Chinese Pragmatic Strategies In Verbal Communication In Light Of GMAE Theory

Pragmatic strategy is an approach for communicators to achieve their communication intentions. Verschueren holds that strategy applied in utterance is a use of interplay between explicit meaning and implicit meaning during the process of meaning production. Many researchers have conducted the study of pragmatic strategy in many fields, such as business negotiation, daily conversation, foreign language teaching, diplomacy dialogue, TV talk shows and so on. Concerning methodology, the present study is mainly qualitative. Since the previous studies are conducted from the perspective of the cooperation principle, conversation analysis and so on, the present study specializes pragmatic strategy in light of game theory.The strategy in light of game theory mainly solves the problem of optimality. Among many strategic choices, a communicator has the choice of a strategy set and he compares these strategies with each other. And at the same time, he will consider the other party’s choice and the corresponding utility. The final decision is based on the consideration of the other party’s choice as well as his utility or payoffs according to the other party’s choice.This paper expounds types of pragmatic strategy which is divided into two:direct and indirect strategy. These two types are divided according to the corresponding context. In some contexts such as diplomacy dialogue, direct strategy can help express one’s firm stand and accurate point view without any vagueness and ambiguity. While in other contexts, indirect strategies are necessary and appropriate to help express one’s real meaning, for it seems more acceptable for the hearers to understand the speakers’ intentions. In this paper, direct strategies are analyzed through some typical ways, such as direct refusing and direct interrupting. The two typical strategies are more frequently adopted by communicators especially in some formal occasions. Direct strategy can achieve the speaker’s intention clearly and make the hearer understand accurately and quickly. So for the speaker, the utility of direct strategy is high. But for the hearer, in most occasions, the utility is low, because his request is rejected and he cannot achieve his intention. In these kinds of occasions, both sides cannot achieve the optimality of their payoff, because there is conflict concerning their intention. In some occasions, they can negotiate a solution which can make them both get the equilibrium and optimal benefit.Indirect strategies include vagueness, figures of speech, self-mockery, ambiguity, deliberate misinterpretation and transferring topics. Through data analysis, the study interprets payoffs in the specific context. And it presents how the speakers choose optimal strategy. The reason why the communicators use the indirect strategy is that conflict emerges in their communication. Even though the indirect pragmatic strategy has the risk that the hearer doesn’t receive the whole signal and cannot understand the response, we can still notice indirect strategies are applied in everyday life.As we have mentioned above, indirect refusal, for example, avoids using the negative word so as to cushion the blow of refusals. To refuse others indirectly, we have many strategies including ambiguity, deliberate misinterpretation, figures of speech, evasion, and vagueness and so on. Different from direct strategies, indirect strategies are more frequently used in communication especially in Chinese communication. In contrast with specific and succinct English, Chinese utterance has the obvious characteristic of vagueness owing to Chinese reserved culture. Chinese people usually don’t express their intentions directly and explicitly. They use implicit and reserved way to express their thought.Then it explores the functions of pragmatic strategy which is classified into two aspects:general functions and specific functions. General functions are as follows: enhancing the utility of utterance, achieving the optimality smoothly and creating special pragmatic effects. Specific functions refer to politeness, creating humorous atmosphere, saving face and avoiding embarrassment. And a model of general verbal communication is set to simplify the process.