主位理论在短文听力中的应用

与对话和下文提及的新闻听力相比较，短文听力既没有一问一答的形式，也不会出现大部分听力原文，听者很难把握信息的走向、预测信息内容。因此，主位、述位理论是语篇分析中围绕信息流向发展起来的一个有力工具，可以帮助听者把握听力的语篇大意。

首先，根据和短文相关的问题和选项，听者可以判断出短文的体裁、内容和主题，掌握一定的信息。例如，以下是英语专业四级预测题中一篇短文的相关问题和选项。

① John Williams’ house（T）is made of ____.

A. wood B. bricks C. animal skin D. old stones

② John Williams（T）has lived in his present location ____.

A. since he was born

B. since he graduated from college

C. since his wife died

D. almost half his life

③ According to the speaker，which of the following（T）could John Williams not use in his cabin?

A. An ax. B. Clothing. C. Knives. D. Electricity.

④ John Williams（T）likes to ____.

A. live away from human society

B. find a peaceful place to read books

C. make things by himself

D. have a chat with his friend in his cabin

基于以上四个问题，听者可以预测出这篇短文的体裁是叙事性的记叙文；主位、述位的分析帮助听者。在第二章中笔者分析了记叙文语篇主位推进模式出现的频数较多的是平行型、延续型和集中型；交叉型、无模式型、派生型和并列型出现的概率较小。下面，首先对原文的小句划分主位、述位。

More than 40 years ago, (T1) John Williams gave away all of his belongings and went off to the mountain to live the way people lived 100 years ago. For food (T2) he traps wild animals, fishes in the rivers, and plants whatever he can. John (T3) lives in a cabin he made by hand, out of trees he chopped down with an ax. Though he has no relatives that he knows of, (T4) he does have a deer he raised from a fawn. The deer (T5) lives in the house in the winter and goes with John when he goes into the forest mountains and John has not been out of the mountains during the entire forty years. One day last year (T6) I hiked in to see how John lives. It (T7) was like going back in time. There (T8) were no roads, no stores, no noise, no population, not even a post office.

Most notable of all, there (T9) were no people and that’s just the way John Williams wants to keep his part of the world without people. But there (T10) is a paradox in his story. John (T11) is an educated man. He (T12) has books and nobody knows how he got them. Mostly he (T13) reads about his world, the forest, the animals, the plants, and the mountains. He (T14) has seen airplanes flying overhead but does not want to know about them. For him, (T15) electricity’s lightning. John Williams is 85 years old and has not had a sick day in his life. He (T16) attributes his long life to the fact that he has nothing to do with people and in order that he might enjoy many more years of health, happiness, and solitude. I (T17) will not tell you where his kingdom lies. There (T18) is no room there for you and me.

这篇短文各小句的主位多数是无标记主位（小句的主位＝小句的主语），但也有少数标记性主位：T1（More than 40 years ago）；T2（For food）；T6（One day last year），时间状语和介词短语充当了主位。

其次，分析语篇的主位推进的模式。

R1 (John Williams gave away all of his belongings and went off to the mountain to live the way people lived 100 years ago)＝R2 (he traps wild animals, fishes in the rivers, and plants whatever he can)＝T3 (John)＝T4 (Though he has no relatives that he knows of) — R4 (he does have a deer he raised from a fawn)＝T5 (The deer) —R5 (lives in the house in the winter and goes with John when he goes into the forest mountains and John has not been out of the mountains during the entire forty years)＝R6 (I hiked in to see how John lives)＝R7 (was like going back in time) ＝R8 (were no roads, no stores, no noise, no population, not even a post office); T8 (There)＝T9 (there)＝T10 (there) —R10 (is paradox in his story)＝T11 (John)＝T12 (He)＝T13 (Mostly he)＝T14 (He)＝T15 (For him)＝T16 (He) —R16 (attributes his long life to the fact that he has nothing to do with people and in order that he might enjoy many more years of health, happiness, and solitude)＝R17 (will not tell you where his kingdom lies)＝R18 (is no room there for you and me)

集中型：R1＝R2，R6＝R5，R7＝R6，R8＝R7，R17＝R16，R18＝R17

延续型：T3＝R2，T5＝R4，T11＝ R10

平行型：T4＝T3，T9＝T8，T10＝T9，T12＝T11，T13 ＝T12，T14＝T13，T15＝T14，T16＝T15

在这篇记叙文中，主位推进模式出现了三种（平行型、延续型和集中型），符合记叙文主位推进的特点。在介绍人物John Williams时，听力材料出现了平行型。谭珊燕^[4]认为在记叙性语篇中，作者为了让读者欣赏对人物的生动描写，将描写性部分即人物主位化。马绪光^[5]也认为，记叙、描写类文学语篇类型章一般会使用平行型，以便使主题连续保持不变，以突出人物形象。因此，在听录音时文中的人物John Williams是听力语篇的焦点，听者注意到了平行型，主位重复了旧信息，那么述位就是新信息。

听力语篇还运用了集中型：述位相同；承载相同的已知信息；突出了各条信息的相同特征；起到了强调作用。例如：

R1（John Williams gave away all of his belongings and went off to the mountain to live the way people lived 100 years ago）＝R2（he traps wild animals，fishes in the rivers，and plants whatever he can）；R5（lives in the house in the winter and goes with John when he goes into the forest mountains and John has not been out of the mountains during the entire forty years）＝R6（I hiked in to see how John lives）＝R7（was like going back in time）＝R8（were no roads，no stores，no noise，no population，not even a post office）

从字表来看，这篇集中型的述位不相同。但实际上，下一个述位是对上一个述位承载的信息的重复，属于上义、下义和同指重复。对于语篇中重复的旧信息，Hoey分为：① 简单的词汇重复；② 复杂词汇重复；③ 组成篇章的词汇重复和“机会”词重复；④ 简单释义；⑤ 复杂释义和三角连接；⑥ 上义、下义和同指重复；⑦ 人称代词；⑧ 指示代词和修饰词；⑨ 其他替代关系。与平行型不同，听者应将注意力集中在承载着新信息的各小句主位上。

这篇描写人物的短文还应用了延续型，前句的述位是后句的主位：R2（he traps wild animals，fishes in the rivers，and plants whatever he can）＝T3（John）；R4（he does have a deer he raised from a fawn）＝T5（The deer）；R10（is paradox in his story）＝T11（John）。在这种推进类型中，听者既要注意到承载后句的述位，又要关切前句的主位。

因此，听录音时，听者忽视了旧有的信息，注意到了承载新信息的主位或述位，就可以获取需要的信息，顺利做出正确选择。例如：

John lives in a cabin he made by hand, out of trees he chopped down with an ax; he has not been out of the mountains during the entire forty years; there were no people and that’s just the way John Williams wants to keep his part of the world without people; electricity’s lightning…答案应该是A、D、D、A。