从量词看“NP的VP”结构的本质

A classifier-as-nominalizer approach to the “NP de VP” construction in Chinese

"NP的VP"结构内部呈动词性、外部呈名词性这一现象一直是难题,学界争议不断,未有定论。本文从句法共性视角观察,发现了大量带量词的该类结构,如"这本书的两次出版"、"她的这种不见记者",由此提出量词是解释该结构的关键:量词"种"、"次"等选择VP做补足语,量词具有名词性,因而整个结构呈名词性,同时,VP的动词性质并没有改变。当限定词、数词、量词为隐性时,就形成"NP的VP"结构。句法上,有显性量词和有隐性量词的结构是同一结构。从跨语言对比的角度看,量词选择VP,类似于英语的-ing选择VP,都是对VP的名物化操作。英语形态发达,用语缀-ing;汉语量词发达,则用量词。量词这一功能并非特设,至少有四个方面的独立证据。本文的分析既在理论上优于前人提出的五种方案,也能更好地解释跨语言共性和差异。

In the literature,no consensus has been reached on the analysis of"NP de VP"construction in Mandarin Chinese due to the difficulties involved in accounting for the fact that this construction disobeys the principle of endocentricity.From a syntactic universal perspective,we observe that a handful of classifiers,such as zhong(sort)and ci(time)can occur in this construction,for example,zhe ben shu de liang ci chuban(this book’s two times of publication).Based on this fact,we argue that"NP de VP"construction is actually a covert form of the"NP de+determiner+Numeral+Classifier+VP"structure.Classifiers should be overtly spelled out,as in the example above,when either the determiner or the numeral,or both of them,is/are overt.Importantly,we argue that the classifier’s selecting VP as complement in Chinese behaves much the same as-ing’s selecting VP as complement in English(see Abney 1987),both of which are the canonical syntactic operations of gerundive nominalization.Accordingly,the alleged violation of the endocentric principle can be successfully explained away.To further support this analysis,four pieces of independent evidence are provided,demonstrating that our proposal is a legitimate generalization based on facts,more convincing than previous accounts,such as the null nominalizer hypothesis.