分类词的统一描写框架

Unified Descriptive Framework of Classifiers

印欧语的性范畴是常见的名词性范畴之一。当代类型学已经将其与名词类以及分类词现象联系起来,合称为名词分类系统。前人的研究中,大多将性与名词类归为一类,通过一致关系的标准将其与分类词划开;而目前的新趋势是将三者统一,但尚无满意的统一描写框架。本文提出一种新的一致关系定义,并基于此作为名词分类系统的定义性特征,原先使用一致关系来区分的性/名词类和分类词的关系可以用一个参数融合度来区分。基于新提出的参数法描写框架,三种名词分类系统被放在一个统一的空间中得到了一个很好的描述。最后,本文还讨论了名分类词的地位、上位概念的术语取舍,并比较了词表法和库藏法两种描写方法的好坏。

Gender in Indo-European languages is a common nominal category.Contemporary typology has related it with noun class and classifiers,under the name of nominal classification system.In previous studies,most researchers view gender and noun class as a group and separate it from classifiers through the criterion of agreement.The latest trend is to combine all the three,while no satisfactory descriptive framework has been proposed.This paper develops a new definition of agreement,and definesnominal classification system as a whole based on that.The difference between gender/noun class and classifier which was previously given by agreement is now seen from a parameter called degree of fusion.Through the new parameter-based approach to nominal classification system,all the three subcategories are unified in one descriptive space.Finally,the status of so-called noun classifier,and the terminology of the superior concept are discussed.The pros and cons of paradigmatic and inventorical descriptive methods are also compared.