汉语的使动转换

Causative Alternation in Mandarin Chinese

汉语的使动转换不仅见于非宾格动词,在非作格动词中也可观察到。本文检视出现在使动转换的双音节复合动词,发现这些动词无论非宾格还是非作格皆具有非施事性,此为汉语使动转换的必要条件。此特征也显现在其他语言,但并非所有具有非施事性的状态变化动词皆可转换,我们认为能否转换与致使的动力有关。外力致使的状态变化事件可有致使者,有使动式,而内力致使的状态变化事件不可有致使者,无使动式。因此无施事性与外力致使为汉语使动转换的两大特征。

In Chinese causative alternation is found not only in unaccusative verbs but also in unergative verbs.This is a phenomenon rarely found in other languages.Huang(2006)proposes that the unergative verbs that occur in the causative alternation can actually be treated as unaccusative verbs.How is this possible?In what way are these unergative verbs similar to unaccusative verbs?This is an issue I will examine in this study.I start by applying the Chinese data to two characteristics of causative alternation that have been found to hold cross-linguistically:(a)the two varieties of the alternation basically contain the same verb;(b)the anti-causative variety does not contain an implicit external argument.It is found that the first characteristic also holds in Chinese,while the second characteristic cannot be completely verified.Nonetheless,standard tests show that in the anti-causative variety all of the verbs are non-agentive regardless of whether they are unaccusative or unergative.This is likely how the(b)characteristic is realized in Chinese.I suggest that non-agentivity is a necessary condition for the alternation in Chinese and it is a feature that characterizes the verbs that participate in the alternation.Thus non-agentivity can be regarded a language universal requirement of causative alternation.In the second half of the paper I consider the other side of the issue:Is non-agentivity a sufficient condition for causative alternation?If not,what are the other factors that also affect the availability of the alternation?I show that a number of non-agentive verbs that do not participate in the alternation are observed.I then consider three possible factors for when the alternation is available:(i)the causer needs to be an argument;(ii)the causer needs to be a direct causer;(iii)the causer needs to be an external causer.I suggest that the third factor is best able to explain the data.Verbs of externally caused change of state allow for a causer and occur in the causative variety,while verbs of internally caused change of state do not.This hypothesis receives empirical support from a wide variety of data.Thus the distinction between externally-caused change of state and internally-caused change of state plays an important role in causative alternation.However,unlike the non-agentivity requirement,the requirement of having an external causer is a language-specific rather than a language universal condition,as it does not hold in English.Therefore,causative alternation in Mandarin Chinese is characterized by a language universal feature as well as a language-specific feature:lack of agentivity and externally-caused change of state.