18到19世纪英语词类划分的轮回

Recurrence of English parts of speech division from the 18th to the 19th Century

回溯历史上的词类划分,有助于理解关于词类问题的论争。本文选取18~19世纪的英语文法著作10部,梳理其词类划分线索及方法。18世纪初莱恩的四类七种划分法首次把英语形容词从名词中独立出来,在语法学史上具有重要意义。18世纪中期普里斯特利提出八分法,其影响直到20世纪初。同期洛思和晚期默里的九分法为20世纪的十分法奠定了基础。到了19世纪中期,克拉克和格林尼回到普里斯特利的八分法,布朗的十分法却恢复了分词独立。19世纪后期和晚期的里德和凯洛格、纳斯菲尔德又回到八分法。而斯威特的四类七种划分法则重返190年前的莱恩,甚至回归古罗马时期瓦罗的四分法。无论哪种语言,词类的种数大体上确定,而大类、次类的安排则是可变的。正常的学术生态应存在不同的词类体系,以供使用者比较和选择。

The retrospection of the division of parts of speech(PoS)in history is helpful in recognizing and understanding some debates about PoS.This study selects 10 English grammar works from the 18th to the 19th century to clarify the clues of the division of PoS and its methods.Lane(1700)adopted four categories and seven kinds,which is characterized by the independence of adjectives from nouns for the first time.This is of great significance in the history of grammar.In the mid-18th century,Priestley divided PoS into eight types,the influence of which lasted until the beginning of the 20th century.Lowth at the same time and Murray in the late 18th century classified PoS into nine types,which laid the foundation for the tenth(numeral independence)in the 20th century.In the mid-19th century,Clark and Greene returned to Priestly's eight types;however,Brown categorized PoS into ten types,and restored the traditional participial independence.In the late 19th century,Reed and Kellogg,and Nasfield returned to eight types,while Sweet's four categories and seven types turned to Lane's classification from 190 years previous and even went back to the quartering of Varro in Ancient Rome.Regardless of which language,the number of PoS is generally definite,while the arrangement of major and sub-categories varies.Normal academic ecology should have different systems for users to compare and choose.