填空题

Why don"t people just say what they mean The
reason is that conversational partners are not modems
downloading information into each other"s brains.
People are very, very touchy about their relationships.
Whenever we speak to someone, you are presuming 21
two of you have a certain degree of familiarity—which
your words might alter. So every sentence has to do two 22
things for once: convey a message and continue to negotiate 23
with that relationship. The clearest example is ordinary 24
politeness. When you are at a dinner party and want the
salt, you don"t blurt out, "Gimme the salt." So, you use 25
what linguists call a whimperative, as in "Do you think
you could pass the salt" or "If you could pass the salt,
that will be awesome." Taken literally, these sentences are 26
inane. The second is an overstatement, and the answer to
the first is obvious. Fortunately, the hearer assumes that
the speaker is irrational and listens between the lines. Yes, 27
your point is to request the salt, but you"re doing it in such
a way that first takes care to establish what linguist call 28
"felicity conditions", or the prerequisites to make a sensible 29
request. The underlying rationale is that the hearer
not be given a command but simply is asked or advised 30
about one of the necessary conditions for passing the salt.
Your goal is to have your need satisfied without treating
the listener as a flunky who can be bossed around at will.