英语存现结构习得中的非宾格制约——基于句法语义界面的研究

Unaccusativity restriction in the acquisition of English existential constructions:A syntactic-semantic perspective

在存现句的习得中,动词的非宾格性是一个重要的影响因素。本文采用定量方法对120名国内大学生习得英语存现句的非宾格制约进行了研究,结果发现:高低两个水平组均能识别内置型存现句中的非宾格条件,拒绝接受含有非作格动词的内置型存现句。研究同时发现,在涉及非作格动词的外置型存现句可接受性判断中,高水平组能够识别句法结构对动词语义的映射作用,低水平组在识别句法语义的这种互动关系时存在较大困难。

Unaccusativity is an important factor affecting the acquisition of existential sentences. The present paper explores this issue based on the quantitative data collected from 120 non-English majors in China. The results show that both high and low proficiency groups are sensitive to the unaccusativity constraints in verbal-inside（ VI） existential sentences,while rejecting those VI existential sentences containing non-ergative verbs. It is also found that in the acceptability judgment test on verbaloutside（ VO） existential sentences involving non-ergative verbs,the subjects in the high proficiency group are sensitive to the syntactic projection onto the semantic properties of the verbs,while the subjects in the low proficiency group encounter more difficulties in identifying this syntactic-semantic constraint.