A Study Of Pragmatic Vagueness As A Strategy In The English Interpretation Of Sino-foreign Press Conference

Taking Verschueren’s Adaptation Theory as the theoretical framework, the thesisattempts to analyze pragmatic vagueness as a strategy in Sino-foreign pressconference from the perspective of variability and adaptability. Several questions areto be resolved in this paper:(1) What strategies of pragmatic vagueness are principallyused in Sino-foreign press conference? What are the frequency and possibleexplanations of pragmatic vagueness as a strategy used on diplomatic occasions?(2)How is the use of pragmatic vagueness adapted to the corresponding context?(3)What functions does pragmatic vagueness as a strategy have during the Sino-foreignpress conference?In order to make a pragmatic analysis of diplomatic language, the paper adoptsthe combination of qualitative and quantitative methods. The author chooses5transcripts of English interpretation in Sino-foreign press conference as the dataresources. The thesis first probes into the concrete examples of pragmatic vaguenessby spokespersons from two levels: lexical level and syntactic level, such as: deixis,hedges, abstract words, meta-language and indirect speech act. The author illustrateshow the strategies of pragmatic vagueness are adapted to the diplomatic context.Furthermore, the author explores the important functions performed by pragmaticvagueness as a strategy during the process of contextual adaptation. Finally, theauthor selects the vague expressions at the lexical level and syntactic level as thestatistic basis. The major findings are as follows:(1) Hedges are widely employed byspokespersons in answering the questions proposed by the journalists in Sino-foreignpress conference. Also it can be seen that more than half of the pragmatic strategiesuse hedges, accounting for51.4%.(2) Spokespersons also tend to employ abstractwords and deixis to criticize or warn some phenomena in a roundabout andeuphemistic manner considering face-saving and polite factors.(3) In the mentalworld, spokespersons use pragmatic vagueness to adapt to the motivation ofself-protection and face wants of journalists and other parties involved. In the social world, pragmatic vagueness helps spokespersons realize the adaptation to socialcircumstance by obtaining good bilateral relationship and maintaining good image inthe international community. In the physical world, spokespersons have to adapt tothe situation to avoid the presence of the third party.In general, the thesis has both theoretical and practical significance.Theoretically, the research broadens the pragmatic theory—adaptation theory toinclude a special field of diplomatic vagueness, revealing the characteristics andfunctions of pragmatic vagueness as a strategy in diplomatic activities. Practically, thepaper provides the guidance to spokesperson’s comments and people’s dailycommunication.