英语名词前置/后置修饰语选择与转化的次范畴化研究

论文摘要

前置修饰语和后置修饰语是英语名词词组中的两个重要组成部分,是英语语法研究的重要内容。以往的研究缺乏从同一视角对前置修饰语和后置修饰语做出系统的理论解释。本文采用演绎的方法对英语名词词组中前置修饰语和后置修饰语的使用选择和相互转化进行了认知研究,从次范畴化的视角对它们做出了系统的解释。文章首先对次范畴化进行了较为系统的论述,指出：次范畴化是范畴化理论中的重要组成部分,其功能是对范畴进行下位范畴切分,其特点是暗含对立次范畴和以范畴成员的属有特征为参照；次范畴化的结果是产生次范畴,次范畴的语言表征形式有简单词、复合词和词组,词组有“前置修饰语+中心词”和“中心词+后置修饰语”两种组构方式。以次范畴化理论为指导,文章对英语名词词组中前置修饰语和后置修饰语的认知功能及其特点和对前置修饰语和后置修饰语的使用限制进行了探讨,研究结果揭示了以下事实：（1）前置修饰语的认知功能是次范畴化,其内涵是以前置修饰语所指特征为参照对名词所指范畴进行下位范畴切分,其特点是暗含对立次范畴和以范畴成员的恒久性属有特征为参照,其结果是产生固化次范畴。（2）后置修饰语分为分类性和非分类性两种,分类性后置修饰语的认知功能是以自身所指特征为参照对名词所指范畴进行次范畴化,其特点是以范畴成员的恒久性和临时性属有特征为参照,前者产生半固化次范畴,后者产生非固化次范畴；非分类性后置修饰语的认知功能是以自身所指特征为信息对名词所指范畴做补充说明。（3）前置修饰语和后置修饰语的不同认知功能及这些功能的不同特点对这些修饰语构成了不同的使用限制。基于上述讨论,文章对英语名词词组中前置修饰语和后置修饰语的使用选择和相互转化进行了系统的认知解释。关于前置修饰语和后置修饰语的使用选择,文章认为,它们在宏观、中观和微观三个层面上存在差别,这些差别都由它们各自的认知功能及其认知特点所引起：在宏观层面上前置修饰语通常由词充当,后置修饰语通常由词组和分句充当,这是因为词的语义具有普遍性和典型性,其成员多数表示名词所指事物的恒久性属有特征,可以与名词组合形成固化次范畴,能满足前置修饰语次范畴化功能特点的要求,词组和从句的语义包含与范畴有关的具体细节,不具有普遍性和典型性,不符合前置修饰语认知功能特点的要求；在中观层面上名词通常只作前置修饰语,副词通常只作后置修饰语,而形容词和分词则既可作前者修饰语又可作后置修饰语,这是因为名词表达事物的恒久性属有特征,与名词组合形成固化次范畴,副词表达事物的临时性属有特征,与名词组合形成非固化次范畴,形容词和分词则有的表达事物的恒久性属有特征,与名词组合形成固化次范畴,有的表达事物的临时性属有特征,与名词组合形成非固化次范畴；在微观层面上同一词有时作前置修饰语,有时作后置修饰语,原因是这些词一词多义,表恒久性属有特征时作前置修饰语,表临时性属有特征时作后置修饰语。关于前置修饰语和后置修饰语的相互转化,文章指出,它们之间存在进化性和非进化性两种转化；进化性转化具有单向性和恒久性特点,它只由后置修饰语向前置修饰语转化,其结果是产生固化次范畴；非进化性转化具有双向性和临时性特点,它既可由后置修饰语向前置修饰语转化,也可由前置修饰语向后置修饰语转化,其结果不改变修饰语的语义特征和次范畴的性质。本文的研究可以丰富认知语言学的范畴化理论,对英语名词前置修饰语和后置修饰语的学习、使用和教学具有参考价值。

论文目录

• Abstract
• 摘要
• Introduction
• 0.1 Background of This Thesis
• 0.2 Aims of This Thesis
• 0.3 Organization of This Thesis
• Chapter 1 Literature Review
• 1.1 Previous Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.1.1 Descriptive Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.1.2 Explanative Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.2 Comments on the Previous Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.2.1 Merits of the Previous Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.2.2 Demerits of the Previous Studies on the Premodifier and the Postmodifier of English Nouns
• 1.3 Summary
• Chapter 2 Theoretical Foundations
• 2.1 The Theory of Categorization
• 2.1.1 The Definition of Categorization
• 2.1.2 The Function of Categorization
• 2.1.3 The Product of Categorization
• 2.1.4 The Linguistic Representation of Cognitive Categories
• 2.1.5 The Levels of Categorization
• 2.1.5.1 Categorization on the Basic Level
• 2.1.5.2 Categorization on the Superordinate Level
• 2.1.5.3 Categorization on the Subordinate Level
• 2.2 The Theory of Subcategorization
• 2.2.1 The Definition of Subcategorization
• 2.2.2 The Function of Subcategorization
• 2.2.3 The Characteristics of Subcategorization
• 2.2.3.1 Suggesting the Existence of Contrastive Subcategories
• 2.2.3.2 Taking an Attribute Possessed by Some Category Members as the Reference Point
• 2.2.4 The Product of Subcategorization
• 2.2.5 The Linguistic Representation of Subcategories
• 2.3 Summary
• Chapter 3 The Cognitive Function of Premodifiers and the Constraints on Premodifiers of English Nouns
• 3.1 The Cognitive Function of Premodifiers
• 3.1.1 Subcategorization as the Cognitive Function of Premodifiers
• 3.1.2 Characteristics of Subcategorization as the Cognitive Function of Premodifiers
• 3.2 The Constraints on Premodifiers
• 3.2.1 The Constraint of the Possessed-Possessor Relation on Premodifiers
• 3.2.2 The Constraint of Contrastive Subcategories on Premodifiers
• 3.2.3 The Constraint of Permanent Attributes on Premodifiers
• 3.3 Summary
• Chapter 4 The Cognitive Functions of Postmodifiers and the Constraints on Postmodifiers of English Nouns
• 4.1 The Cognitive Functions of Postmodifiers
• 4.1.1 Subcategorization as the Cognitive Function of Classifying Postmodifiers and Its Characteristics
• 4.1.1.1 Subcategorization as the Cognitive Function of Classifying Postmodifiers
• 4.1.1.2 Characteristics of Subcategorization as the Cognitive Function of Classifying Postmodifiers
• 4.1.2 Supplementation as the Cognitive Function of Non-classifying Postmodifiers and Its Characteristics
• 4.1.2.1 Supplementation as the Cognitive Function of Non-classifying Postmodifiers
• 4.1.2.2 Characteristics of Supplementation as the Cognitive Function of Non-classifying Postmodifiers
• 4.2 The Constraints on Postmodifiers
• 4.2.1 The Constraint of Contrastive Subcategories on Classifying Postmodifiers
• 4.2.2 The Constraint of the Whole-whole Relation on Non-classifying Postmodifiers
• Chapter 5 A Subcategorizational Account of the Selection between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers of English Nouns
• 5.1 A Subcategorizational Account of the Selection between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers on the Macroscopic Level
• 5.2 A Subcategorizational Account of the Selection between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers on the Middle Level
• 5.3 A Subcategorizational Account of the Selection between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers on the Microscopic Level
• 5.4 Summary
• Chapter 6 A Subcategorizational Account of the Transformation between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers of English Nouns
• 6.1 A Subcategorizational Account of the Evolutional Transformation between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers
• 6.1.1 A Subcategorizational Account of the Evolutional Transformation between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers on the Word Level
• 6.1.2 A Subcategorizational Account of the Evolutional Transformation between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers on the Phrase and Clause Levels
• 6.2 A Subcategorizational Account of the Non-evolutional Transformation between Premodifiers and Postmodifiers
• 6.2.1 A Subcategorizational Account of the Non-evolutional Transformation from Premodifiers to Postmodifiers
• 6.2.2 A Subcategorizational Account of the Non-evolutional Transformation from Postmodifiers to Premodifiers
• 6.3 Summary
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• Appendix
• Acknowledgements