生成语法理论下的英汉空语类对比研究

A Contrastive Study of English and Chinese Empty Categories Based on Generative Grammar Theory

本文以Chomsky的转换生成语法为理论依据,对英汉空语类进行了对比分析,探究了二者在句法结构方面的异同。英汉两种语言在NP语迹和PRO方面具有较多的相似性,在英语中,NP语迹主要存在于被动和提升结构中;在汉语中,NP语迹主要分布在“把”字句和“被”字句结构中,二者的NP移位都是为了进行格位核查,其句法结构相似。在英汉语中,PRO都被看作是一个独立的元素,拥有独立的题元角色。英汉语的差异性主要体现在wh-语迹和pro两个方面,wh-语迹在英语中比较常见,存在于语音式中,汉语的wh-语迹则存在于逻辑式中,且英语是强[ wh]语言,汉语是弱[ wh]语言;pro的使用通常称为“代词省略”,在语言中并非普遍存在,而是呈参数变化,汉语允许“代词省略”,英语则不允许,但是特殊句式除外,如祈使句和并列句。

This thesis has made a contrastive study of Chinese and English empty categories in the framework of Chomsky’s transformational-generative grammar in order to inquire the similarities and differences of the syntactic construction between Chinese and English. There are many similarities between English and Chinese in NP trace and PRO. In English, NP trace mainly exists in passive and raising structures. In Chinese, NP trace mainly exists in the “ba” and “bei” sentences. The NP trace in both of them is for case checking, and their syntactic constructions are similar. In both English and Chinese, PRO is regarded as an independent element with its own independent theta-role. The differences between English and Chinese are mainly reflected in wh-trace and pro. The wh-trace is more common in English and exists in phonetic form, while Chinese wh-trace exists in logical form. English has a strong [ wh] feature, while Chinese has a weak [ wh] feature. The use of pro also called “pro-drop”, which has parameter variation instead of existing commonly. Chinese has “pro-drop” phenomenon, but English doesn’t, except for special sentences such as imperative sentences and compound sentences.