A Study On Engagement System In English Epitaphs From The Perspective Of Appraisal Theory

At present, the studies of epitaph in China and abroad are mainly processingfrom the perspective of archaeology, history, literature，fine arts, etc, but rarely fromthe perspective of linguistics. However, the linguistic study of epitaph is alwaysconfined to the fields of lexicology, etymology, and lexicography. So it is necessaryand meaningful to explore a new study of epitaph from the perspective of linguistics.Rooted in Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), the Appraisal Theory (also knownas Appraisal System), is a re-explanation and development of interpersonal function.The Appraisal System includes three sub-systems: engagement system, attitudesystem and graduation system. Engagement system adjusts and negotiates languageuser’s attitudes and viewpoints, and aims to construct the relationship betweenspeaker and listener. In the dialogism theory, which is proposed by the Soviet Unionscholar Bakhtin, the importance of locution receiver has been emphasized and textsnegotiate meaning with actual or putative receiver. Using engagement resources, theinterpersonal function of epitaph can be achieved, and the interaction between writersof epitaphs and readers can be constructed.The present thesis collects one hundred pieces of English epitaphs as corpus, andthen analyzes the engagement resources in these epitaphs, investigates the frequencyand major features of these engagement resources, and explores the writer-readerinteraction. The quantitative methods are employed in this study. With the help oflatest linguistic statistical software UAM Corpus Tool3.0, the frequencies ofengagement resources in those collected English epitaphs are annotated, and then themajor features of those engagement resources and the construction of writer-readerinteraction in English epitaphs are analyzed.Through the analysis above, this thesis has drawn the conclusions as follows: inthe100English epitaphs, the writers employ all types of engagement resources,except for distance. In the whole engagement system, heteroglossic engagementresources are used more frequently than monoglossic engagement resources. In heterogloss system, dialogic contraction resources are used more frequently thandialogic expansion resources. In dialogic contraction, disclaim has a higher frequencycompared with proclaim, while in dialogic expansion, entertain has the higherfrequency. According to the dialogism theory, even the bare categorical assertion isnot neutral; it still contains some appraisal elements. Therefore, although the barecategorical assertion does not overly reference alternative viewpoints, monoglossicutterance is still regarded to construct writer-reader interaction in this thesis, becauseit acknowledges the existence of the putative readers. In monoglossic texts, thewriters of English epitaphs are presumed to remove the proposition from directavailability for arguability or discussion in monoglossic utterances, but the valuepositions they present still have influence on the putative readers, and the aims ofuttering the epitaphs have achieved. Since English epitaphs have the functions ofintroducing the departed’s life experience, providing moral criteria, and implyingeducational meanings to the putative readers, there is a necessity that the writers ofEnglish epitaphs should be authoritative and close to people. So the writers employ acertain number of monoglossic utterances to and more dialogic contraction utterances,which close the dialogic space to maintain a authority in front of the putative readers.What’s more, it should be pointed that the writers of English epitaphs do use a certainnumber of entertain locutions to construct a more smooth interaction with the putativereaders so as to to keep close to them, and make the moral criteria and educationalmeanings accepted by them more voluntarily.