Study On Hearer's Function In Discourse

The hearer,together with the speaker,plays an important role in discourse. It is relatively independent and has distinct characteristics. Compared with the speaker, the hearer is endowed with more functions. But relevant research is weak as the hearer is generally thought to be subject the speaker. In view of this situation, this thesis borrows ideas from previous research achievements of discourse roles, establishes a new classification standard and defines the hearer's role anew. The hearer is classified into three categories: addressee, auditor and overhearer. Then the thesis analyzes the functions these three categories show in the unmarked hearing behavior and the marked hearing behavior. In the end, it makes some suggestions on phatic strategies the hearer and the speaker, especially the hearer, should adopt.The thesis consists of 6 chapters:Chapter one, Introduction. This chapter defines the hearer on the basis of previous relevant theories. The hearer is the one who receives the discourse information the speaker gives out in communications. He has the right and duty to make response to the received information. Additionally, this chapter explains the theoretical background, research value, research approaches and corpus sources, etc.Chapter two, Categories of Hearer's Role. This chapter brings ideas from Saussure's Cycle Theory and other linguists' analyses of hearer's right and duty to make response. Based on the right and duty to make response, a new classification standard is established through deductive method: the response purview to discourse information. Thus the hearer can be classified into three categories: addressee (who has the right and duty to make response, that is, he must make response), auditor (who has the right but does not have the duty to make response, that is, he can choose whether to make response or not) and overhearer (who has no right to make response).Chapter three, Hearer's Role in Unmarked Auditions. The unmarked auditions refer to a kind of hearing act that the hearer conducts within the purview of register. The hearer's functions in the unmarked auditions are determined by the speaker's intention to choose the discourse object and communicators' relationship in society. In the unmarked auditions, the hearer can basically act as:Addressee: an information receiver who has the right to make response and will become a speaker in the next turn.Auditor: an information receiver who can choose whether to make response or not and might become a speaker in the next turn.Overhearer: an information receiver who has no right to make response and can not become a speaker in the next turn.Besides, this chapter analyzes the discourse markers of these functions shown in the information uttered by the speaker and the hearer.Chapter four, Hearer's Role in Marked Auditions. The marked auditions refer to a kind of hearing act that the hearer breaks away from the purview of register. In marked auditions, the hearer violates its basic functions.Addressee: he receives information but makes no response and gives up his turn to speak or interposes words untimely.Auditor: he receives information and interposes words untimely.Overhearer: he receives information and makes response.Additionally, this chapter analyzes the discourse markers of these functions shown in information uttered by the hearer.Chapter three and Chapter four analyze the hearer's functions and the realization of these functions in unmarked and marked auditions from both the speaker and the hearer's point of view.Thus it provides a theoretical fundament for analysis of the phatic strategies adopted by the speaker and hearer in Chapter five.Chapter five, Strategy Analysis. The hearer's response right is largely dependent on the object the speaker intends to communicate with. Hence in communications, the speaker can determine the role a hearer plays according to its communicative intention. The hearer can realize or violate its basic functions, in line with the specific communicative motive.In conclusion, the role a hearer plays in dialogues depends on his response purview to received information, the basic functions are embodied differently in different context, this is the theoretical foundation for both communicators to adopt proper phatic strategies.Chapter six, the main opinions and deficiencies in this thesis.The reclassification of the hearer and the analysis of different hearer's functions are significant to deepen the theoretical research on communicative roles and construct an efficient communicative context.