A Pragmatic Study Of Chinese Double Negation

Double negation,as a common and complicated language phenomenon,has received the attention of linguists both at home and abroad.Scholars have probed into the structure types of double negation,semantic relation and certain conditions of affirmation,etc.No consensus,however,has been reached in its definition,category,and focus etc.among domestic linguists.We apply the Theory of Implicature to a deep and systematical exploration of Chinese double negation and a brief comparative study of Chinese double negation and English double negation.Double negation involves not only the negation of negative words but also patterns of syntactic manifestation and pragmatic means,etc.In addition,the classification of double negation,analyzed statically and dynamically,should take both forms and meanings into account form perspectives of semantics,pragmatics,and syntax.This paper mainly analyzes Chinese double negation from the pragmatic perspective.Specifically speaking,it firstly discusses the negative focus of Chinese double negation and possible ambiguity in different contexts.Secondly,the contextual features and conversational implicatures of Chinese double negation are illustrated in detail.Then,its pragmatic effects including understatement and emphatic effect are further explored.Last but not least,we strive to make a contrastive study of Chinese double negation and English double negation in terms of negative forms and the phenomenon of negative concord,aiming at helping the language learners gain a deep understanding of it and boosting the language teaching and intercultural communication.An overall and intensive study on pragmatics of double negation is of great theoretical value and practical significance.Summaries and studies of double negation will definitely accelerate the overlapping and fusion of various linguistic theories.In addition,as double negation is widely and frequently used in our daily life,study of its conversational implicatures and pragmatic effects helps optimize the communicative intention and effects.