文化预设的认知透视

外语学习不仅是一种语言活动,更是一种跨文化交流。文化因素为其文化成员所共有,并以图式化的知识结构固化在文化成员的头脑中,交际时经常可以预设。文化预设是指作者与其意向读者交流时对双方共有的相关文化因素进行省略。在很多情况下,文化预设理解与否成为意义推导的关键,因为它能在读者茫然无觉的情况下系统地影响其对原文信息的连贯理解。文化预设的这种作用是在读者的认知语境中得到解读的;文化预设话语含义推理的记忆图式及其在认知推理中的逻辑形式,使文化预设成为语用推理的先决条件和连贯理解的关键因素。

On Cultural Presuppositions from a Cognitive Perspective

Cultural presupposition refers to the default of relevant cultural factors shared by the author and his/her intended readers,which are fixed in the mind of its community,and are the presupposition for inference.In most cases,coherent interpretation involves cultural presupposition,which is the key ingredient to interpretation.Cultural presupposition merits the special notice of readers because it may substantially and systematically affect their interpretation of the facts and events in source texts without their knowing it.The writer examines how these elements aid in the breeding of some presuppositions that inadvertently affect the reader's decoding of the source message.This paper aims to probe into the cognitive foundation of interpretation of cultural presupposition schemata and default inference and account for the influence of this phenomenon on the coherent interpretation in decoding.The discussion leads to the conclusion that foreign language learning is not merely a linguistic activity,but essentially a cultural communication.