英汉“名形式”制约性对比研究

A Contrastive Study of the Constraints on English and Chinese "Noun-Adjective Constructions"

本文基于权威语料,聚焦考察英汉"名形式"音节、语义和句法功能制约异同,并力图对此做出认知阐释。研究发现,两者共性与个性并存。共性:该构式中名词和形容词均以单音节为最,具有部分相同的语义特征,均可做定语、表语、补语、状语,偶尔存在结果构式,均有肯定极性倾向,都不用于祈使句;个性:英语中名词和形容词的音节和语义制约性弱于汉语;英语"名形式"不做主语、谓语、宾语,不受程度副词修饰,不用于比较句、最高级和评价句,汉语偶尔可以。

The paper makes a corpus-based investigation into the constraints of the ＂Noun-Adjective Constructions＂ in terms of syllables, semantics and syntactic functions, attempting to arrive at a conclusion with a cognitive explanation. It comes to the findings that English and Chinese ＂Noun-Adjective Constructions＂ demonstrate the following similarities and differences. Gen- erally, monosyllabic nouns and adjectives are the most common components of English and Chinese ＇＂ Noun-Adjective Construc- tions＂. These two constructions have partly similar semantic features and can mostly function as modifiers, predicatives, com- plements, adverbial modifiers, and occasionally resuhative complements. They always tend to have positive polarity and nei- ther of them can be applied in imperative sentences. However, the constraints in their syllables and semantics are different in some aspects. Moreover, English ＂Noun-Adjective Constructions＂ never serve as subjects, predicates and objects, are never modified by degree adverbials, nor are they used in comparative, commentary or superlative constructions, while their Chinese counterparts are opposite.