英汉语致使位移运动事件路径表达对比研究:以叙事文本为例

A Contrastive Study on Paths in English and Chinese Caused Translocative Motion Events: The Case of Narrative

  • 摘要: 本文以英汉语致使位移运动事件路径语义为对比基础,以英汉叙事语篇为语料来源,讨论了致移事件路径的四个主要参数:矢量、方向、构型及界态,并分析了不同类型的英汉语致移构式在表达这些参数时的异同,同时对重要数据辅以卡方验证。研究发现:1)英语拥有较多的组合模式来表达路径的矢量义,在时间律的表达上较汉语灵活;2)就路径的方向义而言,英语倾向于使用绝对参照确定路径的方向,而汉语倾向于使用相对参照;3)英语表达运动路径中图形和背衬的几何关系时词汇可及性高,易于选择详细程度高而离散度低的方式表达空间构型,汉语在描述路径构型特征时,语言的离散性高而详细程度低;4)在表达致移事件时,英汉语句型分布不一致:英语主谓宾类致移构式占多数,而汉语主谓宾类和处置类致移构式使用频率都较高,同时三种致移构式在表达矢量义、方向义时语言间差异明显。英汉语在致移事件路径表达上也展现了相似性:1)两种语言都倾向于表达单一矢量义,路径的终点义在两种语言中都得到了显化表达,而路径的经过义则倾向于被隐化;2)两种语言都倾向于表达有界路径;3)三种致移构式在表达界态义与构型义时没有显著差异。本研究表明,与英语相比,汉语并非典型的卫星框架语言,这为基于路径表达的语言类型学研究提供了有益参考。

     

    Abstract: Taking Path of English and Chinese Caused Translocative Motion Events (CTMEs) as the tertium comparationis, we compare narrative Path expressions in English and Chinese CTMEs.Four parameters of Path are under discussion:Vector, Direction, Configuration and Boundedness.They are also analyzed in double object constructions, SVO constructions and disposal constructions.Chi-square tests are introduced for the analysis of those significant data.Differences are revealed between the two languages:1) English has more combinatorial patterns encoding Vectors, showing much more flexibility in expressing the principle of temporal sequence than Chinese; 2) English tends to employ absolute Earth-based directional expressions, while Chinese prefers relative refences; 3) English has higher lexical availability in expressing different geometric relations between Figure and Ground, preferring expressions of high specificity and lower disjunctives in conveying Configuration, while Chinese Configuration expressions are higher in disjunctives and lower in specificity; 4) In English, SVOs predominate CTMEs; while in Chinese, it is SVOs and disposal cases that dominate.Vector and Direction are expressed differently in terms of CTME types between English and Chinese.As for similarities, both languages exhibit a great tendency to express the Arrival of Paths, and implicitate the Traversals of Figure, and both languages express Path Boundedness, and show no noticeable discrepancy in conveying Configuration and Boundedness.This study proves that, in terms of the representation of motion event Path, Chinese is not a prototypical satellite-framed language.

     

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