A Study Of Misunderstandings In Conflictual Communication

Misunderstanding is a language phenomenon that often occurs in communication between human beings. The research of misunderstanding may help us to grasp the law of language communication further. But recent studies are mainly about the standard case which is proposed by Weigand—misunderstanding is a form of understanding which represents a cognitive phenomenon belonging to the interlocutors. It is partially or totally deviant from what the speaker intended to communicate, but in the course of ongoing dialogue, the interlocutors will come to a mutual understanding in the end. In the view of standard case of misunderstanding, Dascal points out that it is necessary to explore the non-standard cases which do not accord with the features of those standard cases; therefore, studying the misunderstanding in conflictual communication is valuable.Based on Adaptation Theory proposed by Verschueren, this thesis interprets misunderstandings in conflictual communication by adopting a mixed research design which combines qualitative and quantitative methods together. The data are collected mainly from dramas, novels, and TV series, and so on. Verschueren claims that using language must consist of the continuous making of linguistic choices, consciously or unconsciously. The reason why language users could make choices is due to the variability, negotiability and adaptability of language. There are four'angles of investigation'—contextual correlates of adaptability, structural objects of adaptability, dynamics of adaptability and salience of the adaptation process. Therefore, this thesis also focuses on the four angles to explore the question—how to interpret misunderstandings in conflictual communication in terms of contextual correlates of adaptability, structural objects of adaptability, dynamics of adaptability and salience of the adaptation process.By applying the Adaptation Theory, we may find that, first of all, when misunderstanding occurs in a conflictual communication, the communicators may still try to adapt their linguistic choices to the social, mental and physical worlds in order to make a successful communication. But if their adaptations fail to be coordinate, misunderstandings may take place. It can be a result of the adaptation process.Secondly, the interlocutors adapt their linguistic choices to the context when a misunderstanding occurs in a conflictual communication, either by using a dispreferred alternatives, swearwords, and rhetorical questions or by using puns and sarcasm. The conversation consists of the continuous making of linguistic choices which can be situated at any level of linguistic form, either on the level of lexicon, on the level of syntax or on the level of rhetoric.Thirdly, the process of adaptation is a dynamic one, in which new topics and contexts may be brought in. Then new adaptation has to be made. If the communicators cannot make new coordinate adaptation, misunderstanding may occur. Meanwhile, misunderstandings in a conflictual communication add the degree and chances of new adaptation. Therefore, when misunderstandings take place in a conflictual communication, the adaptation process becomes more dynamic.Finally, during a conflictual communication where misunderstanding occurs, the assumptions between communicators clashes and they will show different degrees of salience in linguistic choices in order to achieve different purposes. The incoordinate memory, perception and planning may cause the clash of assumption so that misunderstanding occurs. It would directly influence the linguistic choices of the communicators in adaptation process.This study is a valuable supplement to the researches of misunderstanding and may help people know misunderstandings in conflictual communication better, which finally may help the interlocutors to manage misunderstandings and alleviate the conflict.