How to Say No: Learning Cross-Cultural Differences in Refusal Strategies from Films

如何說不：從中、英文電影之比較學習拒絕語的跨文化差異

曾嘉悌(Heather Chia-Ti Tseng)

言談行為 ； 拒絕語 ； 用意行為語 ； 緩衝語 ； 語意公式 ； Speech acts ； Refusals ； Illocutionary force ； Adjuncts ； Semantic formulas

Hwa Kang English Journal

19卷（2013 / 12 / 01）

1 - 22

英文

本初探性研究旨在透過學生以參與專題之方式，以分析中、英文電影之言談行為的拒絕語，來瞭解跨文化差異。此小規模之研究共有來自北臺灣技術學院七位應用外語系同學參與。本專題中，學生須對兩部臺灣本地電影和兩部好萊塢流行電影，針對其中在不同情況下所產生的拒絕語，加以分析比較。更具體來說，參與同學比較在不同的文化中，對不同的起始言談行為及與不同位階的對話者所產生的拒絕語加以比較和對比其中之分歧。電影中所辨認出之拒絕語由Beebe et al.（1990）所設計的語意公式加以分析。從研究的中、英文電影比較分析，學生指出最多導致拒絕語的起始言談行為是要求語。除此之外，在好萊塢電影中所採用的拒絕語、傾向於對平輩較為直接的拒絕，並以加入緩衝語的方式、來緩和直接拒絕之用意行為語的衝擊性。而臺灣本地電影中，間接拒絕的策略最常出現，並伴隨理由和藉口來緩和拒絕的影響。此外，本研究中發現，在臺灣電影中緩衝語甚少出現，因其用法在中文中並不常見。顯而易見的是參與同學透過本專題研究對言談行為中拒絕語之跨文化差異有了更深入的理解。其他有關運用電影於課堂中之的語用教學，本文亦有探討。

This pilot study documents a project that used films to familiarize students with cross-cultural differences in the realization of speech acts of refusal. This small scale project involved a group of seven Taiwanese English majors from an Institute of Technology in Northern Taiwan. The participating students were required to compare and contrast refusal strategies adopted by two local Taiwanese films and two popular Hollywood movies in a variety of contexts. Specifically, comparisons were made on how refusal strategies varied cross-culturally in accordance with the different initiating speech acts and with different power variations. The refusal strategies identified from the films were analyzed by semantic formulas developed by Beebe et al. (1990). From the comparative analysis of the films, students reported that most initiating speech acts of request were identified in all the chosen films. In addition, it was found that refusal strategies adopted in Hollywood movies tended to be more direct toward the interlocutor of equal status, with adjunct expressions to mitigate their illocutionary force. As for local Taiwanese films, indirect refusal strategies appeared most often, accompanied by reasons and excuses to mitigate the impact of refusals. Additionally, adjuncts occurred very rarely in the local films since their usages were not common in Chinese language. Apparently, participating students benefited greatly in learning cross-cultural differences in the speech act of refusal through this project. Suggestions for pedagogical intervention will also be discussed, particularly in the use of films to teach pragmatics.

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