Pragmatic Analysis of Chinese Car Sticker language

Abstract：The placement of car stickers on private cars has become a common practice with the increasing number of private cars.Car sticker language plays an increasingly important role in promoting traffic safety.The paper analyzes the linguistic features and the pragmatic strategies used in car sticker language from the perspectives of Cooperative Principle and Face Theory.Hopefully，the study may shed some light on studies on the application of pragmatic strategies in car sticker language.

1.Introduction

Car stickers are labels or stickers attached to a car.Most of the current researches emphasize the static models.However，systematic studies from the perspective of pragmatics are not popular.The thesis gives an analysis of pragmatic strategies used in car stickers.It can not only enrich the research contents of social linguistics but also contribute to the construction of harmonious city culture.

2.Theoretical Framework

2.1The Cooperative Principle

Grice（1975）supposes that in normal communication，participants are willing to cooperate with each other and follow a basic principle governing conversation，which is called Cooperative Principle（CP）.To specify the CP further，Grice has introduced the following four basic maxims.

QUANTITY：Make your contribution as informative as is required

QUALITY：Try to make your contribution one that is true.

RELATION：Be relevant.

MANNER：Be perspicuous.（Grice，1975）

The violation of the maxims creates conversational implicature.In car stickers，the owner of a car can be regarded as the speaker，and other drivers or passengers who see the sticker can be treated as the hearer（reader）.And interaction between drivers exists by means of car sticker language，in which violation of CP frequently occurs.

2.2 Face Theory

According to Brown and Levinson（1987），every member has face wants individually，and is well aware of the same desire that others long for.If a speaker says something that threatens another person’s expectations about self-image，it is called face threatening acts（FTAs）.If the speaker speaks in a different way，the possible threat could be lessened.This is called a face saving act.

3.Linguistic Features of Chinese Car Sticker language

3.1 Lexical Features

a.Frequent use of abbreviation

Abbreviation is a common method used in car stickers.The use of abbreviation not only can reflect the concise characteristics of sticker language but also can attract people’s attention.

（1）“女司機(jī)+磨合+頭一次=女磨（魔）頭”

Woman driver+ green hand+ first driving，equals “She-Devil”

b.Frequent use of catchword

Network language not only is popular on the internet，but has extended to people’s daily life.The use of catchword adds much fun and fashion to car stickers.

（2）“神馬都是浮云”

All things are of no consequence just like floating clouds.

3.2 Rhetorical Features

a.Pun

The use of pun is to make language more humorous.Taking（3）as an example，the two words“羞”and“修”are homophones.The implied meaning of this sticker is that drivers should keep distance to avoid collision between cars.

（3）“別吻我，我怕羞（修）”

Don’t kiss me，I’m shy.

b.Antithesis

Antithesis forms a balanced contrast of ideas by placing a sentence against another.It can produce symmetrical harmonious effects which makes people feel comfortable.

（4）“你讓我也讓心寬路更寬”

Tolerance brings smooth traffic.

4.Pragmatic Analysis of Chinese Car Sticker language

4.1 Violation of the Cooperative Principles

4.1.1 Violation of the Maxim of Quantity

（5）“就是面，正在練”

With poor skills，the driver is learning to drive.

Inadequate information may lead to confusion，but readers can realize that “mian” literally means “surface”.They suggest that the driver is not skillful at present so that other people need to put their brakes on in case any accident would happen.

4.1.2 Violation of the Maxim of Quality

（6）“大修沒(méi)錢，歡迎追尾”

With no money for repair，I’d appreciate your knocking into my car.

The violation of the maxim of quality leads to the implicature that “If you fail to keep proper distance with my car，a rear-end collision is very likely to occur，and it will cost you a lot for the repair because I am poor.”

4.1.3 Violation of the Maxim of Relation

（7）“不要迷戀姨，姨會(huì)讓你脫層皮 ！”

Don’t fall in love with me（yi），otherwise I’ll give you a good lesson.

On the surface，it has nothing to do with driving.However，in a particular context，people can easily understand the meaning of them：keep distance.

4.2 Application of Politeness Strategies

4.2.1 Positive Politeness Strategy

When using positive politeness strategy，the speaker would express solidarity and friendliness，and emphasize closeness between them.

（8）“您是師傅隨便超”

You，the master，can overtake whenever you want to.

In（8），the hearer’s positive face is attended to by being called “師傅” and it caters to the positive self-image of readers，so that it is more persuasive and effective in creating a safe and harmonious driving environment.

4.2.2 Negative Politeness Strategy

Negative politeness strategy emphasizes the hearer’s right to freedom and independence.It is realized when the speaker respects the hearer’s negative-face want.

References：

[1]Brown，P.，Levinson，S.C.（1987）.Politeness.Cambridge：Cambridge University Press.

[2]Grice，H.P.（Eds.）.（1975）.Logic and conversation.New York：Academic Press.

[3]胡壯麟.2006.語(yǔ)言學(xué)教程[M].北京：北京大學(xué)出版社.

[4]紀(jì)方超.2013.汽車車尾警示語(yǔ)研究[D].寧波大學(xué).

（作者單位：上海交通大學(xué)外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院）