英语微量程度副词的极性敏感性  

The polarity sensitivity of English minimal degree adverbs

作　　者：黄瑞红[1] 

机构地区：[1]上海交通大学外国语学院,200240

出　　处：《外语教学与研究》2007年第4期268-275,共8页Foreign Language Teaching and Research

摘　　要：本文通过对英语微量程度副词的定性和定量分析(基于BNC),指出语义上的最小量只是某些程度副词成为极性词的特征之一,一个词语是否具有极性敏感性是其语义和语用效力相互作用的结果,并最终体现在其在肯定或否定语境中的频率分布上。因此,判断一个微量程度副词是否具有极性敏感性,不仅要考虑其语义和语用特征,还必须依赖大量真实语料,结合词频加以分析,才能作出较准确的判断。研究表明,微量副词one bit是很严格的负极性词,a little和a little bit是正极性词,a bit既可用作负极性词也可用作正极性词,但偏向正极性词。Based on a quantitative and qualitative investigation of English minimal degree adverbs in BNC,this paper argues that the semantics of minimal degree is only one of the features of polarity items.Polarity sensitivity results from the interaction between semantics and certain pragmatic forces of these words and is represented in their frequency of occurrence in positive or negative context.The polarity sensitivity of minimal degree words should be accounted for not only in terms of their semantics and pragmatics but also their relative frequency in large corpora.Evidence shows that one bit is an NPI,a little and a little bit are PPIs and a bit can be used as either an NPI or PPI.

关 键 词：微量程度副词 极性敏感性 正极性 负极性 

分 类 号：H314[语言文字—英语]