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1、【标题】语境对词义的影响 【作者】陈辰霞 【关键词】词义；语境；影响 【指导老师】李天梅 【专业】英语 【正文】I. Introduction.Language，which is defined as “A system of arbitrary vocal symbols used for human communication“1has many functions: phatic function, expressive function，directive function, evocative function, informative function, performative
2、function and interrogative function. In another words, people use language to express their ideas, to communicate with others, to achieve their goals, etc. Thus, language is widely used at different places, in different situations and for different purposes. But the use of language can not be separa
3、ted from the context and the context is the basis on which the meaning of a word relies. So it is very important for us to have a thorough understanding of the influence of context on word comprehension and make use of their restrictive relationship to understand the new and polysemous words and con
4、firm their meanings in the text. That is to say, the using and understanding of language are often influenced by the environment of language use. This environment can be called as the social environment，a natural phenomenon，the co-context of a discourse or the preceding and following parts of a para
5、graph. These factors can be defined as language environment or context. Context is rich in connotation and diversity. There are so many viewpoints on the definitions and functions of context. The conception of “context” has gradually been given increasing attention at different levels of language un
6、its and in different aspects of language study, such as in syntax, phonetics, rhetoric, literature and even in logic. It is pragmatics which put context in the first place in understanding utterance meaning. Therefore, this thesis is going to deal with how context influence words in communication an
7、d reading. Context includes all direct as well as indirect factors that influence the production all interpretation of utterances. Context can be classified into linguistic context，situational context and cultural context. This paper mainly focuses on the influence of these three types of context on
8、 word meaning.II. Notion of ContextWord meaning depends upon context. Different contexts give words different meanings. Therefore we shall pay close attention to the definition and classification of context.A. Different Understandings of ContextContext is a specific circumstance in which language is
9、 used in communication. In communication, “context determines the speakers use of language and also the hearers interpretation of what is said to him.” “It is generally considered as constituted by the knowledge shared by the speaker and the hearer.”2 Various factors should be considered into this s
10、hared knowledge: knowledge of the language they use, knowledge of what has been said before, knowledge about the world in general, knowledge about the specific situation in which linguistic communication is taking place, and knowledge about each other. The grasping of meaning usually depends on the
11、context as John Lyons says, “The context is such that all but one of the possible interpretations is irrelevant or relatively possible”3. That is to say, context may be the only factor to decide whether the readers interpretation of the original meaning is appropriate or not. From experience, one ca
12、n also see that the meaning of a definite expression may be subject to various interpretations in different contexts. Therefore, it is necessary to know the definition and classification of context.As a linguistic conception, context is still a controversial and verifying problem. It originally came
13、 from the Latin “contextus” meaning “a joining together”. Later it was extended to mean “the whole structure of a connected passage regarded in its bearing upon any of the parts which constitute it: the parts which immediately precede or follow any particular passage or text and determine its meanin
14、g.”4 It is Malinowski who for the first time felt that context “must burst the bonds of mere linguistics and be carried over into the analysis of the general conditions under which a language is spoken.”5 After him, the conception is being broadened continually by different scholars. Some scholars h
15、old that in a narrow sense, context refers to the words, clauses, sentences in which a word appears. In a broad sense, it includes the physical situation where a word is employed. Scholars all regard the definition of context as the dispute focus on contextual theory. However, they all convey the sa
16、me idea in essences: context is the environment in which language is used; without context, language does not make any real sense. From the description of context and its features, a simplified definition of context is drawn by me: context refers to the linguistic knowledge and what is implied or related of non-linguistic knowledge belonging to the linguistic expression in a language. It is constituted by the knowledge shared by the speaker and the hearer. It includes all the fact
