奥巴马和马英九就职演讲情态对比研究 --- 奥巴马和马英九就职演讲情态对比研究

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

It has taken me nearly a year or so to select the topic, write, revise and polish this

thesis. In retrospect, I can hardly imagine the completion of this thesis without the help

and support from so many people. Upon the completion of this thesis, I would like to

take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and appreciation to all those who

have offered their unselfish hands to me either directly or indirectly.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to my well-learned

respectable supervisor, Professor Cai Jianping, for his patient guidance and valuable

suggestions during my post-graduate study. His strictness in academic and admirable

personality is definitely a life long wealth for me. During the course of this paper,

Professor Cai also gave me provoking inspirations, helpful suggestions and valuable

criticism.

Secondly, my great thanks go to all the professors who have given me wonderful

lectures during my staying in USST. The knowledge and skills they have taught me will

lay firm foundation for my future work and will benefit me for the rest of my life. All of

my classmates also deserve my heartfelt gratitude. During the past two years, we have

got on well and helped each other on both study and daily life.

Last but not least, I would like to express my appreciation to my families for their

persistent love, encouragement and support throughout the years of my study, especially

the span of time for finishing this paper.

ABSTRACT

Functional Grammar sees the inter-personal meta-function of language as a tool

of exchanging information or goods & services. “When language is used to exchange

information, the clause takes on the form of a proposition” (Halliday, 2008:110); when

goods & services it is a proposal. Correspondingly, there are two kinds of modality:

modalization (modality in a proposition) and modulation (modality in a proposal). “In a

statement the modality is an expression of the speaker’s opinion.” (Halliday,

2008:147)In other words, modalization shows the speaker’s attitude on how likely or

how frequently a proposition is true, while modulation shows the speaker’s confidence

of the success of a proposal. There are four types of modality: probability, usuality,

obligation and inclination.

Apart from modality type, Functional Grammar adds other variables: modality

value and modality orientation. “Attached to the modal judgment” (Halliday, 2008:620),

modality value varies in three degrees: high/median/low. “The basic distinction that

determines how each type of modality will be realized is the orientation.” (Halliday,

2008:619) Modality orientation is judged from subjective/objective and

explicit/implicit.

Inaugural speech, which is highlighted socially and historically, represents the

standard usage of one language, and boasts deliberate verbalism and framework. The

study of inaugural speech is therefore of theoretical significance linguistically and

stylistically, and of practical meaning pedagogically in language teaching and learning.

Considering the genre, length, addressing time and some other factors, this thesis

chooses Barack Obama’s and Ma Yingjiu’s inauguration speeches as its research

subject.

With the help of the statistic software Wordsmith and “Find” function of

Microsoft Word, and with the verify of a professor and three classmates, this thesis

impartially and objectively figures out the type, value, and orientation of each modality

expression in these two speeches. After qualitative and quantitative analysis, the author

compares and contrasts the modality distribution in the two inauguration speeches,

resulting in the following three similarities and three differences respectively in terms of

the modality type, value and orientation:

iii

Similarities: Both of the two speeches see more modulation than modalization;

the low value modality takes the lowest rate; the subjective and implicit modality

overweighs the objective and explicit modality.

Differences: Obama employs less obligation than inclination while Ma Yingjiu

employs more obligation than inclination; the English speech covers the high value

modality mostly while the Chinese one the median value mostly; Obama’s speech sees

the subjective modality more than that of Ma Yingjiu’s.

These similarities can mainly be accounted for by the fact that the two speeches

belong to the same genre, while these differences can be attributed by the fact that the

two addressors come from different countries with different cultural backgrounds. This

thesis tries to reason the differences from the following cultural standpoints: the eastern

culture values collectivism while the western individualism; the east stresses on

obligations while the west rights; the ancient eastern culture views the origin of the

universe as “qi” while the west “being”; the east treats “I” actually as “we-self” and the

“super-ego” while the east “I-self” and the “ego”; the east thinks holistically while the

west analytically; the system of Chinese language is characterized with stability while

the English language is dynamic. Finally, this thesis comes to the conclusion that culture

can influence language both in English and Chinese languages.

Although there are certain important and reasonable results drawn from this

study, there do exist some limitations. Finally, based on this study, the author puts

forwards five suggestions on further studies from the perspectives of sampling,

qualitative analysis, the mood system, ideational and textual meta-functions of

Functional Grammar, and some other aspects.

Key Words: modality type, modality value, modality orientation,

inauguration speech, culture attribution

中文摘要

功能语法在情态的类型、量值和取向等方面做出了系统性、革新性的探究。

功能语法认为语言有三大元功能：人际、概念和语篇功能。人际功能视语言为交

换信息或商品服务的工具。命题用来交换信息，提议用来交换商品服务。相应地，

情态可以分为情态化和意态化。命题中的情态是情态化，提议中的情态是意态化。

情态化从可能性或经常性角度显示说话人对命题所交换信息的可靠性的自信程

度；意态化从义务或意愿角度显示说话人对提议所交换商品服务的成功性的自信

程度。情态的类型有：可能性，经常性，义务和意愿。情态的量值分为高、中、

低三档，表示不同的自信程度。情态的取向有两种：主观和客观，显性和隐性。

就职演讲的内容和措词都经过深思熟虑，仔细推敲，同时也代表该语言的标

准表达和用法。对其进行研究，不仅在语言学和文体学方面具有一定的理论意义，

而且在语言教学和学习方面也具有不可小窥的实用意义。鉴于演讲的类型、长度、

时间等因素，本文选取奥巴马和马英九的就职演讲作为研究对象。

本文运用 Wordsmith 软件和 Microsoft word 的查找功能，对两篇演讲中的情

态表达做出统计和归类。经过对演讲中情态类型、量值和取向等范畴的定性和定

量分析，本文得到异同点如下。

共同点：意态化（义务和意愿）多于情态化（可能性和经常性）；低量值情

态所占比重最少；主观和隐性取向多于客观和显性取向。

不同点：奥巴马演讲中意愿多于义务，而马英九演讲中义务多于意愿；奥巴

马使用高量值情态最多，而马英九使用中量值情态最多；奥巴马演讲中主观情态

所占比例大于马英九演讲。

出现这些异同点的原因是复杂的。本文认为：出现这些相似之处，主要是因

为两个文本都是就职演讲，具有相同的文体和目的。出现这些差异，主要是因为

演讲者来自不同的国家，具有不同的文化背景。本文试着从中西文化价值观、权

利义务观、宇宙本源、自我概念、思维方式和语言体系等方面探究深藏于这些差

异背后的文化归因。在一定程度上证明了文化对语言的影响。

虽然本研究发现了一些重要且合理的结论，但仍然存在一些不足。基于本研

究，作者从取样，定性分析，功能语法的语气理论、概念元功能理论、语篇元功

能理论及其它角度，为此类研究提出了建议。

关键词：情态类型情态量值情态取向就职演讲文化归因

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2-1: Tree Diagram ……………………………….……………………………..6

Figure 2-2: Modality System of English language …………………………………...10

Figure 2-3: Modality System of Chinese language …………………………..……….11

Figure 2-4: Modality Type of English language ……………………………………...12

Figure 2-5: Modality Type of Chinese language ……………………………………..13

Figure 2-6: Modality Orientation of English language………………………………..16

Figure 2-7: Modality Orientation of Chinese language…………………………...…..16

Figure 3-1: Modal Adjunct ……………………………………………………………25

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2-1: Commodity Exchange ………………………………………………………8

Table 2-2: Modal Space ………………………………………………………………..9

Table 2-3: Modality Value of English language ………………………………………14

Table 2-4: Frequently-used Modal Operators of English Language ……………...…..14

Table 2-5: Modality Value of Modality Metaphors in English Language……………..14

Table 2-6: Modality Value of Chinese language …………………………...…………15

Table 2-7: Frequently-used Modal Operators of Chinese Language ……………...….15

Table 2-8: Modality Value of Modality Metaphors in Chinese Language …………..15

Table 2-9: Modality Type and Orientation of English language ………………...…..17

Table 2-10: Modality Type and Orientation of Chinese language …………...……….18

Table 3-1: Adverbs Serving as Mood Adjunct of Temporality ……………...………..25

Table 3-2: Adverbs Serving as Mood Adjuncts of Modality ………...……………….26

Table 3-3: Adverbs serving as Mood Adjuncts of Intensity …………………………..26

Table 3-4: Data on the Distribution of Modality Type ………………………………..29

Table 3-5: Data on the Distribution of Modality Value ……………………………….32

Table 3-6: Data on the Value Distribution of Probability …………………………….34

Table 3-7: Data on the Value Distribution of Usuality ………………………………..34

Table 3-8: Data on the Value Distribution of Obligation ……………………...……...34

Table 3-9: Data on the Value Distribution of Inclination ………………...…………...34

Table 3-10: Data on the Distribution of Modality Orientation (1) …………...……….35

Table 3-11: Data on the Distribution of Modality Orientation (2) ………...………….36

Table 4-1: Thinking Patterns of the East and the West …………………...…………..51

vii

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................... i

ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................. ii

中文摘要 ......................................................................................................................iv

LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................v

LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... vi

Chapter One Introduction .......................................................................................... 1

§ 1.1 Theoretical Foundation .......................................................................................................1

§ 1.2 Research Subject .................................................................................................................2

§ 1.3 Purposes and Significance .................................................................................................. 2

§ 1.4 Structure of this Thesis ....................................................................................................... 3

Chapter Two Literature Review .................................................................................5

§ 2.1 Traditional Study on Modality ............................................................................................5

§ 2.2.1 Category Perspective ..............................................................................................6

§ 2.2.2 Syntactic Perspective ............................................................................................. 6

§ 2.2.2 Semantic Perspective ............................................................................................. 7

§ 2.2 Functional Study on Modality ............................................................................................ 8

§ 2.2.1 System of Modality ................................................................................................8

§ 2.2.1 Types of Modality: Probability/Usuality/Inclination/Obligation ........................ 12

§ 2.2.2 Values of Modality: High/Median/Low ...............................................................13

§ 2.2.3 Orientations of Modality: Subjective/Objective, Explicit/Implicit ..................... 15

§ 2.3 Applications of Modality ..................................................................................................18

§ 2.4 Summary ...........................................................................................................................19

Chapter Three: Comparative and Contrastive Analysis of the Two Speeches .... 21

§ 3.1 Methodology and Data Statistics ......................................................................................21

§ 3.1.1 Statistics of Clauses ............................................................................................. 22

§ 3.1.2 Statistics of Modality Expressions .......................................................................23

§ 3.1.3 Summary .............................................................................................................. 28

§ 3.2 Distribution of Modality Type in the Speeches ................................................................28

§ 3.2.1 Data Description and Analysis .............................................................................29

§ 3.2.2 Findings ................................................................................................................31

§ 3.3 Distribution of Modality Value in the Speeches ...............................................................31

§ 3.3.1 Data Description and Analysis .............................................................................31

§ 3.3.2 Findings ................................................................................................................34

§ 3.4 Distribution of Modality Orientation in the Speeches ..................................................... 35

§ 3.4.1 Data Description and Analysis .............................................................................35

viii

§ 3.4.2 Findings ................................................................................................................36

§ 3.5 Summary ...........................................................................................................................37

Chapter Four Discussions on the Similarities and Differences of Modality in the

Two Speeches ............................................................................................................. 39

§ 4.1. Background of Barack Obama and Ma Yingjiu .............................................................. 39

§ 4.1.1 Background of Barack Obama .............................................................................39

§ 4.1.2 Background of Ma Yingjiu .................................................................................. 41

§ 4.1.3 Summary .............................................................................................................. 42

§ 4.2 Discussions on the Similarities .........................................................................................43

§ 4.3 Discussions on the Differences ........................................................................................ 44

§ 4.3.1 Different Systems of Cultural Value .................................................................... 44

§ 4.3.2 Different Views on Rights and Obligations .........................................................46

§ 4.3.3 Different Views on the Origin of the Universe ....................................................47

§ 4.3.4 Different Connotations of “I” .............................................................................. 49

§ 4.3.5 Different Patterns of Thinking ............................................................................. 50

§ 4.3.6 Different Systems of Language ........................................................................... 52

§ 4.4 Summary ...........................................................................................................................54

Chapter Five Conclusion .......................................................................................... 55

§ 5.1 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 55

§ 5.2 Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research ........................................................... 57

APPENDICES .............................................................................................................59

REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 69

在读期间公开发表的论文 ......................................................................................... 72

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iACKNOWLEDGEMENTSIthastakenmenearlyayearorsotoselectthetopic,write,reviseandpolishthisthesis.Inretrospect,Icanhardlyimaginethecompletionofthisthesiswithoutthehelpandsupportfromsomanypeople.Uponthecompletionofthisthesis,Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoexpressmysinceregratitudeandappreciationtoalltho...

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