A Pragmatic Analysis of the Speech Acts of Requesting in Chapter 45, Dream of the Red Chamber

Abstract

In social activities, people must weigh and make efforts to balance the positive and negative faces. This paper aims to analyze the dialogues in Chapter 45, Dream of the Red Chamber in terms of the manifestation of positive and negative faces in the light of the Speech Acts of Requesting in Pragmatics. In details, Tanchun’s and Li Wan’s ways of request and Wang Xifeng’s answers are described and analyzed. Consequently, it may give an indication or suggestion of how Speech Acts of Requesting in Pragmatics applied in the daily life.