Gradable Antonymy

Gradable antonymy is also referred to as “polar opposition” (Leech 1974) because of “the feature of polarity to accommodate a region on a given scale which does not belong to either end of the scale” (Hsu 2008). According to Hunston and Thompson (2000), linguistic features such as adverbs and adjectives of degree are associated with evaluation through which speakers may perform self-positioning in relation to the compared entities. In Example 33, the caller positions himself as one member of the DPP in-group and regards the KMT as the out-group through the contrastive pair of “亂 (line 3) vs.安定 (line 4)”. In similar fashion, in Example 56, when the caller compares his attitudes to his identity as a Hakka under the KMT government and the DPP government, he feels ashamed in the KMT’s era but feels honored in the DPP’s era. Based on the context, the presupposition of “很不好意思”

results from the fact that the Hakka-related issues conducted by the KMT arouse the caller’s shamefulness. However, the presupposition of “很光榮” results form the fact that those conducted by the DPP arouse the caller’s sense of honor. The different attitudes of the KMT and the DPP toward the Hakka-related issues aggrandize their discrepancy and the DPP is favored by the caller due to the positive connotation of

“光榮”. In Example 57, when the caller compares the smear tactics the two political parties are engaged in, he uses the comparative marker, “更甚” to denote the different

level of corruption as shown in “可是就貪腐和抹黑來講，國民黨更甚吧！(line 2)”, in which the KMT is suggested to be the more derogatory one compared to the DPP.

Furthermore, the discrepancy between the DPP and the KMT is displayed with the repetitive word, “惡”— the former is regarded as “小惡” and the latter “大惡” (line 3).

The two categories are the same in “kind” but different in “degree”. Although both of them are labeled derogation, the caller will still choose the less derogatory one as in

“不可能棄小惡而去就大惡”. As a result, the adoption of the two gradable opposites weaves together an image that the KMT is worse than the DPP, and the caller’s choice reveals the pro-DPP stance. Likewise, Example 20 is another instance of using

comparative words as in “我們已經不是很平等了，而且他們還高出我們一截 (line 2)” to show the difference between “我們” and “他們”.

(33) March 17

(台灣兩岸人民決定 馬,溫說法一致? 西藏被血腥鎮壓 馬竟幫中國講話?

Is Ma’s saying accordant to Wen’s that Taiwan’s fate should be determined by citizens of two countries? In the Tibet suppression incident, Ma speaks for China?)

1 希望國民黨不要再用似是而非，甚至是避重就輕的說法來說服人民。(…) 2 你們已經五十多年都不負責任了，你們沒有資格說這句話。現在八年做得 3 還不錯，我們需要一個安定的生活，我希望你們不要再亂了，讓謝長廷繼 4 續做下去，這樣台灣才能安定長昌下去。

Translation

1 I hope the KMT can stop evading the issue or cheating the people with specious 2 statements. You have held the reins of power for over fifty years and you deny 3 your responsibility. So you have no rights to say this. In the past eight years,

5 disturbances, and vote for Hsieh to keep Taiwan safe and prosperous.

(56) March 11

(經濟緊靠中國=胰島素 台灣=糖尿病人? 香港回歸中國 為何富越富 貧越貧?

Is Taiwan analogized as the diabetes patient when its economy is tied to China? After Hong Kong returned to China, why are the rich richer, the poor poorer?)

1 我本身是客家人，國民黨執政的時候，我很不好意思跟人家說我是客家人；

2 民進黨執政以後，我覺得客家人很光榮 。 Translation

1 I am a Hakka. When the KMT was in power, I felt ashamed to tell others I am a 2 Hakka. However, after the DPP was in power, I felt honored as a Hakka.

(57) March 10

(馬經濟政策 拿掉一中 幾乎就空了? 承認學歷 外國人不能考證照? 馬胡說?

Without the one-China market policy, are Ma’s economic policies equal to none?

According to Ma, foreigners can’t attend certificate examination but their academic backgrounds will be admitted?)

1 國民黨現在就無所不用其極的用宣傳民進黨他的貪腐，抹黑，所以需要政 2 黨輪替，可是就貪腐和抹黑來講，國民黨更甚吧！(…)如果說民進黨真的 3 做的不好的話，需要換人做，那我們也不可能棄小惡而去就大惡！

Translation

1 Right now, the KMT is broadcasting the DPP’s corruption and smearing it in 2 every possible way in order to call for the change of the reins of power.

3 However, as far as corruption and scandal are concerned, the KMT is worse 4 than the DPP. If DPP performance was so lousy as to be replaced, we will rather 5 choose the bad one than the worse one.

(20) March 9

(總統辯論 謝馬治國能力 誰好? 74%不同意承認學歷 55%反一中市場 百姓憂?

Based on the presidential debate, whose executive ability is better, Ma or Hsieh?

Seventy four percent of citizens disagree to admit foreigners’ academic background and fifty five percent of citizens are against the one-market policy.)

1 一中市場應該是要兩個國家平等，水準可以互通的，才可以是一中市場，到 2 目前為止我們已經不是很平等了，而且他們還高出我們一截，所以怎麼可能 3 會說我們要甚麼就會有甚麼；我們不要甚麼，他們就真的不會給我們甚麼東 4 西，這是不合理的 。

Translation

1 As to the one-China market policy, this can only be implemented when the two 2 involved countries are equal in politics. So far, we are not equal or their 3 political backup is more powerful than ours. Hence, it is impossible for us to 4 demand only what we want and refuse what we don’t want. This is

5 unreasonable.