类型学视野下大理白语的连动结构

Serial Verb Constructions in Dali Dialect of Bai from the Perspective of Linguistic Typology

本文在语言类型学的视野下,参照跨语言的比较概念,根据白语的语言特征,重新检视和界定白语连动结构范畴。我们认为典型的连动结构是同一施事者发出两个或多个动作,几个连用的动词间无连接词,其中各个动词(以两个动词为主)来自开放成员、地位平等、动作具有时序性、后一个动作是前一个动作的目的或结果。论文对白语的连动结构进行了详细的分类和描写。从语义上看,大理白语的连动结构可以分为三种类型:(1)目的型连动结构:两个或多个动词共享或各有一个受事论元,V1为趋向动词时可以带一个处所论元;(2)工具论元型连动结构:V1为使用工具的动词,仍然可以单独使用,与V2的语义关系有时序的先后性;(3)给予型连动结构:给予型连动结构中,V2为“给”,V1为“给”的具体方式,二者连用表示给予。三种类型中连用的动词共享受事论元是最典型的类型,其动词间的关系紧密,结构特征与SOV语序的藏缅语族语言相似,而与同为SVO语序的汉语却差别较大;其他两种非典型的弱连动结构的特征则与汉语更为接近。本文将动结式、动趋式、能愿动词与实义动词连用型排除在连动结构范畴之外。动结式的动词组合项数量有限,不能像其他连动结构一样可以扩容;动结式的第二个动词一般为第一个动词动作的结果,具有不及物性。故本文将这一类结构排除在连动结构范围之外。论文还对白语连动结构中动词的体、式、极值等重要的研究参项进行研究,并从语法化的视角来厘清连动结构与状动结构、动补结构之间的关系。白语是藏缅语族语言中受汉语影响最大的语言,我们希望本文对探索发生学和语言接触影响下的白语与藏缅语族、汉语的关系的研究有所裨益。

This paper revisits the definition of serial verb constructions(SVCs)in the Bai language from the perspective of comparative concept in linguistic typology.On the basis of the widely accepted definitions and the specific grammatical characteristics of Bai,we agree that a SVC is a mono-clausal construction consisting of multiple independent verbs with no element linking them and with no predicate-argument relation between the verbs.A thorough classification and comprehensive description of SVCs are proposed in the paper.SVCs in Bai can be classified into three types in terms of semantics.The first type is purposeful SVC,in which the activity conveyed by VP2 is the purpose of the activity expressed by VP1 and these activities are naturally sequential in the cultural context following social conventions.This type can be further divided into four subtypes according to whether the serial verbs share the same object or not.The second type of SVCs is instrumental SVC,in which the argument of V1 is an instrument,by using which the activity of VP2 is conducted.The third type is three-argument event constructions conveyed by serial verbs,in which V2 is the verb with the meaning‘give’whereas V1 is the concrete manner of giving.Furthermore,the subtype of sharing the same patient argument by serial verbs in the first type is the most typical SVC in Bai,in which the serial verbs are adjacent,and the shared argument is on the right periphery of the verbs.This type is more similar to that of the Tibeto-Burman languages due to the adjacency of serial verbs.Contrarily,two atypical SVCs are the same with those of Chinese in clausal as well as phrasal word orders.The paper also distinguishes some serialization and juxtaposition of verbs from the category of SVCs,which are often easily confused.Firstly,the resultative constructions(RCs)are excluded from SVCs though they are derived from the SVCs.The verbs in RCs are closer than those in SVCs not only in adjacent position,but also in grammatical relationship.The serial verbs can be separated by the other function or content words in SVCs but not in RCs.Furthermore,V2s are limited to some intransitive verbs in RCs but are open to all verbs in SVCs.In addition,the V2 depicts the direct result of the V1 in RCs whereas the one in SVCs depicts another relevant sequential activity.Secondly,the auxiliary verbs and directional verbs in verb strings should not be counted as serial verbs in terms of SVCs because they are dependent or still undergoing grammaticalization.The paper also clarifies the differences between adverbial constructions and SVCs,with obvious overt links between verbs in the former constructions.Aspects,moods,polarity of verbs,and the grammaticalization of verbs of SVCs in Bai are described as well.Bai,Tibeto-Burman languages and Chinese share salient SVCs due to their analyticity and genetic relationship,and Bai is a rare case of SVO languages among Tibeto-Burman due to its extensive contact with Chinese.The study shows that the most typical subtype of SVCs in Bai exhibits more syntactic similarities with Tibeto-Burman family,but less to Chinese.On the contrary,the other atypical subtypes exhibit more syntactic similarities with Chinese.The paper illustrates the correlation between comparison concepts and description category of SVCs through the empirical study of the Bai language.The findings will shed a light on the theoretical study of SVCs in the perspective of linguistic typology and the studies of SVCs in Sino-Tibetan languages in the perspective of historical linguistics and language contact.