Pragmatics and the social life of the English definite article
Pragmatics and the social life of the English definite article
复制标题
英语定冠词的语用学与社会生活
作者：
Eric K. Acton
摘要：埃克特（Eckert，2008）正确地指出，语境、变异和索引性是密不可分的。这项工作——对英语定冠词的社会意义的深入案例研究——展示了一幅图画，其中语义意义是同一相互关系网络的一部分。这项工作的主要实证主张是，使用 the 与复数 NP（例如 the Americans）一起谈论一群人的所有或典型成员，往往会将该群体描述为与说话者分离的整体，而在某种程度上，使用裸复数（例如 Americans）则不然。我提出了两项基于语料库的变异研究，为这种效应提供了明确的证据。然后，我以社会语言学和实用主义研究的见解为基础，并扩大其集体影响范围，对这种影响进行原则性的解释。正如我所表明的，这种效果很大程度上源于复数语义与相关替代表达的语义之间的关键差异。与广泛的相关现象一样，在给定使用场合对特定复数的准确解释在很大程度上取决于其索引特征、演讲参与者的信念以及无数其他上下文因素，但仍然受到原则性的限制。
Abstract:Eckert (2008) rightly points out that context, variation, and indexicality are inextricably bound. This work—an in-depth case study of the social significance of the English definite article—presents a picture whereby semantic meaning is part of that same web of interrelations. The primary empirical claim of this work is that using the with a plural NP (e.g. the Americans) to talk about all or typical members of a group of individuals tends to depict that group as a monolith separate from the speaker, and to an extent that using a bare plural (e.g. Americans) does not. I present two variationist, corpus-based studies that provide clear evidence of this effect. I then provide a principled account of the effect, building on the insights of sociolinguistic and pragmatic research and extending their collective reach. As I show, the effect is largely rooted in crucial differences between the semantic meaning of the-plurals and that of related alternative expressions. As with a broad range of associated phenomena, the exact interpretation of a particular the-plural on a given occasion of use depends importantly upon its indexical character, the beliefs of the speech participants, and myriad other contextual factors, but is nonetheless constrained in a principled way.