汉语情态动词“能”语义演变的机制

Mechanisms of Semantic development of Chinese Modal Auxiliary "NENG"

本文以语法化理论为基础,考察了现代汉语情态动词"能"的语义演变路径及其演变机制。研究发现,情态动词"能"最初是表达动力情态的意义,然后由动力情态分别演变出道义情态和知识情态的意义。我们的研究还显示,推理是汉语情态动词"能"语义演变的主要机制,原来认为许多由隐喻机制所引发的语义演变,其实是由推理所引发的。

The study firstly explored the path and mechanisms of semantic development of Chinese modal auxiliary ＂NENG＂ based on the theory of grammaticalization. The study showed the first emergency of meaning of auxiliary ＂NENG＂ is to express dynamic modality, then it respectly developed the meaning of deontic modality and epistemic modality. The stuldy also indicated that inference is the major machenism of semantic development of Chinese modal verb ＂NENG＂. Some semantic developments which was believed to be the result of metapor are actually caused by inference.