汉语致使句的语义推衍:以“使”字句和“把”字句为例

The Semantic Derivation of Chinese Causatives:Evidence from the Shi-and Ba-constructions

"使"字句和"把"字句是现代汉语表示致使语义的两个重要句式,二者具有一定的转换关系但又有不同。本文在形式化的事件语义理论框架下,对表示致使义的"使"字句和"把"字句进行了细致的事件结构分析及语义推衍。我们发现,表示致使义的"使"字句和"把"字句,不论句法上表现为单句、从单句向复句转化过程的中间阶段句式,还是复句,在语义上都呈现复合事件结构,其中"使"字句是两个子事件的合取,"把"字句则包含合取加嵌套的复杂事件结构。通过对比两类句式的事件语义结构我们还发现,有可能形成替换关系的是事件致使类的"使"字句和"把"字句,以及个体致使关系类"使"字句与客体指向"把"字句,且第二个原子事件表示完成。二者所表示的语义亦存在细微差异,前者的致事表原因,而后者的致事表外力。

As two important sentence patterns expressing causative meaning,shi-and baconstructions are different from each other but are interchangeable in some cases.Within the framework of event semantics which is based on formal semantic analysis,this paper proposes in-depth event structure analysis and semantic derivations for shi-and baconstructions.It is argued that both shi-and ba-constructions comprise complex event structures,no matter they are embodied in simple sentences,or complex sentences,or sentences that are transformed from simple sentences to complex sentences.However,semantically shi-construction is the sum of two sub-events whereas ba-construction involves conjunction and embedded relations.A comparison of the event structures of these two constructions indicates that only shi-constructions conveying individual causative relations are interchangeable with object-oriented ba-constructions,but there is still subtle semantic difference between these two constructions even when they are interchangeable:the former expresses a casual causation while the latter expresses an external force causation.