us to minimize the effects of impolite statements or expressions and to maximize the politeness of polite illocutions, all the time, respects the intentions that direct the ongoing conversations. Leech introduces the politeness principle which runs as follows: Minimize (all things being equal)the expression of impolite beliefs. Maximize (all things being equal) the expression of polite belief (Leech, 1983: 156).

As we know, in China, Gu Yueguo summarized five politeness principles in the article of “Polite, pragmatic and culture”. The five politeness principles are as following. First, the principle of debasing self and respecting other. Second, the principle of the differences between seniority and junior and the appellation. The third principle is the complaisance and gentility. The forth one is the face principle. And the fifth one is the moral character, language, and behavior principle (Gu Yueguo, 1992:16). Grice describes four conversational maxims:(1)The maxim of Quantity (2)The maxim of Quality. (3)The maxim of Relevance: (4)The maxim of Manner (Grice, 1975: 386).

In short, these maxims specify what participants have to do in order to converse in a maximally efficient, rational, and cooperative way: they should speak sincerely, relevantly and clearly, while at the same time providing sufficient information. It is believed that if participants are following these maxims, they are cooperating with one another in creating an effective conversation.

Leech specified six maxims of the politeness principle which are the means by which on can obtain the degree of politeness required in a certain situation.

(1)Tact maxim

Minimize the expression of beliefs which imply cost to other, maximize the expression of beliefs which imply benefit to other.

(2)The Generosity maxim:

Minimize the expression of benefit to self; maximize the expression of cost.

to self.

(3)The Approbation maxim

Minimize the expression of beliefs which express dispraise of other; maximize the expression of beliefs which express approval of other. Other may not be the person directly addressed, but someone or something dear to him or her.

(4)The Modesty maxim

Minimize the expression of praise of self; maximize the expression of dispraise of self.

(5) The Agreement maxim

Minimize the expression of disagreement between self and other; maximize the expression of agreement between self and other.

(6) The Sympathy maxim

Minimize the expression of detest of other; maximize the expression of sympathy of other.

When talking about the politeness principle, we must mention the face theory or the face saving theory. In its usual interpretation, “face” has two aspects: a positive one, by which a person’s status as an autonomous, independent, free agent is affirmed; and a negative one, which stresses a person’s immunity from outside interference and undue external pressure. Acting cooperatively, people try to build up their interlocutors’ positive face, while trying to avoid posing threatens to their negative faces.

3.2.2 The Application of Politeness Principle in “Taobao” Register

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