淺議英語(yǔ)中表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的種種語(yǔ)法手段

李祖明

摘要強(qiáng)調(diào)手段在英語(yǔ)交際中扮了一個(gè)重要的角色?？梢哉f(shuō)人們?cè)诮浑H中離不開(kāi)強(qiáng)調(diào)這一手段,它存在于言語(yǔ)交際的各個(gè)方面。強(qiáng)調(diào)手段呈現(xiàn)多樣化,既有語(yǔ)音手段、詞匯手段、語(yǔ)法手段,也可以采用其它手段實(shí)現(xiàn)強(qiáng)調(diào)的目的。強(qiáng)調(diào)手段的運(yùn)用極大豐富了語(yǔ)言的交際內(nèi)涵,同時(shí)也引起了學(xué)者們的廣泛關(guān)注。

關(guān)鍵詞強(qiáng)調(diào)手段 言語(yǔ)交際 語(yǔ)法手段

中圖分類(lèi)號(hào):H314文獻(xiàn)標(biāo)識(shí)碼:A

為了更有效地進(jìn)行思想交流,人們?cè)谑褂糜⒄Z(yǔ)的過(guò)程中把強(qiáng)調(diào)(emphasis)這一常用修辭手段用到了極致。無(wú)論在口語(yǔ)還是在書(shū)面語(yǔ)中,表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的例子俯拾即是,強(qiáng)調(diào)這一手段已成為人們生活的一部分。

在口語(yǔ)中,說(shuō)話(huà)者為了更準(zhǔn)確、有效的表達(dá)自己的意圖,往往會(huì)把一個(gè)詞或詞組重讀、加重語(yǔ)氣、或者拖長(zhǎng)以示強(qiáng)調(diào)。說(shuō)話(huà)者在應(yīng)用這一語(yǔ)音手段表示強(qiáng)調(diào)時(shí)顯示出巨大的靈活性和柔韌性,幾乎可以做到隨心所欲。因此初學(xué)者學(xué)習(xí)起來(lái)感覺(jué)難度大,甚至有些不可捉摸。試看下面一例:Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. 該句子看似平淡,讀起來(lái)容易,理解也不難,只需依據(jù)它的語(yǔ)法重音將其中的名詞、動(dòng)詞重讀即可。但在語(yǔ)言的實(shí)際應(yīng)用中說(shuō)話(huà)者可根據(jù)交際的需要特意強(qiáng)調(diào)某個(gè)詞,便可以達(dá)到強(qiáng)調(diào)的目的,使該句子產(chǎn)生更為豐富的意義。

①Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)主語(yǔ))(下劃線(xiàn)部分表示重讀)

②Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)謂語(yǔ))

③Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)地點(diǎn))

④Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)方式)

⑤Tom came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)時(shí)間)

隨著重音的改變,被強(qiáng)調(diào)的對(duì)象也隨之變化,所產(chǎn)生的額外意義(extra meaning)各不相同。這種變化全憑說(shuō)話(huà)者當(dāng)時(shí)的感覺(jué)和所要表達(dá)的意圖,聽(tīng)者只好聽(tīng)話(huà)聽(tīng)音了。有趣的是,這種看似無(wú)規(guī)律的強(qiáng)調(diào)卻在書(shū)面語(yǔ)中得到了充分的體現(xiàn)和美妙的對(duì)應(yīng)。上面五個(gè)口語(yǔ)強(qiáng)調(diào)句子幾乎都可以用“It is…” 強(qiáng)調(diào)結(jié)構(gòu)表示出來(lái)。

① It was Tom who came to school on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)主語(yǔ))

③ It was school that Tom came to on foot this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)地點(diǎn))

④ It was on foot that Tom came to school this afternoon. (強(qiáng)調(diào)方式)

⑤ It was this afternoon that Tom came to school on foot. (強(qiáng)調(diào)時(shí)間)

我們也不難看出口語(yǔ)中的強(qiáng)調(diào)方式更多、更微妙、弦外之音更多,也更難被初學(xué)者掌握。由于說(shuō)話(huà)者的語(yǔ)調(diào)、語(yǔ)氣變化萬(wàn)千,同時(shí),由于聲勢(shì)語(yǔ)(body language)的巨大輔助表達(dá)功能,有時(shí)人們很難用書(shū)面語(yǔ)去準(zhǔn)確描繪說(shuō)話(huà)者是怎樣使用這一強(qiáng)調(diào)手段的。因此,在書(shū)面語(yǔ)中人們會(huì)采用較為特殊的方式表示強(qiáng)調(diào),如通過(guò)使用黑體: The English are different. The English are even more different than they think they are, though not more different than they feel they are. 作者把這兩個(gè)動(dòng)詞用黑體標(biāo)注出來(lái)表示這兩個(gè)動(dòng)詞要特別重讀——強(qiáng)調(diào)。人們?cè)谑褂糜⒄Z(yǔ)的過(guò)程中用于表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的手段是多種多樣的,其中被人們談?wù)摰米疃嗟氖钦Z(yǔ)音手段、詞匯手段和語(yǔ)法手段。說(shuō)話(huà)者用詞匯手段表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的例子非常多,似乎無(wú)規(guī)律可循,使用副詞表示強(qiáng)調(diào)最為普遍。詞匯強(qiáng)調(diào)手段也會(huì)導(dǎo)致句子結(jié)構(gòu)的變化。尤其是當(dāng)副詞never, lonely, little, where, very, such,scarcely 等前置時(shí),句子結(jié)構(gòu)會(huì)發(fā)生改變。有時(shí)形容詞前置時(shí),句子結(jié)構(gòu)也會(huì)改變。在本文中作者將重點(diǎn)討論用于表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的若干語(yǔ)法手段。

(1)用 it 引導(dǎo)強(qiáng)調(diào)句。

It was this afternoon that Tom came to school on foot.

It was Tom who (that) came to school on foot this afternoon.

It was your sister that Tom met in the zoo yesterday.

It was in the zoo that Tom met your sister yesterday.

It was on foot that Tom came to school this afternoon.

用 it 引導(dǎo)強(qiáng)調(diào)句在英語(yǔ)中使用很廣泛,該結(jié)構(gòu)幾乎可以強(qiáng)調(diào)句子各個(gè)成分,不足的是它不能強(qiáng)調(diào)謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞,其結(jié)構(gòu)特征和使用方法也被廣泛掌握,在這里就不贅述了。

(2)用what引導(dǎo)的強(qiáng)調(diào)句。該強(qiáng)調(diào)句的主要目的是要引起讀者的注意,指出所要強(qiáng)調(diào)的內(nèi)容,與口語(yǔ)中的呼語(yǔ)一樣,有異曲同工之妙。

What she lacks is intelligence.

What hurt me most was her indifference.

(3)添加助動(dòng)詞do表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。句子中的謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞的位置往往比較固定,要強(qiáng)調(diào)突出有一定難度。采用添加助動(dòng)詞do表示強(qiáng)調(diào)不失為一種方便簡(jiǎn)潔的強(qiáng)調(diào)手段。

Do come in, please!

Do be calm!

She did say so.

We are very pleased that she does intend to come.

(4)使用倒裝句inversion表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。該強(qiáng)調(diào)手段較為常見(jiàn),我們通常把在正常語(yǔ)序下較晚出現(xiàn)的成分移至句首,使之處于突出的位置,從而受到特殊強(qiáng)調(diào)。在移動(dòng)句子成分時(shí),有時(shí)需要改變結(jié)構(gòu)順序,有時(shí)則不必改變。

Sympathy I dont want!

Beautiful she was!

Down on his head the boy came.

Gone are the days when they could do what they liked to the Chinese people!

Only in this way can we learn English well.

(5)用雙重否定double negation表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。用雙重否定表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的優(yōu)點(diǎn)是句子顯得鏗鏘有力。

It must not be thought that I was without love for this girl.

No one has nothing to offer to society.

There is no man but has his fault.

(6)通過(guò)重復(fù)repetition以示強(qiáng)調(diào)。把想要表達(dá)的意思重復(fù),加以強(qiáng)調(diào),較為直接的做法是將一個(gè)句子,某個(gè)單詞重復(fù),或是用某個(gè)單詞的近義詞進(jìn)行重復(fù)陳述。該強(qiáng)調(diào)方式往往能顯示作者的決心等。

From this nothing will turn us——nothing.

We will never parley. We will never negotiate.

(7)用修辭問(wèn)句rhetorical sentence表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。修辭問(wèn)句是作者或者演說(shuō)者問(wèn)而不答的一種疑問(wèn)句,這種問(wèn)句的答案是顯而易見(jiàn)的。這種修辭問(wèn)句主要用于強(qiáng)調(diào),以表達(dá)說(shuō)話(huà)者強(qiáng)烈的思想感情。

I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is?

If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?

If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

(8)使用祈使句imperative sentence表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。用祈使句表示強(qiáng)調(diào)往往某種人際關(guān)系,如上下級(jí),朋友,或是表達(dá)強(qiáng)烈情感,如表示客套,憤怒。

Read the text loudly!

Dont be silly!

Never do that again!

Get out!

Do have another cake.

(9)使用縮略句elliptical sentence表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。

Sometimes it does rain——and ( it does rain ) hard.

He saw her lying there. Dead.

Good taste. Kent style.

(10)使用掉尾句periodic sentence表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。掉尾句有故弄玄虛,制造懸念之優(yōu)點(diǎn)。

As they were singings and dancing and playing cards, he was snoring.

The man who was wearing an overcoat and talking loudly and at the same time smoking a cigarette was my father.

(11)用感嘆句exclamatory sentence表示強(qiáng)調(diào)。該句式主要用于表達(dá)說(shuō)話(huà)者的主觀(guān)情感,做到有感而發(fā)。

How well he speaks!

What a lovely girl she is!

Oh, what a lie!

(12)使用其它修辭手段達(dá)到強(qiáng)調(diào)目的。為了達(dá)到強(qiáng)調(diào)目的,說(shuō)話(huà)者幾乎可以不擇手段。只要能突出主題,建立印象,表達(dá)情懷,甚至需要本人,說(shuō)話(huà)者都會(huì)毫不猶豫地采用。筆者列舉數(shù)例僅供參考。

And so, my fellow Americans ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.(對(duì)比antithesis)

We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship,

support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success ofliberty. (排比 parallelism)

You are the whole world to me, and the moon and the stars and the constellations of outer space. (夸張 hyperbole)

出于對(duì)英語(yǔ)的愛(ài)好,筆者對(duì)英語(yǔ)中表示強(qiáng)調(diào)的種種語(yǔ)法手段進(jìn)行了很不成熟的歸納,算是自己多年來(lái)學(xué)習(xí)和教授英語(yǔ)的一點(diǎn)體會(huì),提出與大家共勉。

參考文獻(xiàn)

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[2] 章振邦.新編英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)法[M].上海:上海譯文出版社,1983.

[3] 馮翠華.英語(yǔ)修辭大全[M].外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社,1996.

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