Self-awareness, Criticism and Optimization of the Paradigm of Chinese Pragmatics: Enlightenment from Emancipatory Pragmatics
Mao Yansheng1, He Gang2
1.School of Foreign Studies, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin 150001, China 2.English Department, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200061, China
Abstract Initiated by the Japanese pragmatist Sachiko Ide and others ever since 2007, Emancipatory Pragmatics is intended to break away from the shackles of theoretical systems of Western pragmatics, which provides a significant reference for the refinement and renewal of Chinese pragmatics paradigm. Therefore, it is of some disciplinary values to systematically delve into the background, structure, and operation of Emancipatory Pragmatics, which is also an important premise to conduct in-depth criticism and cultural awareness of Chinese pragmatics in the current state and future through further integrating the growing trends of pragmatics both in China and abroad. To be specific, firstly, the purpose and principle of Emancipatory Pragmatics can be regarded as a departure point of being self-aware for the paradigm of Chinese Pragmatics. Ontologically, the reflexivity of pragmatics as an extra trait is an important precondition for upgrading pragmatic theories in terms of their current states and future transformation from the perspective of Emancipatory Pragmatics. Epistemologically, pragmatics can be further stipulated into cultural and historical differences by integrating academic foci and the commitment of knowledge community. Methodologically, the consistency between Emancipatory Pragmatics and empirical social science not only helps bridge different views, but also reveals these differences as potential breakthroughs for the further development of pragmatics. Secondly, the paradigm and practice of Emancipatory Pragmatics can be taken as the focal points for the criticism of Chinese Pragmatics. According to Emancipatory Pragmatics, the classic pragmatic theory is actually the result of regionalized conceptualization, which is a world view projected through the lens of specific language and culture. Accordingly, taking “Ba (field)” as the starting point of pragmatics is vital to highlight the language use that has been underattended in the past. Through the integration between the inseparable primary Ba and the secondary Ba with an increasingly clear relationship between the two sides of communication, language users enjoy a kind of self-flexibility, which can enable the socialized subject to flexibly identify the relationship with others and get it manifested with language choice. Thirdly, the value and enlightenment of Emancipating Pragmatics can be viewed as the foci to optimize Chinese Pragmatics as a paradigm. First of all, from the perspective of Emancipating Pragmatics, the current pragmatics research as a paradigm is confronted with a historical transformation on how to secure a problem-motivated paradigm on the basis of non-Western facts of language use, which demands the theoretical construction and interpretation of pragmatics transformation with the help of language use facts in Chinese. Next, through focusing on the Eastern facts of language use, Emancipating Pragmatics is bold enough to grow out of the influence of West-centeredness as a traditional paradigm, which highlights its own pragmatics orientation embedded in culture. Last but not least, the value of Emancipating Pragmatics regarding its scientificity lies in the fact that it points out the way-out forward for Chinese pragmatics to make contributions to the global academic community based on its own localization. The above findings together give a full display of one possible path for Chinese pragmatics researchers to contribute “China’s Wisdom, Ideas and Plans” to the international pragmatics community.
Mao Yansheng,He Gang. Self-awareness, Criticism and Optimization of the Paradigm of Chinese Pragmatics: Enlightenment from Emancipatory Pragmatics[J]. JOURNAL OF ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY, 2022, 52(1): 94-103.
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