基于语料库的英语名词性成分使用频率及其文体分布考察

A Corpus-based Survey of English Nominal Frequency and its Corresponding Stylistic Distribution

名词性成分作为语言系统中最基本的构成成分,一旦其使用频率出现较大变化,必然导致整个语篇结构或布局的变异。正是基于此,本文通过大型英语语料库COCA和COHA,从共时和历时两个不同角度,以五种不同文体(口语、小说、期刊、新闻和学术)为对象,来实证考察这种共轨性。具体来说,首先考察词性与文体之关系,然后以作主语和宾语的三种名词性成分(派生名词、名词性小句、-ING形式和TO不定式)为切入点进一步具体考察,结果发现:实词远高于虚词的使用频率,口语体与学术体呈明显对立态势;派生名词在学术文体中使用最多,而小说文体中则最少,且多作主语;名词性小句多出现在口语文体中,作主语的小句多于作宾语的;-ING形式和TO不定式形式也多出现在口语中,两者作宾语的变化很大。由此可见,某种词性的使用频率若过大必使整个文体系统转向另外的系统。

The nominal is one of the most fundamental elements in linguistic system. The frequency chan- ges of nominals will inevitably produce the upcoming variation of the whole textual structure or overall ar- rangement. This paper hereby endeavors to make an empirical survey of such synchronization between nominal frequency in use and stylistic variation from the synchronic and diachronic perspectives of five styles （spoken, fiction, magazine, newspaper and academic） in terms of large-scale English corpora CO- CA and COHA. To put it in more details, we first examine the relations between parts of speech and styles, then make further check from the angle of three kinds of nominals（ derived nominals, nominal clau- ses, -ing form and to infinitive form）when used as subject and object. It is found that the frequency of con- tent words is far more than that of functional words, spoken style being opposite to academic style; de- rived nominals are used most frequently in academic style while least in fiction, and more often as subject; nominal clauses usually appear in spoken style as subject more than as object： -ing and to infinitive forms are often employed in spoken style as well, with great changes as object. All this shows that if the use of certain part of speech goes far beyond commonly accepted frequency for a particular style, an integral var- iation of the whole style into a distinct one cannot be avoided.