论英语系动词结构

On Copular Constructions in English

对语言理论而言,系动词结构构成了一个严重的挑战。根据提升分析法,系动词be无主语,选择一个小句作补语,小句的一部分须经显性移位越过系动词到句首主语位置上;说明系动词则被分析为谓词置于常规主语位置,而真正的主语置于系动词之后的倒装结构。本文认为,谓词倒装的分析既不经济也难以成立,所谓的倒装系动词句应该分析为等值句;提升分析法虽适用于述谓句,但不适用于等值句。本文主张将说明句归为等值句中的一类,并进而提出在述谓句中be选择小句作补语,小句的主语为满足格核查和EPP条件的需要提升移位到句子主语位置,而等值句中的be选择一对互为同位关系的DP作补语。

Copular constructions constitute a challenge for linguistic theories. Under the raising analysis, the copula be takes no subject. But it can take a small clause complement, one part of which must be raised past the copula to occupy the initial subject position in a full clause. Thus, the type of specificational copular sentence is conceptualized as involving a predicate in canonical subject position, while the true subject appears after the copula. This paper argues that the inverse predication analysis is not only uneconomical, but untenable, and the so-called inverse copular sentences are better analyzed as equative. Further, the raising account is applicable to predicational copular sentences but not to true equative copular sentences. In an alternative approach, we propose that specificational copular sentences are a kind of equative sentence. It is argued that, while in predicational sentences be selects a small clause complement and the subject of the small clause is raised to in order to satisfy the predication and case checking conditions, in equative sentences be takes a DP complement containing two DPs that stand in a relation of apposition to each other.