中国英语学习者长距离wh-问句习得中主宾语不对称现象研究  

A study of subject-object asymmetry in Chinese learnersacquisition of English long-distance wh-questions

作　　者：陈晓湘[1] 刘红艳[1] 郭兴荣[1] 张姣[1] 

机构地区：[1]湖南大学外国语与国际教育学院英语系,湖南省长沙市410082

出　　处：《外语教学与研究》2013年第4期543-556,640,共14页Foreign Language Teaching and Research

基　　金：教育部人文社科规划课题"汉语幼儿咿呀学语及其早期语言发展跟踪研究"(12YJA740007);湖南省社科重点项目"汉语幼儿咿呀学语及其早期语音发展跟踪研究"(11ZDB057);省教育厅"在线反馈在新形式教学中对英语中介语发展的作用"(湘教通[2011]315)的资助

摘　　要：本文探讨中国英语学习者在加工处理英语长距离wh-问句时是否会出现主宾语不对称现象,是偏好主语还是宾语wh-问句?这种偏好模式是否随着英语水平的变化而变化?本研究以四组不同英语水平的学习者为研究对象,采用语法判断测试和引出理解测试进行考察。结果表明:受试在加工处理英语长距离wh-问句时的确与英语儿童一语习得中一样出现了主宾语不对称现象。不管wh-短语是从时态还是非时态从句中提取,受试在主语wh-问句比在宾语wh-问句上表现更出色。在引出理解测试中,低水平英语学习者更倾向于把宾语wh-问句错误地理解为主语wh-问句。不同英语水平的学习者与一语儿童一样,均表现出对主语wh-问句的偏好。本研究证实了英语长距离wh-问句中主语wh-问句加工处理相对容易,反驳了以往二语研究中宾语wh-问句比主语wh-问句更易加工处理的观点,支持依存距离理论,不支持广义题元依附论。This study explores whether there is a subject-object asymmetry in Chinese learners processing of English long-distance wh-questions , and , if there is , whether it favours the subject or the object and whether this preference pattern varies with different proficiency levels.In this study the participants divided into four groups at different proficiency levels were asked to take a grammaticality judgment test (GJT) and an elicited comprehension test (ECT) .The results of the tests reveal that 1) like L1children , there was an asymmetry between subject and object wh-questions among Chinese learners in learning English long-distance wh-questions ; 2) Chinese learners exhibited the same strong preference for subject extraction regardless of the finiteness or non-finiteness of the embedded clauses , and they performed better on subject wh-questions.In the ECT , the learners with low proficiency were more likely to take object extractions for subject extractions.Just like L1children , the learners at different proficiency levels consistently preferred subject wh-questions to object wh-questions.This shows that subject wh-questions are easier for the learners than object ones.Our findings go against the conclusions in previous studies that object wh-questions are easier to process and acquire than subject ones.They support the Distance-Based Theory instead of Generalized Theta Attachment.

关 键 词：长距离wh-问句 主宾语不对称现象 依存距离理论 广义题元依附论 

分 类 号：H319[语言文字—英语]