「莫名的，奇妙」：台灣大學生對英文熟語互文之領悟

“Every little helpsssss . . .”: Taiwanese university students’ uptake of English formulaic intertexts

熟語包括習語、格言、口號等等，為語言承載的一種文化縮影，亦為語言溝通能力之重要層面。熟語經挪用或修改，常產生異於習用之新意或趣味，可稱之為「熟語互文」，例如中文手機簡訊：「你別來，我無恙」、雜誌文章標題「The human spirit doesn’t mind the gap」等。熟語互文涉及至少兩個文本之間的關聯與互動，由目標文本中之語言單位直接引用或間接影射先前來源文本之內容或形式，使接收者得以體察或推論其回應指涉。當接收者為異文化之成員時，熟語互文之運作可產生文本跨域與文化跨界之現象。接收者若對外語中的熟語互文也能有相當的領悟或學習興趣，即顯示接收者在這方面具有不錯的文本跨域與文化跨界之心靈移動力。本研究探討台灣的大學生閱讀英文熟語互文之領悟與學習興趣。他們對熟語互文之詮釋與感受等資料以焦點座談方式加以收集。由73位台灣的大學生參與本研究之焦點小組座談，每組3至4人(含主持人)。座談逐字稿分析結果顯示：參與者對英文熟語互文之領悟並不高，但進一步學習之興趣頗強；他們對熟語互文的認知與詮釋不僅以來源文本之先備知識為基礎，也受到個人見識及經驗左右。本研究發現可以供跨文化溝通及外語教學與研究參考。

 

Formulaic expressions constitute an important dimension of communicative competence. A formulaic expression can be adopted or adapted to bring about a new meaning or creative form, as in Home Smart Home. Such a formulaic expression is known as a ‘formulaic intertext’, which refers indirectly to an earlier span of text (e.g. Home, Sweet Home), quoting or reflecting the earlier text in such a way that the recipient can infer the meaning or perceive the engagingness of the intertext on the basis of the earlier text. When the recipient does not belong to the culture from which the formulaic intertext is derived, the working of the intertext becomes not only an intertextual but also an intercultural phenomenon. A person can be said to have considerable ability to cross relevant textual and cultural borders if he/she is able to comprehend or interested in learning such intertexts in a foreign language. This study explores the uptake and interpretation of EFL formulaic intertexts by Taiwanese university students. Data are drawn from focus group discussions conducted with a total of 73 students. The number of participants of each focus group is 3 or 4 (including the moderator). The analyses of the word-for-word transcriptions show that, in general, (i) the students’ uptake of the intertexts is quite limited, but their motivations for learning further about such intertexts are high and (ii) their cognitions and interpretations of the intertexts are based on not only their prior knowledge about the source text but also their egocentric knowledge and personal experience. The results of the study have implications for intercultural communication and foreign language teaching.