| As a speech act,teasing always plays various kinds of roles in different interpersonal communication.Although it is ambiguous in nature,it can also reinforce social solidarity and resolve conflicts or accomplish some sensitive social acts.Teasing has been researched by scholars from many different perspectives,for example,linguistics,pragmatics,psychology,anthropology,and so forth.However,previous researches on the teasing in Chinese are inadequate,and it is needed study further about what types,responses and functions are distributed in Chinese context.In view of above considerations,the thesis is guided by conversational analysis at the micro level,and mock impoliteness is carried out at the macro level combined with specific historical relationships and background information to analyze and evaluate teasing in Chinese intimate relationships from the participants' perspective.Based on 100 excerpts of teasing in 55 conversations collected from the TV dramas Entrepreneurial Age and Negotiator,referring to the classification methods proposed by Hou Guojin(2008),Haugh(2014),Culpeper(2011,2017),the types,responses and functions of teasing in Chinese intimate relationships are analyzed and classified.Therefore,the study aims to use qualitative and quantitative analysis methods to find answers to the following three questions:(1)In Entrepreneurship Age and Negotiator,what types of teasing are there in Chinese intimate relationships?(2)In Entrepreneurship Age and Negotiator,how do the targets respond to each type of teasing in Chinese intimate relationships?(3)What functions does teasing accomplish in Chinese intimate relationships?The data indicate that teasing in Chinese intimate relationships is diverse in its types as former researcher classified.They are tactic / tactless teasing,generous / mean teasing,approbative / critical teasing,proud teasing,consentient / opposed teasing,and sympathetic teasing.Critical teasing,mean teasing,tactless teasing are three high frequency categories.Modest and indifferent teasing are not used in intimate relationships at all.It reveals that people use different kinds of teasing to achieve communication effects.In terms of its responses,there are respectively rejection of the teasing(laughing rejection,po-faced rejection);acceptation of the teasing(laughing appreciation,laughing acceptance);elaborating the teasing;not attending the teasing;countering the teasing;correcting the teasing.Acceptation,rejection and elaborating are top three of all types of responses in intimate relationships.The results show that targets know that the teasers say something deliberately to express their thoughts or create a quite relaxing atmosphere.Targets will choose different response strategy based on teasing to continue,shift or end the conversation.Finally,it is proved that teasing in Chinese can be used to accomplish a range of functions,including affective function(express real emotion);the instrumental function(indicate moral transgressions,accomplish sensitive or delicate social actions);the interpersonal function(reinforce solidarity,deploy shared amusement).It shows that teasing plays an extremely important role in intimate relationships in Chinese,which is beneficial to maintaining good interpersonal relationships and increasing intimacy.These findings mentioned above indicate that the types of teasing in Chinese intimate relationship are various.It can be understood and accepted by the target easily,which is an indispensable verbal communication behavior to promote interpersonal relationships.Various kinds of teasing in intimate relationships is oriented toward fostering rapport and solidarity.In addition,this study is conducive to know about the role of teasing in Chinese intimate relationships,and enriches the development of mock impoliteness in the context of Chinese.Therefore,in order to better understand and use teasing in communication properly,as a social participant,we should develop an awareness to have a clear understanding of teasing itself. |
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