语段理论框架下中国学习者英语代词的消解研究

English Pronoun Resolutions by Chinese EFL Learners Within the Framework of the Phase Theory

本文报道一项高、低两个英语水平组的中国学习者消解英语代词的实证研究,测量工具为E-prime编程的基于故事的真值判断。结果发现两个实验组和控制组都在双子句中消解代词好于单子句中拒绝近位约束。实验组和控制组之间相比,低分组学习者在非限定性双子句中拒绝内嵌子句主语约束和控制组存在显著差异;低分组和高分组在含有具象类限定词短语的单子句中接受句子主语约束都和母语者存在差异。文章运用语段中心语语类和结构完整性对这些差异进行了解释。

This paper reports an empirical study of English pronoun resolutions by Chinese EFL learners at two proficiency levels. The instrument is a story-based truth value judgment task programmed with E-prime. The results indicate that both the experimental group and the control group fared better on the interpretation of pronouns in biclausals than on the rejection of coreference in the binding domain in the monoclausal sentences containing possessed representational noun phrase. Comparisons between the two L2 groups and the native control group showed that the low group performed worse than the native control group on taking local embedded subject DPs as antecedents for pronouns in the nonfinite clausals. Significant differences were also uncovered in accepting the subject of monoclausal sentences as legitimate antecedents between the L2 groups and the native speakers. It is assumed that the head category and completeness of the phase are responsible for these differences.