摘要
本研究运用多维分析(MF/MD)法,对商务英语和通用英语语域及相应的新闻、学术子语域进行语料库对比分析。研究表明:多维分析法能有效区分商务英语和通用英语。该方法可自动从6个话语功能维度(交互性/信息性表达、叙述性/非叙述性关切、指称明晰性/情境依赖型指称、显性劝说型表述、信息抽象与具体程度、即席信息组织精细度)解析商务英语与通用英语及子语域的差异,并能从67个词汇语法特征中挖掘出各语域间的区别性特征。从话语功能上看,商务英语表现出较强的交互性(如多用第一、二人称代词)和劝说性(如多用预期情态表达、动词不定式);而通用英语具有较强的信息性(如多用过去分词短语)和叙述性(如多用第三人称代词、动词过去时)。基于语料库对商务英语语域话语功能和语言特征的综合分析,我们能较客观地描摹商务英语的宏观、微观语言特征。
This paper presents a multi-feature/multi-dimensional(MF/MD)analysis of the register features of business English and two sub-registers(i.e.economic news and economic academic discourse)based on the comparable corpora of business and general English texts.The results show that the MF/MD method is effective in differentiating business English texts vis--vis general English ones,economic news vis--vis general news,and economic academic discourse vis--vis general academic discourse.The variation across business and general English registers and their respective sub-registers is identified along six functional dimensions(involved versus informational production,narrative versus non-narrative concerns,explicit versus situation-dependent reference,overt expression of persuasion,abstract versus non-abstract information,and online information elaboration),and the prominent lexico-grammatical features(based on a 67-item feature set)in individual registers are singled out.From the discourse function perspective,business English exhibits more interactiveness(e.g.the overuse of first and second person pronouns)and persuasiveness(e.g.the overuse of predictive modals and infinitives);general English,however,demonstrates more informational foci(e.g.the overuse of past participial clauses)and narrative concerns(e.g.the overuse of third person pronouns and past tense).The study concludes that the macroand micro-features of discourse function and lexico-grammatical form revealed from the corpora of the business English register and its sub-registers provide a relatively objective descriptive frame of reference for business English syllabus designers,and curriculum and course developers.
出处
《外语教学与研究》
CSSCI
北大核心
2015年第2期225-236,320,共12页
Foreign Language Teaching and Research
