基于语料库的中西学者英语论文情态序列的对比研究

A Corpus-Based Contrastive Study on Modal Sequences in English Academic Papers by Chinese and Native Scholars

采用语料库语言学方法,通过自建大型学术文本语料库,提取情态动词的索引行并抽象情态序列,对比中西学者在情态动词和情态序列使用方面的异同。中国学者的英文论文作为语言变体,呈现如下特点:就情态动词而言,过多使用can、could、should等情态动词同时过少使用would、may、must、might等情态动词;就情态序列而言,中国学者过少使用"有灵主语+情态动词"序列,同时过多使用"情态动词+静态动词"序列,避免了过多使用表达义务情态语义的情态序列,符合学术文本客观礼貌的特点。

This study aims to compare how the nine modal verbs and some modal sequences are used in research articles by Chi-nese scholars and by native scholars via corpora. It is found that Chinese scholars tend to overuse modal verbs such as CAN, COULD, SHOULD and underuse modal verbs such as WOULD, MAY, MUST and MIGHT. As for the modal sequences, Chi-nese scholars underuse“animate subject+modal verbs”and overuse“modal verbs+static verbs”to avoid the sequences indi-cating deontic modality, which satisfies the the academic writing’s requirement of being objective and polite .