系统功能视角下时态的意义系统

The Meaning System of Tense: A Systemic Functional Approach

本文在系统功能视角下重新界定了时态,并基于此探讨了时态的意义系统。研究提出,时态涉及人际意义、经验意义、逻辑意义与语篇意义。时态的人际意义是指说话者与受话者互动的时间信息交换,交换的信息涉及说话者以话语发出时间为参照将过程定位在现在、过去还是将来。经验意义则指说话者对物质过程、心理过程、关系过程、存在过程、行为过程、言语过程的时间定位。逻辑意义即在小句与小句复合体两大层次建构的时间关系,分为同时、先时与后时。语篇意义则是在语篇层次建构的时间关系,分为线性时间序列关系与同步时间序列关系。

Based on Systemic Functional Linguistics, the paper redefines tense as a deictic semantic category for describing the speaker ＇s temporal location of processes and relevant temporal relations. With reference to this definition, this study explores the meaning system of tense. It is proposed that tense expresses four kinds of meaning, viz. interpersonal, experiential, logical and textual meanings. From the interpersonal angle, tense helps to exchange temporal information between the speaker and the listener, and the temporal information refers to the anchoring of a concerned process in the past, present or future by the speaker. From the experiential angle, tense plays a role in the temporal locating of material, mental, relational, existential, behavioural and verbal processes by the speaker. From the logical angle, tense denotes the temporal relations at the two levels of clause and clause complex, and such relations fall into simultaneity, anteriority and posteriority. From the textual angle, tense refers to the temporal relations at the level of text, and the temporal relations in question concern linear serial relations and synchronous serial relations.