从语义关联层面看汉语的时间性特质

Temporality in Chinese:A Semantic Co-relation Perspective

对于汉语是空间性的语言,时间性的语言,还是时空同构的语言这个问题,学界存在不同的观点。为了较为深入地认识汉语的时空特质问题,我们需要弄清楚几组对立的概念,即:名词的空间性与动词的时间性,以及由此延伸的对汉英句构的认识;汉语的字形组构与词、词组及句子结构;汉语的形式表达层面与语义关联层面;自然时间顺序与规约时间顺序。对不同研究层面的关注,或从不同的研究视角出发进行研究,往往会产生截然不同的结论。当我们从语义关联层面审视汉语时,就会发现在汉语的复合词、偏正结构、动结式、并列词语(binomial)、复句以及流水句中均存在较为显著的时间性关系,这进一步印证了汉语是一种象似性程度较高的语言的论断,汉语思维的时间性特质非常显著。

Is Chinese a spatial language,temporal language or a space/time-conflation language?This has been argued quite extensively.In order to have a better and comprehensive understanding of the space-time issue in Chinese,it is quite necessary to distinguish the following distinct concepts:nominal spatiality vs.verbal temporality,the extended conceptualization of time-space-conflation;the character’s graphic configuration vs.word,word cluster and clause structure;the linguistic expression vs.the semantic co-relation;natural temporal order vs.conventional temporal order.Different conclusions would be drawn with respect to the foci on different research facets,or the starting points from which certain studies are initiated.A semantic-co-relation-based study of Chinese would show that prominent temporal traits can be found in such structures as compounds,modifier-core structures,verb-resultative constructions,binomials,subordinate clauses and run-on sentences.These are further proofs to support the claim that Chinese is a language of higher iconicity,and typical of thinking in terms of temporality.