一部重要的英语语法新作——评介夸克等著《英语综合语法》

A New Massive English Grammar: A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language by Quirk

1985年,A Grammar of Contemporary English(1972,简作GCE)的四位作者,又推出这部新著(简作CGE)。作者自述这是他们二十年合作的最高成果。笔者怀着极大兴趣,将这部近1,800页的巨著阅读一过,觉得此书体大思精,不单纯是GCE的扩编,其考察之广。

Randolph Quirk and his associates' culminat#tg joint work is acclaimed as the most com-prehensive English Grammar ever published in Britain or the United States and as a new synthesisof descriptive study of the English language which is possible only in the context of linguisticscience of the 1980s. A brief sketch of the structure of the book is followed by a more detailed description of someof the main features which wouM be of especial interest to Chinese students of English grammar: 1)a new, multilevel way of division into word classes; 2) analysis of clause elements based on phrasesinstead of on individual words; 3) a much neater treatment of verb categories than usual; 4) thecomplex sentence defined differently fi'om what is customarily done yet in line with the new way oflooking at clause elements; 5) recognition of the clause-status of nonfinite and verbless structures;6) detailed and often insightful discussion of the four kinds of adverbials -- adjuncts, subjuncts,disjuncts and conjuncts ; 7) the notion of complementation, which caused confusion to some readersof A Grammar of Contemporary English, but which is shown in this new volume to be a very usefidone when clearly understood; 8) semantic analysis as an essential part of a full-scale descriptionof English grammar; 9)information processing and 10) textual organization as the cetntraltopics of two welcome innovative chapters, which help make this grammar really comprehensive andout of the common run. The legitimacy of setting up determiners as a distinct part of speech is called in question,though there is admittedly much to be said for viewing them in a new light. The contradiction isnoted that, of the four categories of adverbials, only the adjuncts closely resemble other sentenceelements such as Subject, Complement and Object, yet all four categories ate designated as Ad-verbials in sentence schemata. Nor is the choice of the term 'frocus', in contrast with 'theme' andat times loosely applied, a felicitous one. A comparison is made between the new book and its forerunner. It is noted that, among otherchanges, there is a new emphasis on such notions as 'systematic correspondence' (in place of 'trans-formational relation'), 'gradience', and 'multiple analysis'.