英汉时间性与语法标记的关联模式

Correlation between temporality and grammatical markings in Mandarin and English

本文通过考察英、汉语时间性与时间性语法标记的内在关系,探讨人类认知与语言所具有的内在一致性。考察发现,本质上,英、汉语都遵循共同的原则:都有一个现在时间的零标记模式,一个强制性标记模式(英语是过去时,汉语是将来时);都有一个二者皆可模式(英语是将来时,汉语是过去时)。其根本差别在于各自起点不同。英语以强时间性强制性配置为起点,随着句子时间性减弱,标记越来越少;而汉语是从弱时间性和零标记开始,随着句子的时间性增强,标记越来越多。二者本质上是殊途同归。时间性的客观性与主观性相互作用决定了不同语言、不同文化必定首先遵循共同的基本原则,其次才体现出各自的文化差异。

The article intends to find out the cognitive universals between languages and cultures, no matter how different they are, through the examination of the correlation between temporality and grammatical markings in Mandarin and English. Findings show that the two languages essentially follow the same principle in temporality markings: zero marking for the present time in both languages, obligatory marking for the future time in Mandarin and the past time in English, optional marking for the past time in Mandarin and the future time in English. The crucial difference lies in the fact that in Mandarin normally the marking starts with zero or optional marking in accordance with the weak temporality while in English it starts with obligatory marking in line with the strong temporality of their predicates respectively. Commonalities and differences existing in different languages and cultures arise from temporality’s objectivity and subjectivity.