Linguistic Adaptation Analysis Of Redundancy

"Redundant language"is not the stranger for linguistic study. On the grounds of many studies and findings in the field of linguistics and information transmission, redundant language reflects the language redundancy. The present study attempts to take the Chinese TV Talk Show QiangQiangSanRenXing as the material subject to discuss the linguistic redundancy in verbal communication. The theoretical framework combines the Adaptation Theory proposed by Jef Verschueren (2000) and Conversation Analysis to make descriptions about language features in talk show. Firstly, Adaptation Theory expounds that language usage is a dynamic procedure of language user's continuous linguistic choice making. Secondly, the choices are made with full consideration of linguistic and non-linguistic factors, or what are also called language-internal and language-external factors. What's more, Verschueren believes that the process of making choices should not be only interpreted as a conscious act. In a word, not every linguistic choice holds the same position in language user's consciousness.The present study not only conducts the analysis in terms of three key notions in Adaptation Theory, namely, variability, negotiability and adaptability, it also gives meaningful pragmatic explanations of redundant language, specifically lexical reiteration, from four investigation aspects——structural objects of adaptability, contextual correlates objects of adaptability, salience of adaptation process and dynamics of adaptability.For the sake of a better understanding about the adaptation model of redundant language in verbal communication, the thesis takes Chinese TV talk show QianQqiangSanRenXing as the main research material by virtue of conversation analysis. TV talk show, as a special type of conversation between interpersonal interaction and mass communication, is often considered artificial and well-prepared. However, it is still equipped with common features of natural-occurring conversation. The thesis firstly probes into the delimitation among redundancy, redundant information and redundant language. Then it reclassifies lexical reiteration and discusses their active roles in talk show discourses respectively.Later, the linguistic and non-linguistic causes are excavated according to material discussion. The inter-adaptable relationship among redundant language and language-internal factors, such as language repair organization, turn-taking distribution, and lexical cohesion which are prerequisite for making choices, can be visualized through the choice-making process. Additionally, the influence of correlated contextual objects of the talk show on the choice making, including the orientation, time limitation of the show, the background knowledge of the show host and guests, recipient (TV audience) design and salience in the course of selection are evaluated through present research.Methodologically speaking, following the original findings, the research aims to construct a more complete interpretation of redundant language through theoretical discussions of the downloaded program videos. After the selective transcription and detailed conversation analysis of the material, the researcher finds that lexical reiteration is a more salient redundant language in the selected talk show discourses. From the limited analytic data, it is easy to find out that self-initiated lexical reiteration is the most frequent occurrence among the three types (the other two types are other-initiated lexical reiteration and mutual-initiated lexical reiteration). Self-initiated ones may appear because speakers tend to prevent errors from happening or to perfect the utterance construction. Other-initiated ones often take place because of the struggle for conversation turns, the need for additional explanations, and the emotion for showing agreement or even only the wish for the smoothness of a complete talk. In addition, mutual-initiated lexical reiteration can lead to partial overlapping or full overlapping between two conversationalists.TV talk show is surely a good and natural resource for the existence of redundant language because of its innate colloquiality. Based on previous studies and Adaptation Theory, the thesis provides a new vision for the studies on TV talk show genre in China, specifically aiming at the functions of redundant language and the ways of activating language-internal/external factors in talk show discourses. Basically, it is hoped that the immature conception and interpretation of the present study could shed light on future studies on redundant language, especially stimulating domestic researches on this topic.