英语被动句受事宾语提升构句研究

Theme Object Raising in the Derivation of English Passive Sentences

英语被动句的生成始于被动化,被动语素改变了及物动词的题元结构,但没有改变其论旨结构,施事角色有显性或隐性句法实现形式;受事题元或提升成为语法主语,或称为原位宾语。管约论把满足格理论看成是受事宾语提升的主要动因,但是无法解释原位宾语现象,同时随着深层和表层结构被淘汰,格的分派观点失去了理论依据。简约论把无解特征赋值看成句法运算的原动力,格理论以格特征赋值得以维持:特征说下,被动语素吸收了v的[+ext arg]特征,剥夺了v的格赋值能力,生成一个包含[-Tr]特征的vdef。基于强最简主义下有关词汇阵列的设想,单及物被动句中,受事宾语提升和原位宾语两种被动句是互补的,与词汇阵列是否包含虚词there有关;受事宾语提升被动句中,单宾受事宾语必须发生强制性提升,双宾被动句中的间接宾语必须强制性提升,给T的Φ-特征和EPP-特征赋值,直接宾语则成为原位宾语。被动化中的受事宾语现象,既是语言内部运算系统满足外部行为系统的要求所致,也是为了制造输出效应、表达特殊语义解读的语言完美性手段的体现。

Deriving English passive sentences begins with passivization,where the passive morpheme alters argument structure of the transitive verb,but does not change its theta structure,for Agent has its overt or covert syntactic realizations.The Theme argument is either raised as the grammatical subject,or does not move out as the object-insitu.GB advocates the theory of Case-assigning,assuming Theme object raising is primarily motivated by Case theory,failing to account for the case-assignment of the object-in-situ.Even worse,with the elimination of the assumptions about D-and S-surface,this Case-assigning theory loses its theoretical foundations.MP,however;advocates a featurebased approach,regarding syntactical operations are primarily motivated by the necessity of valuing uninterpretable features,and Case theory is preserved in terms of valuing structural Case feature.In the feature-based approach,the passive morpheme is assumed to absorb[+ext arg]features of v,thus depriving it of the ability to value Case feature,and produces vdef with a[-Tr]feature.On the basis of the assumptions about LA in Strong Minimalism,if a monotransitive is passivized,Theme object raising and Object-in-situ passives are complementary,determined by LAs with or without the expletive there.In Theme object raising passives,Theme object of the monotransitive verb is raised obligatory;indirect or dative object of the ditransitive verb;however,is raised obligatorily,to valueΦ-and EPP-features of T,but the direct Theme object keeps in-situ.Therefore,passivization is not only motivated by the requirement that language computation satisfy the performance systems,but bring about the Output Effect with special semantic interpretations.