论英语语言模糊性的实际应用效益

黄群珍

关键词：英语语言模糊性应用效益AnApplicationonEffectsofFuzzinessinEnglishLanguage

HuangQunzhen

Abstract:Fuzzinessoflanguagemeansindefinitenessoftherangeofwordsmeanings.Itisthebasicpropertyofnaturallanguageandoneoftheessentialfeaturesoflanguage.InEnglishlanguage,fuzzyphenomenaareclassifiedfourcategories:fuzzinessofdenotationconcepts;unspecificofwordsmeanings;indefinitenessofmeanings;pideoflexicalitemsmeanings.Therearefourformationsoffuzzylanguage:bychoiceoffuzzywords，fuzzyquantitywords，hedgesandfuzzyrhetoric.ThispaperanalysestheapplicationeffectsoffuzzinessinEnglishlanguageincommunicationofdailylife,inforeignbusiness,innewspaperEnglish,inlawEnglish,andstressesthatweshouldmakefulluseofitspositivityandavoiditsnegativity.

Keywords:EnglishlanguageFuzzinessApplicationeffects

【中图分类号】G40-03【文献标识码】A【文章编号】1009-9646(2009)02-0080-07

Ⅰ.FuzzinessofLanguage

Fuzzinessoflanguagemeansindefinitenessoftherangeofwordsmeanings.Itisthebasicpropertyofnaturallanguageandonetheessentialfeaturesoflanguage.In1965anAmericanscholarL.Zadehissuedapieceofpaper“FuzzySets”,heputforwardthefamousfuzzytheory,whichrevealsusthefactthatthetypesofobjectivethingsoneanotheralwayshavenopreciseboundsfixed.Therefore,heillustratedthatduringhumanbeingssocialpracticeandlearningtheworld,fuzzyphenomena,fuzzyconcepts,fuzzyjudgmentandfuzzyinferencewereregardedasanimportantwayinwhichhumanbeingmasteredtheessenceandregularpatternsofobjectivethings.Afterthat,inforeigncountries,aseriesofnewbranchesoflearningaboutfuzzytheoryarosesuchfuzzylinguistics,fuzzymathematics,fuzzypsychology,fuzzylogic,fuzzyrhetoricandsoon.AntonMartysaid,fuzzinessisthephenomenonthattherangeforapplicationofsomenameisnotstrictlyfixed.Itissaidthatfuzzinessofonewordrepresentsthatithasalimitedrangeforapplicationwhoseboundsisindefinite;obviouslyfuzzinessisanobjectivecharacteristicofthatsetwhichfuzzysymbolmeansinMaxBlacks“LanguageandPhilosophy”.

Ⅱ.ClassifyofFuzzyPhenomenainEnglishLanguage

ClassifyoffuzzyphenomenawhichwereclassifiedbyanEnglishlinguisticianR.M.KempsonisrepresentativeinEnglishlanguage.In1977inhis“SemanticTheory”,fuzzyphenomenawereclassifiedfourcategories:

A.FuzzinessofDenotationConcepts.Fuzzinessofdenotationconceptsreferstothemeaningsofsomewordsareveryspecific,butwewillreallymeetunexpectedtroubleswhenweconnectthemwiththespecificobjectsintheworld.Weallknowthedenotationsof“city”and“town”.Generallyspeaking,cityislargerandmoreimportantthantown.Buthowmuch?Whatlevelneedtheyreach?Towniscalledcity.Differentpeoplemayhavedifferentanswerstothesequestions.Therefore,itisdifficultforpeopletofindtheunifiedstandardandthespecificrangebetweenthem.Howtodecidetherangeof“forest“and“wood”?Smallforestcanbecalledbigwood,theircoveringrangeisnotfixedprecisely,sosometimesitisverydifficultforpeopletojudgethatsmallforestshouldbecalledforestorwood.Othersimilarexamplesare:“hillandmountain”,“cottageandhouse”,“friendandacquaintance”.

B.UnspecificofWordsMeanings.Unspecificofwordsmeaningsisthatthemeaningsofsomewordsaretoogeneral,notspecific,andnodenotations.Onetypicalexampleistheword“neighbor”.Itreferstopeoplewholivenearsomeone,upstairs,downstairs,atthesamefloor.Theyarenotdistinguishingsex,age,race,occupation,etc.InEnglishlanguage,readerssometimescannotunderstandsomerelativewordsbecausetheydontknowwhomthemmean.Suchas“uncle”and“aunt”,eachofthemcanindicateoverfivekindsofrelationship.Theword“cousin”evencanindicateovereightkindsofrelationship.Inaddition,therepresentingactsofsomeverbsaretoogeneral.Asinthissentence“Hehasdonethesittingroom”,themeaningofverb“do”isfuzzy.Thissentencemightbeunderstood:Hehassweptthesittingroom;hehasfurnishedthesittingroomwithsomefurniture;hehasfixedupthesittingroom;hehasdealtwiththecrimespot.Evenhehasstolenallthingsinthesittingroom.Itshouldbejudgedfromhisstatusandcareer.Somesimilarwordsare“togo,tomake”,etc.

C.IndefinitenessofMeanings.Thiskindoffuzzyphenomenonmainlymeansthedenotationsofsomewordsareindefinite;theymakepeopledifficultlyunderstandthem.Theremarkableexampleis“thepossessiveconstruction”.Forinstance,“Johnsbook”maybeundertood:thebookthatJohnisreading;thebookJohnhas;thebookwrittenbyJohn;thebookJohnalwaysbrings,etc.Becausetherearealotofextensionmeaningsinthepossessiveconstruction.Itisverydifficultforpeopletochooseone.Onlybytheadditiveinformationcanpeoplereduceitsfuzzinessaspossibleastheycan.

D.pideofLexicalItemsMeanings.Thiskindoffuzzyphenomenonissemanticfuzzinesscausedbythecoordinators,e.g.“either…or...”.Forexample,“Theapplicantsforthejobarerequiredtohaveeitherafirstclassdegreeorsometeachingexperience”.Whenseeingtheadvertisement,theapplicantsdontknowitsayswhatqualificationtheyshouldpossess:excellentacademiccredentials,someteachingexperienceorboth.

Ⅲ.FormationofFuzzyLanguageinEnglishLanguage

A.ByChoiceofFuzzyWords.InEnglishlanguage,theconceptsofsomewordsarefuzzy,andtheirdenotationsaredifficultlydecided.Suchastall,short;fat,thin,itisverydifficultforpepopletofixtheirstandard;e.g.thejuvenile,theyoung,themiddle-age,theagerangewhichtheymeanisfuzzy,too.Foroneexample,awomanwhois50yearsoldisthemiddleagedortheaged.Thatisveryindefinite.Foranotherexample,hate,like,love;day,night,spring,pleasure,evening,morning;them,these,we…Letslookatsomesentences:

Twooldmenaretalkingaboutthedaysgoneby.

___Thebeersjustlikewater.Theydontmakeitasstrongastheyusedto.

___No,Thingsarentwhattheyusedtobe,arethey?

___Thepubsarentanygoodnowadays.

___No,buttheyusedbegoodwhenwewereyoung.

___Thetroubleisthattheyoungpeopledontworkhard.

___No,theyusedtoworkhardwhenwewereyoung.

Inthisdialogue,wecanfindtheindicatedpronounsseveraltimes.Theyindicatedifferentpersonsorthingseachtime,andtheindicatedrangeisnotverypreciseandspecific.

B.ByChoiceofFuzzyQuantityWords.InEnglishlanguage,themeaningsofsomequantitywordsarefuzzy.Theyonlyexpressthegeneralnumeralconcepts.Suchaslots,agreatdealof,tensofthousands,tentoone,ahundredandone,athousandandonethousandsuponthousands,seldom,few,atouchofsome,afew,alittle,etc.Forexample,

a.IcantgotoseethemovietonightbecauseIllhaveadozenofthingstodo.

Inthissentence,“adozen”isnotpreciseconcept,butfuzzyconcept.Itindicatesthemeaningof“some”.

b.Hemetheracoupleofyearsago.

Here“acoupleof”isthemeaningof“some”,notthemeaningof“apairof”.

c.Johnis100kilograms.

Thissentencecanbeunderstoodprecise:Johnisjust100kilograms;orfuzzy:Johnisabout100kilograms.

C.ByChoiceofHedges.In“Hedges:AStudyinMeaningCriteriaandtheLogicofFuzzyConcepts”,GorgeLakoff(1972)gavetheconceptofhedge:“Hedgeisthewordwhosejobistomakethingsfuzzierorlessfuzzy.”InEnglishlanguage,someadjectives,adverbs,indefinitepronouns,modalverbs,linkingverbsandsomeadditivesareusuallyregardedashedges.Accordingtopragmatics,E.F.Prime(1980)andhiscolleagueclassifiedhedgesasfollows:

1.Approximators

a.Adaptorse.g.sortof,kindof,somewhat,somehow,almost,quite,entirely,alittlebit,moreorless,etc.Theymakefuzzinessaccordancewiththetrueextentofwords.Sothattheycouldmakesomewordsapproachingright,butdarenotabsolutelypositiveproper,avoidingbeingarbitrarilydecided.Forexample,

(1)Imfeelingkindoftired.(PaulProctor,1978:607)

(2)Iratherthoughthedsaythat.(PaulProctor,1978:914)

Here“kindof”and“rather“arebothadaptors.Theyweakenthepositivetenseofspeakerstoadifferentextent.

b.Rounderse.g.about,around,round,about,or,orso,approximately,essentially,roughly,etc.Theyareusedtohedgetherounderofwords.Especiallybeingusedtomeasurethings.Forexample,

(1)Hehaslearnedabout5,000words.

(2)IwonderwhattimeIvegottogotothedentist.Itsalwaysroundfouroclock.

(3)Hehopestosetupanadvancecampataround20,000feetinearlyJuly.

(4)Asachild,IliveduntilIwastenorsowithanelderlyspinsterrelative.

(5)Nigeriaintroduceduniversalprimaryeducationinfifty-sixorso.

(6)(TalkingaboutChristmastrees)TheresanothershopinBlackheaththatwassellingreallyscrawnyones,fiveorsixquidatime.

(7)…Imean,welookatmotorcarsandseethatasanenergyconversionsystem.Itsapproximately18percentefficient.Mostoftheenergythrownoutoftheexhaustpipeandheatlossfromtheradiator.

Inthesesentencesabove,becausenumeralsareusedwiththerounder,theprecisenumbersbecomefuzzy.

2.Shields

SuchasIthink,accordingtoDrWilson,probably,asfarasIcantell,Isuppose,asif,seen,believe,Iassume,Imafraid,presumably,asiswellknown,etc.Theycanmakeoriginaltensefrompositivetoalleviatedwithoutchangingtheoriginalmeaning.Forexample,

(1)Themanlookingaboutasifinsearchofsomething.

(2)AsfarasIknowheisanhoneststudent.

(3)Whathesaidistrue,Iguess.

(4)IthoughtIoughttogo,ifyoudontmind.

(5)Someonesaysthathewasinjuredinacaraccident.

(6)ThepossibilitywouldbethathehasgonetoNewYork.

D.ByChoiceofFuzzyRhetoric

Traditionalrhetoric,suchastaboo,metaphor,euphemism,metonymy,hyperboleisusedtorepresentfuzzinesstoeffectrhetoric.Forexample,

a.Theword“die”,peopleallavoidandtabooit,sotheyoftentrytheirbesttofindsomewordstoinsteadofit.Suchasfallasleep,becalledtoGod,safeinthearmsofJesus,passout,departoneslife,jointheheavenlychoir,etc.Thewordrangeoftheseeuphemismsand“die”isfuzzy,butpeoplecanunderstandtheentailmentfromsomeconnectedthings.

b.“Yourgrammaris…”shehadintendedsayingawful,batsheamendeditto“notparticularlygood”.

Heretheauthoruseseuphemisticalandfuzzyphrase“notparticularlygood”,andexpresseshisideaclearly,Inthemeanwhile,theauthorcanavoidthelistenerembarrassed.

c.Tobe,ornottobe:Thatisthequestionwhethertisnoblerinthemindtosuffer,

Theslingsandarrowsofoutrageousfortune,

Ortotakearmsagainstaseaoftroubles,

Andbyopposingendthen.(Shakespeare)

Seaissovast,“aseaoftroubles”exaggeratesmuchhardship,buthowmuchhardshipthereisfuzzyconcept.Thisisatypicalexamplebyusingfuzzyhyperboletoeffectbetterrhetoric.

Ⅳ.ApplicationEffectsofFuzzinessinEnglishLanguage

A.InDailyLife

Fuzzinessoflanguagedoesntpreventpeoplefromcommunication.Alotoffuzzylanguageoccursincommunicationofdailylife.Whenpeoplemeetindefiniteorindirectthings,theyusuallyusefuzzylanguage.Thisexpressionformmakeswordsnatural,flexible,terse,proper,euphemistical,connotative,andimproveexpressionefficiencytoachievethepurposeofcommunication.Forexample,

a.A:Dodroproundandvisitussometime.

B:Thankyou.Iwouldloveto.

ThewordsAsaysareconsideredasasalutationwhenthehostsaysgoodbyetotheguest.“Invitation”thehostmeansisfuzzy.Ithasnodefinitedateandtime.Thisexpressionformcaresforthelistenersdifficultywhenhe/shemakesadecision.Inthemeanwhile,itdoesntmakethelistenerembarrassedwhenhe/sherefusesthehost.

b.S:WhatstheresultofmyEnglishtext?

T:About80.

InthecampusastudentmeethisEnglishteacher,andmuchwantstoknowtheresultofhisEnglishtestyesterday.Buttheteacherforgetstheprecisenumberatthatmoment.Inordertomakethestudentexcited,sheusesfuzzylanguage“about80”,flexibly,properly.

c.Brother:Howisourmotherfeelingthesedays?

Sister:Muchbetter.Butdoctorssaidsheshouldstillstayinthehospitalforafewdays.

Properlyusingoffuzzylanguage“muchbetter”,“doctorsaid”and“afewdays”increasescredibility.Itreflectsthesolidrelationshipbetweensisterandbrother.Brothergarrisonsinfrontierandworriesabouttheirmotherverymuch.Inorderthatbrotherdoesntworryabouttheirmother,andkeepshisfrontiertask,sistertellshimmothersillness,indefinitelyandeuphemistically.

d.Couldwe,whenyougiveusouressaysback——andgiveustitles——couldwesortofmeetorsomething——becauseImean——theremightbethingswewanttoask.

Itindicatesthatthestudentsareinhonoroftheteachertouseindefinitefuzzywords“could,sortof,orsomething,might”whenthestudentsasktheteacherforpermissioneuphemistically,theygivetheteacherconsideringplace,andmaketheirpermissiontender.

B.InLiterature

Fuzzinessoccursnotonlyinspokenvernacularstylebutalsoinwrittenvernacularstyle.Literatureisoneofwrittenvernacularstyle.Literaturelanguageisthemostcolorfulandmanifestsinallwrittenvernacularstyle.Itpossessesofthecharacteristicofimage,emotionvividness,connotation,artandsoon.Therefore,inliteraturethecharacterdescriptionshouldbeindistinguishablefromtheoriginal,sothatthereadersasiftolistentohim;scenerydescriptionshouldbevivid,sothatthereadersasifgettotherealplace,emotiondescriptionshouldbecomplete,sothatthereadersasiftheysufferfromit.Toachievetheseeffects,writersusuallyusefuzzylanguageinliterature.Bythismeans,theycancreateafuzzyartisticconception.HanQingling(1998)thoughtfuzzylanguage,whichisconnotative,interesting,expressiveisanimportantformingmethodforliteraturecreation.Itissaidthatincertainsense,wecansaynofuzzylanguage,andnonaturallanguageofhumanbeing,evennoliteraryworks.(伍铁平,1999:364)Forexample,

a.In“MyFirstJob”ofCollegeEnglishIntensiveReading,BookTwo,thebaldheadmasterisdescribedlikethis:

Hewasshortandfat.Hehadasandy——coloredmustache,awrinkledforeheadandhardlyanyhair.

Theauthorusedthreefuzzywords“shortandfat,hardlyanyhair”todescribethecharacter.Ifhechangedthemto“Heis165cm,75kg,3hairsonhead”.Obviously,hewouldreducetheglamouroflanguage,andmakereadersfellmonotonousandridiculous.

b.InShakespearesfamoustragedy“Hamlet”,themaincharacterHamletsfamoussoliloquy“Tobe,ornottobe”isatypicalexampleoffuzzylanguage.Tothismotto,differentappreciatorshavedifferentopinions.Thatisthereasonwhythismottoissofuzzy.IfShakespearedidntchangehismanuscript,itwouldbe“wellitshard,youknow,IcantfigureoutifIshouldkillmyselfornot.Obviously,theexpressionisworsethanthemotto.

c.ItisacaseofJanuaryandMay.(余富斌,2000:51)Thisistypicalfuzzylanguageinthissentence.Januaryisinwinter,andthecharacterofwinterissnow.Thecolorofsnowiswhite.Whiteindicateswhite-hairedman.Maystandsforflowers.Thetypicalcharacterofflowersisbeautiful,whilebeautifulistheappearanceoftheyounglady.Sotheintentionofthissentenceis:Awhite-hairedmanmarriedabeautifulyounglady.

d.TheBigHorncanyonswereincredible,withfourandfivedistinctlayersofpinetreessomehowclingingtothesteep,rockywall.Far,far,below,TenSleepCreekwasathin,whitetorrentontherampage.Insomeofthelesswildterrain,wesawdeeronthehighgreenhillsidesand,asweclimbeduptowardourpicnicsport,weflashedtwodoesandtwofawns.Thatnight,wefallasleepwiththeroarofTenSleepinourears.

Here“incredible,fourandfivelayersof,somehow,green,thin,lesswild”areallunknownquantitywords,fourandfiveisprecisenumber,butwedontknowtheyarefourlayersorfivelayers.Is“somehow”man-madeornaturalpower?Thesewordsarefuzzy,buttheyhaveexpression.TheauthorthoughtafterfoundingU.S.,theAmericanpeoplespentmostoftheirtimeandenergyonwest,sotheecologicalenvironmentinwestmustbedestroyed,andnooldthingswereleft.Whenhesawtherealthingsinwest,tohissurprise,riversandmountainsinwestarestillcharmingasbefore:Treesaregreen,waterinthestreamisclear,etc.

e.SomeofthetroubleswesawwereeverybitasbadasIhaddreaded.Butbyandlarge,thecountrywasasglorious,asvastasoverwhelminglyspectacularasthoseknownothingkidhadexpected!

Whatistheboundsrangeof“byandlarge”?Theauthorusedthehedgesskillfullyandgenerallyconfirmedourriversandmountains.Thoughthereweresometroubles,thecountrywasasglorious,asvastandasoverwhelminglyspectacularasthoseknownothingkidhadexpected.

f.AndIshallhavesomepeacethere,/forpeacecomesdroppingslowly,/Droppingfromtheveilsofthemorning,/towherethecricketsings;/Theremidnightsaaglimmer,/andnoonapurpleglow,/Andeveningfullofthelinnerswings.(W.Yeats,TheLakeIsleofInnisfree)

Inthispoem,theauthorusedalotoffuzzywords,suchas“droppingslow,aglimmer,apurpleglows,fullof”andfuzzyrhetoric“theveilsofthemorning”(metaphor),“thelinnetswings”(metonymy).Therefuzzydescriptionsrepresentthedrowsyandpicturesquescenerytothereaders.Theywerecarefreeandcozy!

C.InForeignBusiness

Duringinternationaltradenegotiation,thesituationofheartedkeendebate,eventhedeadlockisnotavoided.Atthismoment,fuzzywordsarelikethelubricatinggreasetomaketheexpressionsmoreeuphemistical,politeandproper.Atthebeginningofnegotiation,nothavingknowntheotherpartysintention,onepartycantalktotheotherpartyinfuzzylanguage:Couldyougivemeanyinformationabout…?Andbuyerusuallyusesfuzzywordsforsalespromotion:“ofgoodquality”,“attractivedesigns”,“sellswellallovertheworld”.Forexample,

a.Comparingthelanguageexpressionoftwosentences:

(1)AmongthemtwokindsoftheproductshavebeenexportedtoThailandandMalaysia.

(2)Amongthemsomeoftheproductshavebeenexportedtotheinternationalmarket.

Insentence(1)“Thailand”and“Malaysia”areallpreciseandspecificwords,whileinsentence(2)“some”,and“internationalmarket”areallfuzzy,uncertainwords.Obviously,theinformationinsentence(2)ismorethanthatinsentence(1),sotheeffectofsalespromotionwillbebetter.

Duringthenegotiation,whenbothpartiesdontreachagreement,andsomewordsshouldnotbesaiddirectly,sotheyalwaysintentionallyusefuzzywordstoexpresssoastoavoidwordstorigid,andleavebothpartiessomebufferspace.

b.“Imafraidthattheproposalyouputforwardjustnowisntuptoomuch.”

“Iagreewithmostofwhatyousaid,but…”

“Thepriceisalittlebithigher,couldyoucutdownalittle?”

Here“isntuptoomuch”,“mostofwhat”,and“alittle”arealltheextensionofconnotationoffuzzylanguage.Theyhavenoprecisebounds,andcanbeunderstoodflexibly.

Duringthenegotiation,boththebuyerandsellerusuallyusefuzzywordstoforceupcommoditypricestomaketheotherpartynottoestimatetheirrealstrength.

c.A:ourpricescomparefavorablywiththoseofferedbyothermanufacturerseitherinEuropeoranywhereelse,weareoneofthebestmanufacturersinthisline.Hereareourlatestpricesheets;youwillseeourpricesaremostcompetitive.

B:Well,ImafraidyourpriceissomewhathigherthanIexpected.Wevegotintouchwithsomeofmanufacturers.Theirpricesaremuchlowerthanyours.

A:Ishouldsaythepriceisreasonableifyoutakethequalityintoconsideration.

B:ButIhopethatsomeprogresscanbemadetowardsaconcessionintheprice.

A:Well,thatsalmostcostprice,butIllseewhatIcandoifyourorderislargeenough.

B:Thesizeofourorderdependsgreatlyonyourprice.

Fromthisdialogue,weknowthatpartyAtrieshisbesttoforceuphiscommoditypricesbyusing“byothermanufacturers….else”“best”and“most”competitive”,reasonable.WhilepartBusesfuzzywords“somewhathigher”,“muchlower”,“someofmanufacturers”,and“greatly”toachievethepurposeofconcealinghisrealstrengthandmeasurepartyA.

d.Eachyearbusinessthatsellsmedicalsuppliesisfacedwithhundredsofnewproducts.Wewouldlikeyourassistanceinansweringtheenclosedsurvey.

Here“hundredsof”isuncertainnumber,butageneralreference“many”.Amedicalcustomerconnotativelyasksapotentialcustomerforhelp.Buthiswordsarefuzzy.

e.Anofferbyamerchanttobuyorsellgoodsinasignedwritingwhichbyitstermsgivesassurancethatitwillbeheldopenisnotrevocable.Forbackofconsideration,duringthetimestatedorifnotimeisseatedforareasonabletime.

Here“forareasonabletime”isanimportantexpressioninEnglish,AmericaandFrance.AccordingtotheexplanationofthejudgesinEnglish,AmericaandFrance,that“howlong”“forareasonabletime”meansmustbedecidedbythejudgeswhomakeadecisionbasedontheprecisesituation.Becausethesituationinbusinesstradeiscomplicatedandchangeful,itisdifficultforlaw——makingorgantoenumeratetheprecisesituationinlaw.Byusingthiskindoffuzzylanguage,itisgoodforbalancingtheinterestofbothlitigantsandachievesthepurposeoftrade.

Inshort,fuzzylanguageplaysanimportantpartinforeignbusiness.

D.InNewspaperEnglish

Generallyspeaking,newsvernacularstyleshouldbeaccuratefirstly;Accuracyisthefirstfactoramongnewsfactors,andtheessentialrequirementofspreadinginformation.Tothis,somepeoplehavesuchmisunderstanding:Onlyprecisenesscanachieveaccuracyofnewsreporting.Fuzzinessisagainstpreciseness,soitisnotaccurate.However,itisthefactthataccuracyinnotcompletelyequaltopreciseness.Insomecircumstances,fuzzinesscanoccurinnewsreport.Infact,eitherprecisenessoraccuracyistoachieveaccuracy.Soitishardtoavoidusingfuzzylanguageinnewsvernacularstyle.Ifitisusedproperlyandaccurately,itisgoodforimprovingthequalityofnewreporting.Forexample,

“ShouldtheFrenchsidechoosetoignorethestrongoppositionoftheChinesesideandinsistinitserroneousactofencroachingonChinassovereigntyandjeopardizingChinassecurity,theChinesesidecannotbutmakeastrongreaction.TheFrenchGovernmentshouldbeheldfullyresponsibleforalltheseriousconsequencesarisingtherefrom.”(ChinaDaily,Nov.27,1992)

Intheparagraphabovefuzzinessisusinghedgewhichisformedby“should”clauseandfuzzywords“strong,fully,all,serious,”etc.Whatisastrongreaction?Whataretheseriousconsequences?Opposebyreportermeeting?DeclarewartoFrance?AskUNforanimmediatedecision?Orcarryouteconomysanction?Thisexpressionisnotindefinite.Languageisfuzzy,butitwasusedproperly,itdidntaffecttheaccuracyofnewsreportingandefficiencyoflanguagecommunication.Thesekindsoffuzzywordsareusedwidelyinnewsvernacularstyle.Theyhavethreepartsoffunctionsasfollows:

1.IncreasingCredibilityofNewsReporting

Journalistshavetousevaguelanguagetoreportsomefactsorsocialphenomena,whichhavenodefinitetimeandresults.Incontrastitwillincreasecredibilityofnewsreporting,andrevealthejournalistsmatter-of-factattitude.Forexample,

AtopChineseofficialhascalledforevengreatereffortstomakethecountrygreenerinthecomingyears.(ChinaDaily,Feb.4,1992)

Inthepastfewyearsshehasbecomeaddictedtoclassicalmusic——especiallyHaydenandthecomposersofnineteenth——centuryRussia——andhenowhasacollectionof2,500LPsandcassettes.(Theobserver,Aug.23,1987)

Intheformerpieceofnews,itisverydifficultforpeopletotellusclearlythedate;whileinthelatterpieceofnews,itisverydifficultforpeopletotellusclearlythebeginningofherhobby.Sothereportermakesthemfuzzyinpurposeusing“inthepastfewyears”and“now”.Readerscanacceptthefuzzylanguagefrompsychology.Theywontdoubtthetruthoffactsduetofuzzylanguagesoccurringinnewsvernacularstyle.

2.AccordingtotheCharacteristicsofNewsReporting

Becausenewswritingemphasizesontimeandefficiency,newsreportisusuallycalled“literatureinhurry”.Therandomnessofdevelopmentofnewsevent,scaleandeffectareindeterminate.Itisverydifficultforthereporterstojudgetherangeandeffectsofnewevents.Therefore,thereportershavetousegeneralfuzzywordsinreportingsoastogenerallyreportthenewseventstoreaders,analysisandestimatetheobjects.Takethecharacteristics“terseness,timeandefficiency,newsinterview,etc”innewswritingintoconsideration.Forexample,

a.Intheeast——centralcoal——miningregion,whereninemineshavebeenstruck,atleast3,000minersblockedroadsandrailroadstrackandclashedrepeatedlywithriotspoliceondaylongconfrontations.Twodozensminerswerearrested(TheChristianScienceMonitor,Aug.11,1987)

Inthisexample,itisverydifficultforthereporterstocounthowmanyminersjoinedthestrike,blockedroadsandrailroad,track,howmanytimesminersclashedrepeatedlywithriotpolice,andhowmanyminerswerearrested.Sothereportersusefuzzywordsinnewsreport.

b.SporadicsniperfireandseveralroundsofartilleryshellspoundedthecenteroftheBosniancapitalofSarajevoyesterdaywhilethelatestUNpeacetalkswereabouttostartinNewYork.

Sarajevoreporterssaidartilleryshellsslammedintothecityseveraltimesduringtheearlymorning.RandomsniperfirecouldbeheardaroundSarajevoscitycenter.(TheInternationalHeraldInbune,Feb.5,1993)

Readerscanimagethat:inordertospreadthewarimediatelynews,reportersinfronthadnotimetocounttimesofshellspounding,sotheyused“severalrounds”and“severaltimes”toexpressthem.Aswesee,thesefuzzyexpressionsabovearenotveryaccurate,buttheyaremoreobjectiveandscientificthanaccuracy.Luosuoncesaid:“Thatwillbeagreatmistakethatsomeonethinksfuzzyunderstandingisfalse.Incontrast,fuzzyunderstandingmayberealerthanaccurateunderstanding,becausemorepossiblefactscanillustratefuzzyunderstanding.”(王谣,2000:79)Thatisthetruth.

3.MakingNewsReportingVivid

IffuzzywordsinreportsofEnglishnewspaperareusedproperly,theywontcausefuzzysense.Butitmakesthereportsmorevividtosomeextent.Theywillhavesomeimportanteffectsthataccuratenumbersdontpossessof.Forexample,

AssharepricescrashedyetagainonFriday,criticism,mountedovertherefusedoftheStockExchangesnewstylemarket—makerstomakeapropermarket.CriticismofthelackofliquidityintheStockExchangesnewelectronicmarketplacegatheredmomentumthroughlastweeksequitybloodbath.(Theobserver,Aug.9,1987)

InthispieceofnewsabouttheAmericanstockmarket,thereporterdidntuseanynumber,butusetwofuzzyverbs“crashed”and“mounted”twofuzzynouns“momentum”and“bloodbath”.Fromthesefuzzywords,wecanlearnthestockpricedeclinedsharply,peopleofallwalksoflifefeltindignant.

E.InLawEnglish

LawEnglishisakindofcustomarylanguage,whichincludessomewordsphrasesandmodeofexpressionwithitsuniquestyle.OneofthemostimportantcharacteristicsoflawEnglishisexactinitsusage.Inotherwords,accuracyisthesoulandlifeoflawEnglish.LawEnglishvernacularstyleemphasizesonaccuracy.Isitcompleteagainstusingfuzzylanguage?No.Forexample,

a.Afterservice,thedefendantisentitledtoacertainperiodoftimewithinwhichtofilehispleading,oranswer,toplaintiffspetition.

Hereindefinitetime“acertainperiodoftime”isfuzzyexpression.

b.Whoeverconceals,destroysorunlawfullyopensanotherpersonsletter,therebyinfringinguponthecitizensrighttofreedomofcorrespondence,ifthecircumstancesareserious,shallbesentencedtofixed-termimprisonmentofnotmorethanoneyearorcriminaldetention.

“Serious”isfuzzyexpression.ItisseenfuzzylanguagecanbeusedinlawEnglish.However,itisconditionedandrestrained.WhenisfuzzylanguageusedinlawEnglish?Generallyspeaking,therearethreecircumstancesasfollows:

1.InOrdertoMakeLawMoreAccuratelyandMaximallyInflictaPunishmentonaCriminalinLawMakingForexample,

Whoevercommitsarsonbreachesadike,causesexplosion,spreadspoisonorusesotherdangerousmeanstosabotageanyfactory,mine,oilfield,harbor,river,watersource,warehouse,house,forest,farm,threashing,grounds,pasture,keypipeline,publicbuildingoranyotherpublicorprivateproperly,therebyendangeringpublicsecuritybutcausingnoseriousconsequences,shallbesentencedtofixedtermimprisonmentofnotlessthanthreeyearsbutnotmorethantenyears.

Here“other”isafuzzyword,afterenumeratingthemaincriminalmethodsandsabotagesfuzzywords“otherdangerousmeans”and“otherpublicofprivateproperty”areadded.Sothelegalruleislimitedandgeneral,thelettersofthelawisstrict,andisgoodforinflictingapunishmentonacriminalmaximally.Iffuzzywordsareomittedorchangedtodefinitewords,inonehand,lawmakingwilllosestrictness.Intheotherhand,mostofcriminalswillescapefromlawsanctionindailylife.

2.StrengthenFlexibilityofLanguageExpression

Inlawaffairs,especiallyinforeignoccasion,inordertoavoidrigid,absolutewords,thespeakersusuallyusefuzzylanguagetoexpresstheirownviewpoint.Forexample,aparagraphin“TheUnitedCommuniquebetweenthePeoplesRepublicofChinaandTheUnitedStatesofAmerica”:

…andthatitintendsgraduallytoreduceitssaleofarmtoTaiwan,leading,overaperiodoftime,toafinalresolution.

Thetwosideswillmaintaincontainandholdappropriateconsultationsonbilateralandinternationalissuesofcommoninterest.

Toaquestion“whenwilltheAmericanstopsellingarmtoTaiwan”,bothleadersusedwords“graduallyreduce”,butdidntexpressconcretetime.Words“maintaincontact”and“holdappropriateconsultations”arefuzzylanguage,theyareusedtorepresentsomeindefiniteconcepts.Nobodycantelluswhatextenttheymean.Butinthisparagraphabovetheywereusedproperly,theyaremoreaccurateandconvincingthanprecisenumbers.

3.MakeLanguageExpressionMoreEuphemistical,ConnotativeandPolite

Forexample,

a.InviewofMr.C.Jrsemploymentbytheembassy,itwouldbeappreciatedifanappropriateentryandexitvisacouldbeissuedtohim.

Herefuzzyword“appropriate”wasusedresultedfrompoliteconsidering.Infact,anentryandexitvisawasaskedtoissue.

b.Unlessthisaccountispaidwithinnexttendays,wewilltakefurthermeasures.

Inthissentence“takefurthermeasures”isfuzzyword,itcompletecanbechangedto“startlegalproceedings”or“bringout”.Butthelawyerdidntdoitlikethat,becausehethoughtitwassoearlytosaysuchpositivewords,heusedeuphemisticalwordstoinsteadofthem.

Inshort,thoughfuzzywordsarelimitedtouseinlawEnglish,theyplayanimportantpartinit.Ifusedfuzzywordsproperly,theywillensurelawlanguageaccurateandstrict.

ⅴ.SuggestionofUsingFuzzinessinEnglishLanguage

Fuzzinessoflanguageoccursinspokenandwrittencommunication,ithasbecomeonepartoflanguageuse,andbearsthestrongercommunicativeeffects.Usingfuzzylanguageistheneedofcommunicativepurposeandacommunicativemeansorpragmaticstrategy.Incommunication,ifproperlyused,itcanfullydisplayitseffectsandmakelanguagevivid,perfect,graceful,accurateandproper.Althoughtheapplicationoffuzzylanguagepossessesofagreatmanypositivefunctions,italsohasalotofnegativefunctions.Frequently,therearesuchcharacteristicscontaininggeneral,indefinite,etc.Ifnotproperlyused,itwillcausethedisadvantages,andthenaffectsaccurate,flexibleandproperincommunication,evencausethefailureincommunication.Buttherearenotinnateadvantagesordisadvantagesinfuzzylanguage,itonlyresultsinbeingproperlyusedornot.Therefore,weshouldmakefulluseofitspositivityandavoiditsnegativitytoachieveourcommunicativepurpose.Bibliography

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