多项WH-问句中WH-词的功能解释

Multiple Wh-question and the Functional Interpretation of Wh-phrases

本文分析了汉语WH-问句中一直不被语言学界重视的问题即多项WH-问句中WH-词的解释问题。文章首先对英语多项WH-问句中的WH-词的解释进行了较全面的概括,如成对的答案,第一个WH-词的语义特征,多项WH-问句和WH-词与全称量词结合的句子的相似性等。在此基础上我们用汉语进行了验证,结果表明,汉语的典型多项WH-问句的解释和英语中的结论相同,但由于汉语多项WH-问句中的一些特殊性,如存在句、“都”字句以及汉语WH-词与英语WH-词的性质上的区别,对英语中多项WH-词的解释并不完全适用于汉语。多项WH-问句的语义表征也可以印证这一点。

This study undertakes an examination of the interpretation of wh-phrases in multiple wh-phrases in Chinese. To begin with, it provides a critical review of the important issues concerning the interpretation of wh-phrases in multiple wh-phrases in English, such as pair-list answer, the semantic features of the first wh-phrase (D-linked and referentially dependent), the compatibility of multiple wh-question and the quantification of wh-phrase and universal quantifier, etc. This study further examines the generalizations which are obtained from the analysis of English against Chinese data. It turns out that interpretations of wh-phrases in canonical multiple wh-questions in Chinese resemble that found in English. Nevertheless, there exists in Chinese some peculiarities in multiple wh-questions in Chinese, namely, existential constructions, WH-dou quantification and inherent differences between English wh-phrases and Chinese wh-phrases (Wh-phrases in Chinese are not inherently interrogative). It is these peculiarities that pose difficulties for forcing the interpretation of Chinese wh-phrases into that of English wh-phrases. This conclusion is also proved by the semantic representation of multiple wh-questions.