对英语领属标记的二元解读

A DUALISTIC APPROACH TO POSSESSIVE MARKER IN ENGLISH

实例分析表明,英语领属短语如“th is is John s”并非一定包含一个被省略的隶属名词,其歧义由领属标记的不同性质引起。领属标记在当代英语中有屈折与派生两种性质。第一种情况可按Kayne倡导的功能中心成分处理;第二种情况在词汇层起作用,所派生出的领属形容词分别在主宾位置和述谓位置表现出互补的形态和语义特征。

It is exemplified that ambiguity frequently arises from different natures of the possessive marker,and the phrase 'this is John's' does not necessarily include an omitted counterpart of possessed as English literature suggests.It is argued that the possessive marker in Modern English can be identified either as a functional head or as a derivational affix.The first case is approachable from Kayne's proposal while the second functions virtually syntactically.Also complementary features of morphology and semantics present themselves when the derivational possessive adjective is located respectively in nominal and predicative positions.