英汉与格交替现象的多因素研究

A Multifactorial Study of Dative Alternation in English and Chinese

与格交替指介词与格构式(如John sent the book to Mary)与双宾构式(如John sent Mary the book)的交替使用,此现象在英汉语中皆有体现。本研究运用多因素分析法,旨在考察影响英汉与格交替使用的显著因素及其影响效应。研究发现:英汉与格交替均受多种因素的共同制约;英语与格交替的制约因素按影响强度大小依次是:受事可及性>成分重量>与事代词性>与事可及性>与事具体性>受事有定性;汉语与格交替的制约因素依次是:受事有定性>受事具体性>与事有生性。英汉与格交替的共性与差异表现为:受事为有定成分时,英汉语均倾向使用介词与格构式;二者在可及性与成分重量方面具有显著差异。

Dative alternation,common in English and Chinese,refers to the alternation between a prepositional dative construction(e.g.John sent the book to Mary)and a double-object construction(e.g.John sent Mary the book).This paper employs the multifactorial approach to compare the significant factors and their effects between English and Chinese dative alternation.The results show that English and Chinese dative alternation are influenced by many factors and present a hierarchy of factors in English dative alternation,namely,the accessibility of recipient>the length difference between recipient and theme>the pronominality of recipient>the accessibility of theme>the concreteness of recipient>the definiteness of theme;while,a different hierarchy works for Chinese dative alternation,namely,the definiteness of theme>the concreteness of theme>the animacy of recipient.Both languages prefer a prepositional dative construction when a definite theme is used,but the dative alternation of the two languages significantly differs in accessibility and length difference between recipient and theme.