英语词法问题商兑二则

Two Reading Notes on English Morphology

两则英语词法问题值得商榷与斟酌。其一,《新编简明英语语言学教程》(第2版)中下述这样一个命题固然为真:"在很多情形下,构成复合词的两个词并不属于同一词类范畴,此时第二个词或位于末端的词之词性则决定着该复合词的词类。然而情形并不总是如此,带有介词的复合词其最终词性并非介词",但undertake,inaction,uplift等例词并不能有效佐证该命题。其二,《牛津现代英汉双解词典》(增补版)认为in like manner;as like as two peas等表达中的like作形容词,这固然正确。但is very likeher brother;good writers like Dickens;felt like working中的like也被视为形容词,则让我们不敢苟同。实际上,相关的like更宜看作另一词类-介词。

Two problems concerning English morphology are well worth discussing. First, in A New Concise Course in Linguistics for Students of English （2nd edition） , ＂In many cases, the two words （forming a compound） fall into different categories. Then the class of the second or final word will be the grammatical category of the compound. This, however, is not always true, and compounds with a preposition are in the category of the nonprepositional part of the compound＂ is a true proposition, but its examples such as ＂undertake＂, ＂inaction＂, ＂uplift＂ are improper and cannot illustrate the point. Second, Concise Oxford English Chinese Dictionary （Extended Edition） correctly regards like in ＂in like manner, as like as two peas＂ as adjective, but improperly thinks of like in expressions such as ＂is very like her brother~ good writers like Dickens; felt like working＂ as an adjective, which we tend to look up- on as a preposition.