从动词类型学到体算子情态论——英美语言学传统中的体态理论演进管窥

From Verb Typology to Aspectual Modality Theory— An Evolutional Survey on Aspectual Theories in Anglo-American Linguistic Tradition

语言中有两种体态:语义体和语法体。语义体探究先后经历了四种理论范式:动词类型学、语义体态论、事件语义学以及事件结构句法学;语法体探究则前后经历了五种理论范式:附庸论、本体论、视点论、算子论以及情态论。从研究内容看,学界已围绕体态的意义和功能、语法体和语义体之间的互动关系、体态的合成性、体态的跨语际共性和类型差异、事件边界特征、事件结构的句法特征以及体算子的情态功能等问题作了深入探讨,构建了不少深邃的体态理论,得出了许多具有深远影响的观点和论断。同时,各类理论范式还面临一些共性和个性难题。

There are two types of aspectuality, namely, semantic aspect and grammatical aspect. Studies on semantic aspect have chronologically experienced four theoretical paradigms： verb typology, semantic aspect theory, event se- mantics, and syntax of event structure, while studies on grammatical aspect have chronologically experienced five the- oretical paradigms： vassal status theory, ontological status theory, viewpoint aspect theory, temporal operator theory, and modal operator theory. In terms of content, researchers have explored into the meaning and function of grammati- cal aspect, the interactive relations between grammatical aspect and semantic aspect, the cross-linguistic universals and typological variations of aspectuality, the boundary properties of events, the syntactic properties of event struc- ture, and the modal function of aspectual operators, etc. Many insightful theories have been proposed in the field of aspectuality, but in the mean time, the theories have to overcome some common or particular difficulties.