多项名词组合的层次划分问题再探

The IC Analysis of Complex Nominals Revisited

虽然以往的分析都支持"父亲的父亲的父亲"应该进行左向划分,然而已有的分析有的没有从理论上解释为什么必须进行左向划分,有的所援引的理论不合适,以致无法将分析推广到所有类型的"NP1的NP2的NP3"的名词组合上。文章认为,应该从关系名词和非关系名词的词汇句法差异的角度,来解释关系名词的组合必须进行左向划分,而非关系名词组合还有可能进行右向划分的现象。文章讨论了关系名词的内部句法投射,并提出使用an(a是一个名词,n≥3)作为关系名词的一种新的判定方法;在此基础上指出基于加工难度的理论无法解释非关系名词多项式组合既可以左向划分又可以右向划分这一语言事实。

Previous IC analyses of fuqin de fuqin de fuqin“father’s father’s father”agreed that it should be left-branched.However,these analyses either did not explain why it must be analyzed as left-branched,or resorted to an irrelevant theory,resulting in incorrect predictions concerning the analysis of other“NPi de NP2 de NP3”constructions.This study highlights the differences between relational nouns and non-relational nouns in their lexical meaning and syntactic properties,explaining why complex NPs that are composed of relational nouns must be left-branched,and those that are composed of non-relational nouns can also be right-branched.The study also discusses the internal syntactic projection of relational nouns,and proposes that an(a is a noun,n^3)can be a new diagnostic for relational nouns.The paper indicates that a popular alternative account,the processing difficulty analysis,cannot account for the fact that complex NPs that are composed of non-relational nouns can either be left-branched or right-branched.