量词提升的制约条件

A constraint on quantifier raising

英语中包含两个或多个量词的句子通常会有两种或多种解读。在管辖与约束理论框架内,一般的解决方案是将所有量词都提升至逻辑式中相应的辖域位置,并对提升后遗留在原位的语迹进行约束而得到相应的解读。该方案存在两个问题。第一,更多的语言事实证明,量词句的歧义问题并不能单纯地依靠量词提升来解决;第二,将所有量词都提升至逻辑式中相应辖域位置的做法有违经济原则。为了解决以上两个问题,文章在经济原则的指导下对传统的量词提升做出了限制,即量词提升不得跨越另一量词提升的落点。该制约条件一方面简化了量词歧义解读的步骤,另一方面又解决了传统量词提升理论解决不了的歧义过多问题。

English sentences with two or more quantifiers may have two or more interpretations.In the framework of Government and Binding Theory,one solution is to raise the quantifiers to the respective positions,and the traces of those moved quantifiers are governed respectively.However,there are two problems.First,it has been proved that the ambiguity of many quantified sentences cannot be solved by QR.Second,raising the quantifiers violates the principle of economy.Thus,the study proposes a constraint on QR;the raising of a quantifier cannot cross the landing site of another quantifier.The constraint simplifies the interpretation of the moved quantifiers and explains the over-generation of the ambiguity which remains a problem for the traditional QR theory.