漢語附加問句的互動功能研究

In this paper we investigate examples and sequences containing tag questions in Chinese with reference to their interactional functions. Based on the understanding that tag questions come in two broad groups in terms of function, i.e. seeking agreement and requesting action, we focused our analysis on the “seeking agreement” group. Based on naturally-occurring conversations and following the conversational analytical approach, this paper suggests that whether a tag question functions to check information (by requesting confirmation or agreement) or to serve affective functions (such as mitigating the otherwise impoliteness in the previous statement or facilitating discourse management) is closely associated with the interaction between participants. It is argued that the multiple functions of the tag question may be subsumed under "seeking confirmation" and "seeking alignment", with the latter type derived from the former.