单项对比分析法——制订一种虚词语义分析法的尝试

Single variable contrastive analysis:An attempt to formulate a procedure for tackling the evasive meanings of Chinese particles and function words

虚词的语义比较“虚”，不容易捉摸，也不容易说清楚，所以往往众说纷纭，不容易取得一致意见。这里所说的虚词既包括现在通常说的助词，如结构助词、动态助词、语气助词等，也包括介词、连词以及一部分语义比较虚的副词，如“都”、“也”、“还”等。

The paper aims at finding a workable method of eliminating all possible irrelevant semantic factors of other linguistic items in the sentence,lexical,syntactic or prosodic,etc.,that might influence the correct interpretation of the function and meaning of the particle or function word under observation,and in such a way,isolating the particle or function word as the single variable,the presence or absence of which is solely responsible for the functional or semantic variation of the related sentence.A contrastive study of the particle or function words in isolation and the relevant variations of the related sentences in function or meaning may make it easier to grasp the otherwise extremely evasive meanings of particles or function words.The shortcomings of such an attempt can be corrected by others,and its failure might serve as a lesson for others trying to do the same.The author of this paper is of the opinion that it is time for Chinese linguists developing their own methods of analysis to meet the special need of the study of Chinese.