英语独立主格结构的认知理据

Cognitive Motivation of English Absolute Clauses

以往对英语独立主格结构的研究侧重描写该结构的句法、语义、修辞和功能特征等,对其产生理据的探讨不够深入。本文总结了独立主格结构的界定和形成理据。基于认知识解理论提出内外部认知识解概念,并由此证实了独立主格结构两个已知的理据,揭示出"背景化"是其另一潜在理据。"背景化"使主句与独立主格结构的主从关系相对明晰,避免了主句与状语从句的模糊区分。独立主格结构简洁而合理的内部认知识解确保了它与主句的主从关系的相对明晰的外部认知识解。

The previous studies of English absolute clause mainly examine its structural, semantic, rhetorical and function- al features and fail to pay enough attention to its underlying motivation. This paper recapitulates the definition of the abso- lute clause and two motivating factors for its formation, and based on the theory of cognitive construal, advances the concept of internal and external cognitive construal （ICC and ECC） and from this perspective verifies the two known factors of the underlying motivation and reveals another factor, ＂background＂, which makes subordination between the matrix clause and the absolute clause relatively transparent and avoids the confusion between the matrix clause and the typical adverbial clause. The brief and reasonable ICC of the absolute clause guarantees the relatively clear ECC of subordination between the matrix clause and the absolute clause.