粵語（四字）歇後語的修辭功能

歇後語有兩部份，跟謎語中的“謎面”和“謎底”相近。在實際交談中，說話人經常只說出“謎面”而不說“謎底”，但是“謎底”才是說話人想表達的含意。本文首先探討粵語歇後語的類別及其語言特色。此外，我們也探討歇後語在言談交際中的修辭功能︰說話人為什麼不直接把歇後語內容說出來，而用上間接的方法表達心中的意思？另一方面，說話人如何保證聽話人能夠準確解讀相關的內容？
Xiehouyu consists of two parts which are similar to traditional riddles. In conversations, it is often the case that only the first part of xiehouyu is expressed while the second part which carries the intended meaning of the speaker is always left out. This paper explores two issues: (1) Why do speakers use xiehouyu which is an indirect way to express their intended meanings in conversations? (2) How can speakers ensure that listeners are able to obtain the intended meaning of the xiehouyu? Copyright © 2017 澳門粤方言學會.