英语情态范畴语法化过程的认知阐释

A Cognitive Study on Grammaticalization Process of English Modality

通过分析COCA语料库的例句,对英语情态范畴的从属语法化变化过程进行阐释和总结,探究英语情态动词的实际使用情况。研究发现,英语情态范畴的从属语法化路径并非是单一的,而是共有五条语法化路径,分别为:责任型情态范畴—动态型情态范畴—认知型情态范畴;责任型情态范畴—认知型情态范畴;动态型情态范畴—责任型情态范畴—认知型情态范畴;动态情态范畴—认知情态范畴;情态助动词—曲折时态标记。五条路径都以事件型情态范畴为起点向认知型情态范畴发展,其特征有主观化、语义抽象化、隐喻化等。英语情态语法化的认知机制是由表达言者个人能力或意愿的动态型情态和表达客观世界的责任型情态间双向隐喻映射,最终向认知情态单向隐喻映射的过程。

With sentences extracted from COCA,this study analyses and summarizes the secondary grammaticalization process of English modality.This article discovers that the secondary grammaticalization process of English modality does not have a single path,but has five paths totally:Deontic-DynamicEpistemic,Deontic-Epistemic,Dynamic-Deontic-Epistemic,Dynamic-Epistemic,Modal AuxiliaryInflectional Tense Marker.They all start with event modality and end up with epistemic modality.The accompanying changing features are subjectification,semantic generalization,and metaphorization.The mechanism of English modality's secondary grammaticalization process is metaphorical transfer from socio- physical domain to speaker's attitude or belief domain,from the context which expresses concrete concept extended to context which expresses abstract concept through analogy and reanalysis.