再论题元、论元和语法功能项——评“格标效应与语言差异”

Theta-roles,Arguments,and GF Revisited——Comments on Case-marking Effects and Language Variations

通过简要回顾格标效应的工作原理,可以重新对比分析英汉两种语言语法功能项在静态逻辑和延伸变异条件下的组配关系。继续观察表明英汉语言功能项的赋格允准和题元释放不存在显著性差异,差异实际上是研究者定义模糊和研究方法不当所致。因没有采用统一的标准对待两种语言的各种搭配现象,单向强化汉语中不符合静态逻辑的非典型组合关系,格标效应无法解释英语中众多不按动核指派的题元释放的通例。因此英汉题元实现只有参数上的差异而没有原则上的差异。对比研究应该遵循典型对典型,变异对变异,而不是典型对变异的原则,对语言事实的认定不能简单地以点推到面。

Based on a brief review of the working principles of case-marking effects, this paper reexamines the combinatory relations of grammatical functions in both Chinese and English under the condition of static logic and extensional deviation.-Contrary to what is claimed in Case-marking Effects and Language Variations, further examination indicates that there is no significant difference in the selection and release of grammatical functions between Chinese and English, and the so- called differences are a result of the researcher＇s unclear definition and inadequate research methodology. Due to the lack of a unified criterion in treating the combinations in both languages and a narrow focus on atypical Chinese combinations that go against static logic, the researcher has failted to see that case-marking effects could hardly explain numerous examples in English where the release of grammatical functions is also not compliant with static logic. Therefore, it might be argued that the differences in the release of grammatical functions in both languages are parametric, rather than principled. It is noteworthy that, while conducting contrastive analysis, researchers should differentiate typical language samples from atypical ones and guard against overgeneralization.