英语文体学论文

An Analysis of Oxymoron from the Perspective of Register and

Metafunctions of Language

Introduction

1. Mary's husband now seems to be an intimate stranger to her.

2. It's really a bitter-sweet memory.

3. Here is nothing so unnatural as the commonplace.

4. His honour rooted in dishonour stood

And faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.

The above sentences are different in that they each have a pair of words that carry contradictory meanings within themselves. This kind of sentences also makes their appearance in Chinese, for example,

《孔乙己》的结尾:“我到现在终于没有见—大约孔乙己的确死了。”

我爱热闹,也爱冷静;爱群居,也爱独处。(朱自清《荷塘月色》)

有的人活着,他已经死了;有的人死了,他还活着。(臧克家《有的人》)

In the field of Rhetoric, this linguistic phenomenon is a way to achieve prominence, so that the sentence can be impressive while at the same time express a mixed situation or feelings. It is called oxymoron. In the following part, I am going to analyze oxymoron in Chinese language using Halliday‟s theory of register and metafunctions of language.

1.Theoretical framework---Halliday’s theory of register and metafunctions of language

Halliday and Hasan define register as "a configuration of meanings that are typically associated with a particular situational configuration of field, mode, and tenor...[which must] include the expressions, the lexico-grammatical and phonological features, that typically accompany or REALISE these meanings" (1985:39).

Field is defined by Gregory and Carroll's as: "Field of discourse is the consequence of the user's purposive role, what his language is 'about', what experience he is verbalizing, 'what is going on' through language" (1978:7).

Mode is slightly more problematic. Halliday's initial definition of mode as "the medium or mode of the language activity" (1964:91) is somewhat circular. He later clarifies this as "the symbolic organization of the text, the status that it has, and its function in the context, including the channel" (1985:12). Mode is perhaps best seen as the physical medium of communication.

Gregory and Carroll's defined tenor as the "relationship the user has with his audience" (1978:8).

What are closely related with register are Halliday's view on language functions.In his opinion, language must accomplish certain functions that are decided by the needs of human; the functions are changeable and are of infinite possibilities, but they can be concluded into several finite abstract functions, whicm are called "metafunctions" (Halliday, 1967; 1973). He thinks that ideational, interpersonal and textual functions consist of the metafunctions of all languages.

The three parameters of register are not completely corresponding to the three metafunctions of language. However, field is oftentimes more related to the ideational function of language, for the ideational function of language enables a person to talk about his experience of the world, which is often his subject matter when he speaks. Tenor is “the "relationship…” so it is usually associated with the interpersonal function of language. Mode is the channel of discourse so it relates most closely to the textual function of language.

In this paper, samples are analyzed in terms of register and the metafunctions of language so as to unveil the linguistic effect achieved by the employment of oxymoron.

2.Case analysis

Oxymoron is the yoking together of two expressions which are incompatible, so that in combination they have no conceivable literal reference to reality. (Leech,