论现代汉语小句和英语小句的性质与构成形式

A Study on the Properties and Compositions of Minor Sentences in Both Modern Chinese and English

自20世纪90年代以来,国内出现了许多研究小句以及以小句为单位进行研究的文章。实际上,在国内许多关于小句的研究文献当中,其中的小句之所指包含不同理论、不同层面的小句,而人们都使用"小句"这个术语,因此,有必要从根本上廓清汉英小句的异同。现代汉语的小句是汉语语法基本的动态单位,具有动态性,汉语小句的构成形式除了具有实在意义的词或短语外,必须有显示其动态性的语调。英语小句与短语和词一样都是句子的构成成分,具有静态性,其构成形式是主语和谓语,不包含语调。搞清楚汉语小句和英语小句在性质和形式上的不同,为更深入地研究二者的异同打下了基础。

Since 1990s, there have been many studies on minor sentences and/or many articles taking minor sentences as the unit of research in China. In fact, among many studies in China featuring minor sentences, the referential meanings of the term ＂minor sentence＂ differs from one another at difference theoretical and grammatical levels. However, all those studies tend to use the term ＂minor sentence＂ in their own favor; therefore, it is of necessity to define with precision the differences and similarities between minor sentences in modern Chinese and those in English. A Chinese minor sentence is a dynamic grammatical unit of the Chinese language. Two distinct features of a Chinese minor sentence are observed： first, it is composed of meaningful words or phrases; second, it must possess certain intonations as integral constituents reflecting its dynamic property. An English minor sentence, however, like words and phrases, is the constituent part of a sentence, assuming a static property. An English minor sentence only consists of a subject and a predicate with intonation excluded from its constituents. A distinction between minor sentences in modern Chinese and those in English from the perspective of their properties and compositions will lay a solid foundation for further studies over comparisons between them.