呈现性there-构式的信息状态与认知理据

Information Status and Cognitive Motivations of Presentational There-Construction in English

英语there-构式可分为存在性there-构式和呈现性there-构式两大类。按照信息结构理论,从话语/语篇和听话人的角度来看,呈现性there-构式中的PVNP所传递的信息可以是话语新+听者新信息,也可以是话语新+听者旧信息,但不能是话语旧+听者旧信息,这是恰当性条件的限制使然。按照认知语言学中的图形—背景关系理论,there-构式可称为TtFG构式。作为TtFG构式的一种,呈现性there-构式中的PVNP和时空短语分别为图形和背景,前者以后者为参照而得到突显。这就从认知上解释了该构式中的PVNP所传递的信息为什么不能完全是旧信息,而必须是话语新+听者新信息或话语新+听者旧信息。

English there-constructions can be classified into existential and presentational there-constructions. According to the theory of information structure, and from the discourse-and hearer-perspectives, the information conveyed by the PVNP in the presentational there-construction is either discourse-new ＋ hearer-new or discourse-new ＋ hearer-old, but not discourse-old ＋ hearer-old, which is due to the restriction of the felicity condition on such a construction. Based on the Figure-Ground relation in cognitive linguistics, there-constructions can be generalized as the TtFG construction. As one type of the TtFG construction in English, the PVNP in the presentational TtFG construction serves as the Figure and the phrase of space/time as the Ground. The former is made prominent in reference to the latter, which provides a cognitive explanation for why the information conveyed by the PVNP in this construction is either discourse-new ＋ hearer-new or discourse-new ＋ hearer-old, but cannot be totally old.