语篇连贯来自于个人经历的最佳关联

5.5.4　语篇连贯来自于个人经历的最佳关联

个人经验在语篇连贯的构建与理解方面起着很重要的作用。假如我们没有语篇中所涉及的个人经历，我们就很难找出语篇的连贯性，也很难理解这样的语篇的意义。

(108) A:What's the time?

　　　B:Well，the milkman has just come.

在上面的语篇中，B没有直接回答A，我们看不出语篇之间的连贯性，但是，认知语境在这里就能起到很重要的作用。他们之间共有的认知环境可以帮助建立起语篇的连贯性:B能从A的明示之中推出这样的语境暗含:

A:What's the time?

B: The milkman usually comes at eight，and he has just come.So the time is about eight o'clock now.

如果没有这方面的个人经历，语篇的连贯性的确是很难建立起来的。下面还有一个例子，也说明了个人经历在理解语篇连贯方面的作用。

(109) A: I am hungry.

　　　B: Let's go to the Fuji Gardens.

第一句话表明这样一个含义，假如某人饿了，他想吃东西。这样的假设形成了这样的认知语境，第二句话可以在其中得到合理的解释。在认知加工过程中，听话人必须将指称锁定在the Fuji Gardens这个表达法上面，假如“吃”这个概念在这里的认知语境中能够被激活，那么RESTAURANT这个概念也能依据他们的百科知识很容易地联想起来。根据最大关联，听话人一定会把Fuji Gardens这个概念理解成饭店的名字，而绝不会是别的东西、别的概念。第二句话隐含地传递了这样的信息:“It is described to both speaker and addresses and potential that they go to the restaurant called Fuji Gardens.”这是与说话人的意思最可及的和最一致的，也能引起听话人的注意。换句话说，这样的解释与关联原则是一致的，因此听话人就能把第二句话认为是可以接受的。

(110)他迈着沉重的脚步，回到离别三年的家乡。三年前，他参与了一个盗窃团伙被判刑三年，在劳改农场，因表现突出被提前一年释放。

为了逃避那一双双熟悉的眼睛，释放后，经人介绍，他来到湖南省南边的一家木器厂做临时工。但强烈的思乡情促使他踏上了归乡旅途。回到家乡后，家乡的一切都令他感到亲切可爱。他暗暗下决心:一定要重新做人。

一天，邻居王二婶把?匙锁在家里，很多热心人都前来帮忙，但都无济于事。人们找到他，但被拒绝了。王二婶哀求地说:“冬宝，求求你了，要是我当家的回来，我又少不了一顿揍。”他知道，她丈夫很粗“，经常打他，他心软了，找来工具费了好半天帮王二婶打开了锁。王二婶感激万分，特意买来一盒过滤嘴香烟，非要塞给他。在场的人惊愕地看着他，一个劲地夸他有本领。

第二天，他发现有好几户邻居的门上上了双把锁。

几天后，他又离开了家乡，还是到那家木器厂做临时工。

(With heavy steps，he returned to his hometown from which he had been away for 3 years.Three years ago，he was arrested and sentenced to 3 years're form through labor for he had joined a gang of thieves.When he worked on the reform，he behaved himself so well that he got release one year before his term.

In order to avoid those familiar eyes，he didn't return to his hometown after his release but found an odd job through introduction in a furniture plant in Nanxian County of Hunan Province.However，the strong feeling of homesickness drove him on his way home.When he was back home，he found everything was so dear and lovely，he said to himself: I must turn a new leaf.

One day，Aunty Wang，a neighbor of his，locked her hey in the house and could not get in，many warm-hearted neighbors came around for help but they could do nothing about it.People thought of him and asked him for help but were refused.Aunty Wang begged him:“Dongpao! Do help me please，or when my man is back，he will surely beatme!”He knew her husband was rude and often beather，he pitied her and gave in.He found some tools and it took him quite some time to unlock the door.Aunty Wang was so grateful the she broughta pack of filter cigarettes and force it into his hand.The people around watched him amusedly and all praised him for his skillful hand.

The next day，he found there was one more lock on several neighbors'doors.

A few days later，he left his hometown and went back to the furniture plant again.)

看了上面这篇文章以后，我们不免会发出这样的疑问:Why did the neighbors'doors have two locks? Why did he leave his home-town again?似乎这两者之间缺乏连贯性，然而，根据我们的逻辑知识和百科知识，结合这篇文章的具体语境，我们能够作出以下的推理:

他曾经是个贼。(He was once a thief.)

他曾打开了王二婶的锁。(He unlocked Aunty Wang's door.)

他就能打开所有邻居的锁。(He would unlock all his neighbors' doors.)

他就会再去盗窃。(He would be a thief again.)为了防止他再行窃，邻居的门上上了双把锁。(In order to preventhim from stealing again，the neighbors putone more lock on their doors.)

邻居不信任他。(The neighbors didn't trust him.)

邻居的不信任使他再次离开家乡。

(His neighbors'distrusting made him leave his hometown again.)通过这样的推理，我们就能够理解这样的语篇的连贯性了。