Abstract:The relationship between grammar and pragmatics has been a hot topic in the field of Grecian Pragmatics, which deserves a deeper research. Grammar reflects the internal structural links of the language and it is considered to be an abstract system, including morphology and syntax. In communication, as the form of semantics and pragmatics, grammar provides resources for the language use. Pragmatics, however, reflects the relationship between language’s internal-structure and external environment. Since communication takes place in a certain context, pragmatics, which is communication-oriented, is very essential in daily life. Thus, grammar and pragmatics are mutually connected to and complement each other. If one of them is missing, language exchange will not go on fluently. In English teaching and learning, modal verbs, with rich semantic resources in modality, highly depend on language context. So how to choose proper modal verbs in a certain language context so as to achieve the best communicative value is a good way to observe the coordination between grammar and pragmatics.
Key words: English grammar, English pragmatics, context, modal verbs
摘要:语法和语用的关系是当今格赖斯语用学研究中值得探讨的话题。语法反映的是语言内部结构的关系，它是一个抽象系统，包括词法和句法。在交际中，作为语义、语用表达的形式，语法为语言的使用提供了资源。而语用则反映的是语言内部结构和外部结构的关系，因为语言是发生在一定的语境中的，语用是以交际为目的的具体情境下的语言使用。由此看来，在语言交际中，语法与语用是相互联系、相辅相成的，脱离其中一个，语言的交流便会产生障碍。英语教学中，情态动词涉及的情态意义与语用资源很多，情态动词的得体使用高度依赖语境信息，因此，如何在特定的语言环境中选择合适的情态动词以达到最佳的交际效果是反映语法与语用协调的一个很好的切入点。
关键词：英语语法，英语语用， 语境， 情态动词
The study of the relation between English grammar and pragmatics has long been with us and the focus of the study is the coordination between them. It is the most important and indispensable part in the field of Grice pragmatics. In the 1960s Chomsky proposed two concepts, one is competence, and the other is performance. In his opinion, grammar was the rule of language knowledge, including phonology, morphology, and syntax. Some linguists generally believe that grammar is to a great extent “the fossilization” of semantic content and language in use. However, with regards to pragmatics, some researchers point out that the object of pragmatics is a kind of language which takes place in a specific linguistic environment for a detailed purpose. A general definition of pragmatics is that “it is the study of how speakers of a language use sentences to affect successful communication. … It covers such topics as deixis, speech acts, indirect language, conversation, politeness, cross-cultural communication, and presupposition” (Dai Weidong & He Zhaoxiong, 2010: 84). As to the distinction between the two terms, grammar is the rule restricted, while pragmatics is the principle controlled, and grammar is the result of pragmatic adaptation in the process of language evolution. In brief, grammar and pragmatics are mutually dependent. In this paper, I will emphasize on the coordination between grammar and pragmatics. A good case in point is the modal verbs, which have a rich semantic system, and play an important role in our daily communication. As we all know, the appropriate use of modal verbs relies on the context. That is to say, the analysis of modal verbs can provide us with a good example in the study of the coordination between grammar and pragmatics. Details on coordination and modal verbs are discussed in later sections.
