This paper chooses to study the parent-child conflict talks in Modern Family。 It tries to analyze and discover the features of the initial stage, maintaining stage, the end stage of parent-child conflict talk。 Meanwhile, the thesis intends to provide a more comprehensive and better understanding of parent-child conflict talk based on the theory of Speech Act Theory, Cooperative Principle and Politeness Principle。文献综述

Through the study, we can have a better understanding of the course and features of parent-child conflict talk and also why the frictions take place。 It is also hoped that this research may serve as a reference for parents and children who would like to improve their relations。

II。 Overview of Conflict Talks and Modern Family

2。1 Previous Studies Abroad

    Conflict talk was first studied by foreigner scholars。 In 1985, Shiffrin used "oppositional argument" to describe conflict talk。 He studied the different kinds of debates and found that conflict talk is an illocutionary act to make others to believe in one’s ideas。 He held that the conflict talk is filled with a smell of gunpowder because different parties maintain distinct views。

    Before the 1990s, conflict talk had already attracted scholars’ attention, but the researchers ignored the turn-taking and the process of conflict talk。 After the 1990s, the research was redirected in a new direction。 Firstly, the structure of conflict talk came into focus。 Then some scholars tried to find solutions to avoid conflict talk。 The construction of self-image and ideology in the conflict talk were also examined。 

    Later, Kuo (1991) explored the methods to handle conflict talk。 He found the way to identify conflict talk and the strategies to resolve it。 Tannen (1994&1998) did research on male-female dispute and discovered that gender also plays a role in conflict talk。 She found that conflict talk is also affected by the context, the way people talk and their aim。

    Nelson (2001) found that terms like dispute, negotiation, and opposition are used interchangeably with conflict talk in literature。 And this multitude of terms, definitions, and concepts gives rise to much confusion and difficulty in categorizing conflict talk。 Nelson argued that conflict is a kind of interaction between the speaker and the hearer, taking place when two parties hold opposing ideas or perspectives。

    Honda (2002) tried to define conflict talk in two different ways: in the narrow sense and in the broad sense。 In the narrow sense, conflict talk can be defined as one party trying to hold his own positions and forces the other party to give in。 While in the broad sense, conflict talk is treated as a process of opposition。 The whole opposition consists of the inducement, beginning, development and management。

2。2 Previous Studies at Home

The previous section mainly demonstrates the research of scholars abroad。 With regard to conflict talk, domestic scholars began to approach it in the 21st century from different perspectives。 There have been conversational studies, pragmatic studies as well as sociological and psychological studies of this topic。 However, the first two are the mainstream。 来.自^优+尔-论,文:网www.youerw.com +QQ752018766-

Zhao Yingling(2004) analyzes the structure of conflict talk。 She has made an analysis of opening stage, conflict stage and end stage of conflict talk。

The pragmatic studies of conflict talk in China mainly involve the theory of adaptation。 Wang Minling(2006) studies the beginning, evolution and end of conflict talk between couples in China with guidance of the theory of adaption。 She particularly analyzes the features of language, generation of conflict talk and the strategies to solve the problem。 

Jia Jieting (2007) has also studied conflict talk with the theory of adaptation。 She discusses the reasons and effects of conflict talk in terms of the physical world, the social world and the psychological world。 However, since the contextual factors are too complicated, this study fails to reveal the dynamic reasons of conflict talk in communication。