Analysis of Linguistic Devices for Implicature in Iceberg Theory
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Abstract:This paper gives a brief explanation to the linguistic devices used for the “conversational implicature” of iceberg theory a case study on The Old Man and the Sea.
Key Words: Conversational Implicature;linguistic devices;Iceberg theory; The Old Man and the Sea
Ernest Hemingway(July21,1899-July2,1961)was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist.In 1954, when Hemingway was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature, it was for “his mastery of the art of narrative, most recently demonstrated in The Old Man and the Sea, and for the influence that he has exerted on contemporary style.” It is a typical example of the appliance of the Iceberg Theory by using the simple words in an effective way. In this way, literary words have been turned into one information body. Therefore, this paper gives a brief explanation to the linguistic devices used for the “conversational implicature” of Iceberg Theory, aiming at a better understanding of the Iceberg Theory and the important role of it plays in his works.
1.Linguistic Devices in its Literary Language
1.1. Ellipsis
Elliptical sentences, from syntactical view, are incomplete; but when related with contexts, its implied meaning is clear, with a more active language, an easier access to real life, a stronger effect of concise and comprehensive.
1.2. Repetition
Repetition is another linguistic device used by Hemingway when revealing his Iceberg Theory. The repetition of the same word, phrase, or sentence, on the one hand, makes the whole passage coherent with mysterious charm. On the other hand, it strengthens the tone and the emotion with prominent effectiveness. With repetition, readers can get deeper information about this novel.
1.3. Figuration
When drawing the outline, he usually applies plenty of figurative sentences, showing his art of language rhetoric and distinctive writing skill. It reveals vivid images and additional implicature and strengthens the ideographic function of its language with a highlighted theme.
2. Linguistic Devices through Lines
2.1. Free Change of Personal Subject
(1) You are killing me fish, the old man thought. But you have a right to. Never have I seen a greater, or more beautiful, or a calmer or nobler thing than you, brother. Come on and kill me. I do not care who kills who.
Now you are getting confused in the head, he thought. You must keep your head clear. Keep your head clear and know how to suffer like a man. Or a fish, he thought. [2] (82)
Three kinds of personal subject are all involved in this chapter. Hemingway employs the linguistic device of free changing of personal subject to show the whole picture. Readers are personally on the scene, through which can get the deep implicature of braveness and strong willpower of the old man.
2.2. Free Direct Thought
According to Zhang Wei (2005:103), FDT is one transitional device when external focus is turns into internal focus. In The Old Man and the Sea, for example, such interpolations as “he thought” have frequently been omitted. Thus such idea comes to the reader as if he could enter the inner heart of the old man. In this way, the distance between the reader and the character is shortened, and the reader can perceive the implicature through the whole novel.
In this novel, Hemingway employs various linguistic techniques to carve the iceberg. On the one hand, the implicature of one-eighth is elaborated by such literary technique as ellipsis, repetition and figuration. Hemingway eliminates anything you know based on general relationship. In this way, such semantic gap, from the perspective of implicative meaning, is the storage site of messages. On the other hand, the implicature of seven-eighth is showed by such linguistic devices as Free Direct Thought and free change of personal subject. Thus the iceberg style is formed when additional information bodies through lines are manifested.
Works Cited
1.Baker, Carlos. Hemingway: The Writer as Artist (4th Ed.). Princeton: Princeton UP, 1972.
2.Hemingway, Ernest. The Art of Short Story. Duke University Press, 1990.
3.董衡撰.《海明威创作》. 北京：生活，读书，新知三联书店，1985年.
4.张薇.《海明威的叙事艺术》. 上海：上海社会科学院出版社，2005年.