“把”字句“人戏凸显”说——从中西对比谈中国传统戏曲文化对语言的塑造

In-scene Foregrounding Theory on Ba-Construction:A Comparative Study of How Chinese Traditional Opera Shapes Language

“把”字句的语法意义在语言学内部有多种多样的说法,最有解释力的是“主观处置说”,但这种说法在解释具体“把”字句的难点时还有困难。本文打破狭义语法解释的拘圃,从中西文化对比的角度出发,剖析中国传统戏曲对“把”字句形成和解读的影响,认为“把”字句的本质意义是,说话人/演员将某个背景角色“拉人戏”或“拉到眼前”予以凸显,变成前景角色,而原来的前景角色则退居背景,不必说出来。“人戏凸显”说能够更合理地解释过去“三无把字句”的难点。“把”字句是在中国传统“和合”哲学的背景下,被观演一体、演员出人戏自如这一文化特征塑造的产物。“大语法”应该打破学科壁垒,从语言学外部探索出路,内外结合地对待语言学问题的研究。

This paper expounds and proves the grammatical meaning of the ba-construction.There are various explanations within linguistics for the grammatical meaning of the ba-construction.Those are all results of research conducted within the internal structure of the language,derived from the internal logic and consistency of grammatical development.The most compelling theory is the Subjective Disposal Theory,which,however,still seems cumbersome when addressing specific ba-constructions.This paper breaks free from the narrow confines of grammatical explanation,and instead,analyzes the influence of traditional Chinese opera on the formation and interpretation of ba-construction from a comparative perspective between Chinese and Western cultures.In Western drama,the philosophical background revolves around the subjectobject dichotomy that dates back to Plato,with subject being a person with subjective agency and object being the objective material world outside of humans.In contrast,the cultural and philosophical background of Chinese opera is the concept of harmony.In traditional Chinese culture,humans and nature coexist harmoniously as an integrated whole.Humans are seen as part of the natural order,and thus,they should conform to the laws of nature.Aligned with these philosophical views,the stage and the audience in Western drama are two independent parts.Conversely,in traditional Chinese opera,the stage and the audience are integrated into a cohesive whole without clear boundaries.The differences in philosophical background and thinking pattern profoundly shape and influence ba-construction.The essential meaning of ba-construction is that the speaker/actor brings a background character"into the scene"or"to the forefront"to highlight them,making them a foreground character,while the original foreground character recedes into the background and may not need to be mentioned.It can be said that the ba-construction is a stylized linguistic format used by the speaker/actor to bring offstage characters into the scene,often accompanied by stylized actions.We call this the theory of"in-scene foregrounding through dramatized discourse".This theory can more reasonably explain three special types of ba-constructions which either lack a subject,lack a predicate,or have an indefinite object-three issues discussed in the field without satisfactory solutions even today.Examined from the theory in topic,these issues seem to be easily resolved.The unified explanation is that the originally prominent foreground character,intentionally backgrounded by the speaker,is weakened to the point that it does not need to be mentioned;meanwhile,another character who was outside the scene or unnoticed is brought into the play and becomes a prominent role.Ba-construction is deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese concept of harmony and is shaped by the cultural characteristics of seamless integration between the audience and the actors,where the actor moves in and out of the scene freely.Chinese grammar should break through disciplinary boundaries,exploring solutions from outside linguistics,and combining internal and external perspectives in the study of linguistic issues.