藏缅语疑问语气助词的类型学特征——兼与汉语比较

Typological Characteristics of Interrogative Particles in Tibeto-Burman Languages:Also a Comparison between Chinese and Tibeto-Burman Languages

本文运用语言类型学和描写语言学的理论和方法,在考察、比较50多种藏缅语族语言及方言疑问语气助词的基础上,指出藏缅语有疑问语气助词发达型、次发达型和不发达型三种类型;部分疑问语气助词存在多功能性,即除了表示疑问语气外,还能表达人称、数、方向等意义;不同语言间的疑问语气助词同源词较少、只有部分存在同源关系,而且分布不平衡。藏缅语与汉语是有同源关系的亲属语言,二者有相同点,也有差异。通过比较发现,藏缅语、汉语分析性语言类型的共性决定了疑问语气助词的基本特点相似,但分析性强弱不同又导致了疑问语气助词的丰富程度存在差异。汉语虽在上古阶段就出现了疑问语气助词,但应当是在与藏缅语分化后产生的。

Based on an investigation and comparison of more than 50 kinds of interrogative particles in Tibeto-Burman languages and dialects,this paper studies interrogative particles in Tibeto-Burman languages by using the theories and methods of linguistic typology and descriptive linguistics.The paper finds that Tibeto-Burman languages can be classified into three types according to the number of interrogative particles they have,namely,the developed type,the underdeveloped type,and the poor type.The paper also finds that some interrogative particles in Tibeto-Burman are multi-functional,which can express interrogative mood,person,number,direction,and other meanings.Besides,there are a few cognates of interrogative particles in different languages,and the distribution is unbalanced.Tibeto-Burman languages and Chinese are homologous,and there are both similarities and differences between them.Through comparison,it is found that the similarities in analytic languages shared by Tibeto-Burman languages and Chinese determine the similar basic characteristics of interrogative particles,but the differences in analytic strength lead to different richness of interrogative particles.The interrogative particles have appeared in Chinese since ancient times,after differentiation of Sino-Tibetan languages.