《马氏文通》起词范畴的原型分析

Qici( 起词) in Ma's Grammar: an Analysis from Prototype Theory Perspective

《马氏文通》中的各种范畴都是原型范畴,马氏的论述体现了其在范畴原型基础上进行范畴化的过程。《文通》中的起词范畴的原型具备[位于句首]、[逻辑主项]、[施事]、[名词或代词]四个特征,其非典型成员不具有此四者中的一到三个。马氏的论述中将[逻辑主项]特征拓展成[陈述对象]特征,这一对特征拓展是由家族相似性主导的。如果把[逻辑主项→陈述对象]看成一个连续统的话,就会发现起词范畴中的非典型成员均处在这个连续统上的某一点,起词范畴与其他范畴的边界也由这一特征连续统标定。所以,马氏起词范畴的核心特征是[逻辑主项→陈述对象],而不是很多人认为的[施事]。[位于句首]特征也是马氏起词范畴的重要特征,这说明马氏非常重视语序问题。从这两点来看,马氏走在很多后来者的前面。

Categories in Ma＇s Grammar are all prototypical categories that were built by Ma Jianzhong based on prototypes, which readers can find out from the argumentation in the monography. The prototypes of Qici have four features： [ beginning of clause], [ subject of logical sense], [ agent] and [ noun or pronoun], while other members absent at least one of the four but has at least one of them. The feature of [ subject of logical sense] extended to [ stated theme] in Ma＇s argumentation, because of the family resemblance of the latter to the former. If we regard [ subject of logical sense→stated theme ] as a continuum, we will find that the non - prototypical members of Qici are all belong to the continuum, and the edge of the category is marked by the feature continuum. Therefore, the core feature of Qici is [ subject of logical sense→stated theme], but not [ agent ] o The feature of [ beginning of clause ] is also an important feature for Ma, wherefrom we find out that Ma recognized the importance of word order as successors. Ma was wiser than many later grammarians in these two aspects.