NBA即席解說詞的功能文體學(xué)研究

1、2A Functional Stylistic Approach to the Study of Impromptu NBA CommentariesNBA即席解說詞的功能文體學(xué)研究 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of Henan Universityin Partial Fulfillment of the Requirementsfor the Degree of Master of ArtsByGaojinmiaoSupervisor: Prof. Zhang KeMarch, 201367Acknowledgements

2、I am truly grateful to all those people who have been instrumental in bringing this thesis to fruition. Without all sorts of invaluable encourage, guidance and support, I could not have successfully accomplished it.First of all, I would like to present my deep gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Z

3、hang Ke, whose patient instructions, painstaking efforts, enlightening guidance and constant encouragement have contributed immensely to the completion of this thesis. Her valuable advice and direction have drawn my attention to a number of deficiencies for improvement and have made many things clea

4、rer for me. The most precious treasure I gained from her is the precision in doing research, which I believe will continue to benefit me in my future research.Secondly, I feel deeply indebted to all those teachers who have instructed and enlightened me during my post-graduate studies in the School o

5、f Foreign Languages, Henan University.I also owe my friends, who have shared my happiness and frustrations during this research.Finally, I would like to thank my parents for their support and encouragement.AbstractNBA, as the biggest National Basketball Association in the United States, is drawing a

6、ttention from all over the world. Impromptu NBA commentary is as interesting, vivid and wonderful as the game itself, and it is very different from other spoken varieties such as news, speech and so on. However, at present, a comprehensive and in-depth study of this variety from the functional persp

7、ective has not been well attempted. Based on a synthetical mode for foregrounding feature analysis, this thesis just offers a functional-stylistic approach to impromptu NBA commentary. This study recognizes that language is constructed and also exists in the social reality. The formation of the disc

8、ourse is restricted by context of situation and social functions. The social function of impromptu NBA commentary is to report the important information of the competition in a quick, objective and not boring way, which determines the linguistic features of the discourse. Based on the five videos do

9、wnloaded from the NBA official website, the present thesis adopts both the qualitative and quantitative approaches and analyzes the foregrounding features of impromptu NBA commentary at the phonological, lexical, grammatical and semantic levels. This paper employs the top-down method, gives an analy

10、sis of the context of situation of impromptu NBA commentary first, then put forward the social functions and then summarizes the macroscopical linguistic features of this discourse: vividness, concisity, objectivity, rapidity, precisity, simplicity, clarity, action-packedness and looseness. In terms

11、 of the macroscopical linguistic features, this paper makes a detailed analysis about how they are realized at the four levels through the two foregrounding devices deflection and incongruity.In terms of the study, the author finds that at the phonological level, vividness is realized by the flexibl

12、e use of stress and loudness, rapidity is realized by the fast tempo and the short pauses; At the Lexical level, simplicity is realized by the frequent use of short words and low vocabulary intensity, precisity is realized by the technical terms and jargons, objectivity is realized by the frequent u

13、se of numerals, action-packedness is realized by high proportion of action verbs, clarity is realized by the frequent use of proper nouns, concisity is realized by the high frequency of ellipsis, definity is realized by the fewer use of the pet phrases, vividness is realized by the subjective use of

14、 adjectives and adverbs; At the grammatical level, action-packedness is realized by the overwhelming majority of material processes, objectivity is realized by the great majority of statements and little use of modality, simplicity is realized by the majority of active voices, simple present tense a

15、nd unmarked themes, looseness is realized by the single use of the conjunction “and”, clarity is realized by the semantic cohesive ties; At the semantic level, precisity is realized by the avoidance of using vague reference, vividness is realized by the appropriate use of humorous remarks and rhetor

16、ical devices. The study divides all these linguistic forms into two large categories, one is quantitative prominence, i.e. deflection and the other is qualitative prominence, i.e. incongruity. All these features relate closely to the functions in the context of situation, and as a result, become the

17、 foregrounding features of this variety. This thesis is intended for a better recognition of the foregrounding features of impromptu NBA commentary and making some constructive suggestions on the English learning and the cultivating of the professional commentators, which can help the students get t

18、he knowledge of the linguistic features on a macro point, and then promote their capability for appreciating and commentating.Key Words: functional-stylistics; foregrounding; impromptu NBA commentary; deflection; incongruity摘 要NBA，作為美國第一大職業(yè)籃球賽事，越來越吸引著全球的目光，而NBA 即席解說詞也正如NBA比賽本身一樣有趣，生動(dòng)，精彩。與其它口語語體，如新聞，

19、演講等大不相同，表現(xiàn)出其獨(dú)有的語言特點(diǎn)。目前從功能語言學(xué)角度對該類語篇進(jìn)行全面、深入的研究還是極少數(shù)的，本文運(yùn)用功能文體學(xué)中語篇前景化理論的綜合分析模式，對NBA即席解說詞進(jìn)行了深入全面的研究。本研究認(rèn)為，語言存在于社會(huì)現(xiàn)實(shí)，又構(gòu)建于社會(huì)現(xiàn)實(shí)。語篇的形成受制于語境和社會(huì)功能。NBA即席解說詞的主要社會(huì)功能是解說員緊隨比賽的進(jìn)行，對比賽的過程做出快速、有趣，客觀的解說。這一功能決定了語篇的形成，從而進(jìn)一步?jīng)Q定了該語篇的語言特色。本文以NBA官方網(wǎng)站上下載的5 個(gè)視頻資料作為本研究的語料，采用定量分析和定性分析相結(jié)合的方法，分析在社會(huì)功能的決定下，NBA即席解說詞在音系、詞匯語法以及語義結(jié)構(gòu)層面的

20、前景化特征。本文基于功能文體學(xué)的分析框架，采用自上而下的分析方法，首先分析了NBA即席解說詞的情景語境，提出該語篇的主要社會(huì)功能，并總結(jié)了宏觀上該語篇的語言特色生動(dòng)性，簡潔性，快速性，確定性，客觀性，準(zhǔn)確性，動(dòng)作性，簡單性，清晰性，松散性。根據(jù)這些宏觀的語言特色，文章具體分析了這些語言特色通過前景化的兩種方式失衡和失協(xié)，在音系、詞匯語法以及語義結(jié)構(gòu)層面的實(shí)現(xiàn)方式。在音系層，生動(dòng)性是由重音，音強(qiáng)等的獨(dú)特運(yùn)用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，快速性是由語速以及短暫停頓來實(shí)現(xiàn)；在詞匯層，簡單性是由詞匯長度短，詞匯密度小來實(shí)現(xiàn)，準(zhǔn)確性是由技術(shù)用語和行話以及數(shù)詞的多次使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，動(dòng)作性是由動(dòng)詞的大量使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，清晰性是由專有名詞

21、的頻繁使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，生動(dòng)性是由形容詞和副詞的使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，簡潔性是由大量的省略來實(shí)現(xiàn)，確定性是由口頭語的極少出現(xiàn)來實(shí)現(xiàn)；在語法層，動(dòng)作性是由物質(zhì)過程的大量使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，客觀性是由大量的陳述語氣和零情態(tài)來實(shí)現(xiàn)，簡單性是由大量的主動(dòng)語態(tài)，一般現(xiàn)在時(shí)態(tài)和無標(biāo)記主位來實(shí)現(xiàn)，松散性是由連詞的單一少量使用來實(shí)現(xiàn)，清晰性是由語義銜接帶來實(shí)現(xiàn)；在語義層，準(zhǔn)確性是由避免使用模糊指代來實(shí)現(xiàn)，生動(dòng)性是由幽默語言以及修辭手法的適當(dāng)運(yùn)用來實(shí)現(xiàn)。這些語言手段既包括數(shù)量上的突出即失衡，也包括質(zhì)量上的突出即失協(xié)，二者都與它們在情景語境中的功能有著極高的相關(guān)性，因此也就成了本語篇的前景化特征。本文通過分析NBA即席解說詞的語篇功能在

22、語言層面上的實(shí)現(xiàn)方式，探討了該語篇對于英語學(xué)習(xí)者以及專業(yè)解說員的培養(yǎng)在教學(xué)上的啟示，有助于學(xué)生從宏觀上把握語篇的語言特點(diǎn)，并從微觀上了解該語篇的語言特色，從而提高他們對NBA即席解說詞的欣賞能力和解說水平。關(guān)鍵詞：功能文體學(xué)；前景化；NBA即席解說詞；失衡；失協(xié)List of FiguresFigure 3-1 A Synthetical Mode for Foregrounding Feature Analysis.15Figure 4-1 Situational Configuration and Semantic Configuration.18List of TablesTable 5

23、-1 Prosodic Features24Table 5-2 Length of Words.29Table 5-3 Vocabulary Intensity30Table 5-4 Parts of Speech.31Table 5-5 Distribution of Process Types in the 5 Samples. 35Table 5-6 Distribution of Tense in the 5 Samples.48ContentsAbstractI摘 要IVList of FiguresVIList of TablesVIIChapter One Introductio

24、n11.1 Research Background11.2 Purpose and Significance of the Study21.3 Data Collection and Methodology31.4 Layout of the Thesis3Chapter Two Literature Review52.1 Studies at Home on Impromptu Sports Commentaries52.2 Studies Abroad on Impromptu Sports Commentaries52.3 Major Findings in Previous Resea

25、rches62.4 Deficiencies in Previous Researches7Chapter Three Theoretical Framework83.1 Style83.2 Theories of Foregrounding103.2.1 Formalism and Defamiliarization103.2.2 Structualists Foregrounding Theory103.2.3 Leechs Synthesis of the Foregrounding Theory123.2.4 Hallidays Conception of Foregrounding

26、Theory133.3 A Synthetical Mode for Foregrounding Feature Analysis14Chapter Four Contextual Factors Analysis of Impromptu NBA Commentaries174.1 Context of Situation174.1.1 Field of Discourse184.1.2 Tenor of Discourse194.1.3 Mode of Discourse194.2 Functions of Language194.3 Macroscopical Linguistic Fe

27、atures Restricted by Context of Situation20Chapter Five Foregrounding Features in Impromptu NBA Commentaries225.1 Deflection in Impromptu NBA Commentaries225.1.1 Phonological Deflection225.1.2 Lexical deflection315.1.3 Grammatical Deflection375.2 Incongruity in impromptu NBA commentary475.2.1 Lexica

28、l Incongruity485.2.2 Grammatical Incongruity505.2.3 Semantic Incongruity53Chapter Six Conclusion576.1 Findings576.2 Limitations626.3 Recommendations for Further Studies63Bibliography64 Chapter One Introduction1.1 Research BackgroundWith the increasingly improvement of the living standard, people are

29、 now seeking for more spiritual enjoyment rather than material fortune alone. Naturally, sports, as a sign of social and cultural civilization, have gradually taken on a national flavor. More and more people have an intense pursuit to take part in athletics such as basketball, football, table tennis

30、 etc. So a lot of professional sports games emerged such as NFL (National Football League), MLB (Major League Baseball), NBA (National Basketball Association) and NHL (National Hockey League). When people take part in sports, they can feel the real exhilaration and complete relax. Since the athletes

31、 are selected from the whole world, so the ideals of teamwork and tolerance can also help promote international cooperation and world peace. NBA is the abbreviation of National Basketball Association. It is the worlds premier mens professional basketball league, representing the highest level in the

32、 world. It shares all the advantages of the sports above. Billions of people in the world are crazy about it.The league was founded in New York City, United States on June 6, 1946 as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in the autum

33、n of 1949 after merging with the rival National Basketball League.At first, there were only 11 teams. Afterwards, some teams joined NBA one after another. In 2004, the Charlotte Bobcats team joins in NBA, and then the team sum reached 30.The 30 teams in NBA are divided into two alliances-east and we

34、st alliance, each has 15 teams. There are three divisions in each alliance separately. East alliance can be divided to Northwest, Southwest and Pacific division. West alliance is divided to central, southeast and Atlantic divisions.The NBA is divided into regular season and playoffs. The regular sea

35、son begins from the second Tuesday of first week in November to the end of April in the next year. For the round-robin regular season, each team must complete 82 game (expect 1998 and 2012). The top eight teams of each alliance, including the champion of each division, will be eligible to enter the

36、next playoff and go for the championship. The playoff has four rounds, and adopts the system of winning 4 out of 7 games. The fourth round is also called the NBA finals. The champions of the two alliances go for the last championshipthe highest honor of NBA.This is a brief introduction to the NBA. F

37、or the NBA commentary, the commentator has no manuscript sketches, and speaks very fast to keep up with the quick competition. However, it is still as interesting and vivid as the game itself. In order to attract more people in the program, the commentator always uses his unique commentary technique

38、 and brings the audience to their highest sprits in terms of different situations. Therefore, it is very different from other spoken varieties.1.2 Purpose and Significance of the Study Due to the unique features of impromptu NBA commentaries, this paper aims at making a thorough inquiry into this re

39、gister at the levels of phonology, lexis, grammar and semantics, and tries to find out all the foregrounding features based on the functional stylistic theory. There are several values on this research. First, it broadens the scope under the theoretical framework of functional grammar, and arouses m

40、ore attention of the researchers to study other kinds of language variety in commentaries. Second, it can help TV audience and Chinese learners of English understand and appreciate the NBA commentary language better. Third, it is also helpful to train the professional Chinese commentators, helping t

41、hem develop their language skills and do much better work in this field.1.3 Data Collection and Methodology Commentary is a descriptive spoken account (especially on radio or television ) of a performance or an event as it happens (Thompson, 1999：265). Impromptu commentaries consist of TV commentari

42、es and radio commentaries. Since TV commentaries are available to give audience visual appreciation besides the audio enjoyment, and nowadays most young people seldom listen to the radio, so the present research just focuses on the live TV commentaries, and take the impromptu NBA commentaries as the

43、 object of the study. In order to do this work better, the author has built a data base based on the impromptu NBA commentaries, in which all the videos are downloaded from the official web site of the NBA. All generalizations and conclusions will be derived from the analysis of these samples. In or

44、der to reveal the nature of the selected data better, both qualitative and quantitative methods are adopted in the research. These two approaches are co-present and complimentary. The quantitative method is employed to count up the number of each prominent feature that appears in the corpus, which c

45、an make the study authentic and objective. The qualitative method is adopted to explain how these prominent features become foregrounding, that is to say how these distinctive features are related to the context of situation. So these two approaches together can make the study more confirmatory and

46、explanatory. 1.4 Layout of the Thesis Based on the theory of foregrounding under the framework of functional- stylistic analysis, the thesis has been divided into five chapters, and the focus of each chapter is given below in advance for the benefit of convenient reference. Chapter One serves as a b

47、rief introduction to the whole thesis by providing the necessary information about this paper such as research background, purpose and significance of the study, data collection, methodology and layout of the thesis. In the second chapter, the author gives a literature review about the impromptu spo

48、rts commentaries at home and abroad. In the third chapter, the author first describes the development of the foregrounding theory from ancient times to the present, and then proposes the synthetical mode for foregrounding feature analysis which is adopted in this thesis. In the fourth chapter, the s

49、ituational contextual factors of impromptu NBA commentaries are analyzed to make clear of the macroscopic linguistic features.In the Fifth chapter, the author analyzes how these macroscopic linguistic features are realized by the two devices of foregrounding deflection and incongruity, at the four l

50、evels of phonology, lexis, grammar and semantics. The last chapter serves as the conclusion of the thesis, in which major findings, limitations as well as suggestions for future study are tentatively made.Chapter Two Literature Review This part mainly deals with the previous studies at home and abro

51、ad on the impromptu sports commentaries and also gives a summary to the major finding and deficiencies in the past researches.2.1 Studies at Home on Impromptu Sports Commentaries Up to the present, a functional-stylistic approach to the impromptu commentary has never been seen, not to say the improm

52、ptu NBA commentary. Nevertheless, there are some related researches. Followings are the studies at home.As early as 1987，Wang Zuoliang Ding Wangdao have discussed impromptu football commentaries from the aspects of syntactic structure, lexis, phonology, semantics and text, but the data they collecte

53、d are hypothetical from Advanced English Course (The Linguaphone Institute).He Pingxiang (2006) made a linguistic analysis on impromptu NBA commentaries at the phonological, lexical, syntactic, and textual levels in her MA degree thesis. Her study gave a relative overall linguistic cognition about t

54、he features of impromptu NBA commentaries.Zuo Huifen (2007) made a cultural contrastive study of the Chinese and American impromptu sports commentaries based on NBA commentaries. Her study focuses on three differences between Chinese and American commentators: frequency of the use of exclamatory sen

55、tences, sense of humor and frequency of statistics quoted.2.2 Studies Abroad on Impromptu Sports Commentaries Besides the studies at home, there are also some related studies on impromptu commentary abroad.Beards (1998) The Language of sport is a textbook offering students hands-on practical experie

56、nce of textual analysis focused on the language of sport. Beard, taking football commentaries as an example, generalizes some obvious language features of impromptu television commentaries and radio commentaries from pronunciation, meaning and grammar, and makes a comparison between radio commentari

57、es and television commentaries. The writer also proposes some suggestions for students future study on commentary.Crystal and Davy (1969) have analyzed “The Language of Unscripted Commentary” on cricket. It is a study of radio commentary. From the stylistic point of view, they attribute impromptu co

58、mmentary to spoken language and make a survey on its stylistic features from phonological, grammatical, and lexical levels. Ferguson (1983) has analyzed the language of American baseball. But their studies are related only to spoken commentaries broadcast on the radio.Ghadessy (1988) has analyzed written sports commentaries by usin