The Mandarin Chinese Particle Ei and its Projectability in Daily Conversation

論文發表人： 蔡宜妮 (加州大學洛杉磯分校應用語言學研究所博士班)

 

http://chinalinks.osu.edu/naccl-20/

 

本論文旨在探討語調揚升之中文語氣詞Ei在日常會話中表現出的現象與互動功能。Ei乃非詞彙的話語標記，書面表達上常以漢字「咦」或「誒」來標示。根據前人的研究，Ei為語氣詞，表達說話者內在迷惑、懷疑、驚訝的情緒。本論文將從會話分析的方法論入手，揭示語氣詞Ei在連續性對話中的出現語境，及其在對話過程中的互動預示功能。經過資料分析，本研究發現語氣詞Ei最常出現在以下兩種話語位置，具以下功能：（1）出現在句首，同後面緊接著問句連成一體：暗示問句的來臨，而且詢問將集中轉向在預期之外、非焦點之訊息；（2）出現在說故事或敘事過程的中間：預示、標誌將出現之故事線或論述將會有轉折或有預期之外的特性。綜合來說，本研究顯示語氣詞Ei在互動會話中扮演投射預示之功能，標誌將發生之對話將具有某種預期之外的轉折。根據以上的考察，本論文強調應該重視語氣詞的互動言談功能。

 

This paper presents an analysis from interactional point of view of the Mandarin Chinese particle ei, in a rising contour, in everyday conversations. In the previous studies, the particle ei, sometimes represented by the Chinese character 咦 or誒 , is commonly characterized as an interjection, showing speaker's inner state of mind, for example, puzzlement, doubt or surprise in this case and is regarded as an independent unit from the other parts of the speech. This study draws on conversation analysis and attempts to explore the sequential environments the particle ei regularly occurs and the interactional actions it accomplishes in talk-in-interaction. After examining the data, it is found that the particle ei seems to occur frequently in two distinguished environments: (1) occurring in a turn-initial position, prefacing questions and (2) occurring in turn-medial in a storytelling. Examples reveal that ei-marking seems to project a particular type of question that departs from the prior talk but switches focus, pursuing a new direction. The ei-marking in a storytelling, on the other hand, commonly introduces an unexpected twist, a twist constituting the climax of the story. It suggests that by using the particle ei, the speaker alerts the recipients to a switch or a twist and orients the talk s/he is about to produce as being unexpected and unanticipated. The finding implies that the particle ei does much more than showing speaker's inner state of mind: they accomplish interactional works, and the particles like ei should be approached from interactional point of view.