At this time, many questions come into my mind. In literary works, what are the functions of the numerals? Do they have different features? What function do the numerals perform? A desire to learn and work out these questions drives me to do the research on this topic.源/自:751:;论-文'网www.751com.cn
The other point to be mentioned here is that the sentences I have introduced to study are ancient Chinese poems. I have chosen poems as my research object for I believe the ancient classics are more representative concerning the use of numerals. Firstly, the style of poems is restricted within limited forms. Therefore, the samples collected from the poems are not far away from structures. Secondly, most of the sentences in poems are known home and abroad which also makes this research valuable in contemporary literature. Moreover, as one of the Chinese features, ancient Chinese poems are works of art and present the cream of Chinese culture which is great in the impact upon the contemporary Chinese literature. All mentioned above are available for the language research, which ensures the thesis a scientific one.
The thesis is devoted to studying fuzziness of numerals and its pragmatic function in a systematic structure. The causes of fuzziness are studied from different perspectives, which make the phenomenon of fuzzy numerals explained best. It not only enhances and enriches our knowledge on fuzzy numerals but also plays an important part in finding out the supportive theories and practical approaches to guide the reproduction of fuzzy beauty without taking away its original beauty in literary works.
At last, after studying fuzziness of numerals and its pragmatic function, further studies are advocated in this thesis, and hoped that some enlightenment may be shed on the theory of numerals with fuzziness. Exactly speaking, it will make contributions to the function of fuzzy numerals both semantically and pragmatically, all of which will be of great help to those who are engaged in research of ancient Chinese poems or those who work in this field. Further more, the application study of fuzzy theory on numerals not only enriches linguistic theory but also guides the practical usage of numerals better.
2. Literature Review
Fuzzy linguistics began from 1960s and focused on the fuzzy phenomenon.As a combination of linguistic study and natural science,it is an interdisciplinary study lying between natural and social science which applies to the development of natural science as well as provides theories and methods for solving problems in formal language.The American scientist Zadeh (1965) published his paper Fuzzy Set in Information and Control and a comprehensive and deeper study on vagueness started. Later, a lot of scholars such as British linguist Joanna Channell, American linguists G Lakoff and Williamson began their study in fuzzy linguistics.
In China,the serious and real study of fuzzy linguistics started in the late 1970s.It is commonly acknowledged that Wu Tieping (1979) is the first author who uses fuzzy theories to analyze linguistic fuzziness,which symbolizes the birth of fuzzy linguistics in China.He published a celebrated article A Tentative Exploration of Fuzzy Language (1979), which the beginning of the study in China.The second book he published, entitled Vague Linguistics(1999) systematically introduced fuzziness and its applications which marked the maturity of the study on fuzziness in China.Wu Tieping’s study involves a wide range of issues of fuzzy linguistics:fuzzy words,fuzzy notions,facts that lead to fuzziness,the mutual conversion of precise words and fuzzy words,the history of fuzzy theories,the quantitative study of fuzzy language,and the relationship between fuzzy theories and lexicology, terminology, rhetoric and etymology. His achievements in these fields have greatly contributed to the development of fuzzy linguistics in China.
Wu Tieping’s studies has also inspired many Chinese linguists and researchers to this very theme.Among them are Shi Anshi,Wang Xijie,Xu Danhui,ZhongYing,Zhang Qiao,to name just a few. Some other scholars in China also have done much work on fuzziness in other aspects, Mao Ronggui (1999) conducted researches on fuzziness from the semantic perspective;Chen and Ran(1995),Wu (2001),Pang Jangrong (2003) analyzed fuzziness from the pragmatic aspect;Lv(1988),Han(1998),studied fuzziness from rhetoric angle;Wu(1996),Wen (1999) investigated fuzziness from the cognitive perspective.Though much research has been carried out with great achievements in this area, we have noticed that the research interest has predominantly fallen on such aspects as fuzziness of language use in general.