Voices From the Void: Self-Related Speech Acts in Auto-Epitaphs of Song Dynasty in Ancient China

This study explores how self-related speech acts are employed in auto-epitaphs composed by tomb owners from ancient China through a grounded analysis of 18 surviving texts from the Song Dynasty. The findings identify four types of self-related speech acts, namely, self-statement, self-defence, self-praise, and self-denigration. In addition, this study further details the dynamics of auto-epitaphs in ancient China through the Motivation Model of Pragmatics (Chen, 2022). It is argued that self-statement is primarily driven by transactional motivations, aiming to preserve an accurate historical record for posterity. In contrast, self-defence, self-praise, and self-denigration are predominantly driven by interactional motivations, serving to construct a favourable and enduring public image. The findings above not only demonstrate the context sensitivity of auto-epitaphs but also call for a reconsideration of prevailing stereotypes of humility within the literati culture of ancient China.