概念-句法接口处的题元系统  

Theta system at the concept-syntax interface

作　　者：朱佳蕾[1] 胡建华[2] 

机构地区：[1]上海外国语大学外国语言文学博士后科研流动站,上海市大连西路550号200083 [2]中国社会科学院语言研究所,北京建国门内大街5号100732

出　　处：《当代语言学》2015年第1期1-22,125,共22页Contemporary Linguistics

基　　金：国家社科基金重点项目"论元选择中的显著性和局部性研究"(14AYY016);中国社会科学院哲学社会科学创新工程项目语言研究所语音与言语科学重点实验室"汉语儿童语法获得与认知发展"课题;中国社会科学院与匈牙利科学院合作研究项目"自然语言信息结构的接口研究"的资助

摘　　要：讨论概念的词汇化以及词汇语义与句法之间的互动,离不开对题元及其映射问题的研究。虽然题元这一概念在当代句法理论中起着举足轻重的作用,却一直有一个定义不清的问题。不同的理论不仅概括出来的题元数量不同,就是抽象出来的题元等级也不尽相同。这自然使得题元遭遇了来源不明的难题,即原生性问题。于是,句法学家试图通过句法结构或者事件结构的分解(或词汇分解)并辅以功能语类的假设来推导题元结构。这一努力很有一点儿生成语义学回潮的味道,虽然表面上看这种分析很符合人们对事件的民俗心理学认知,但它实际上模糊了句法与词库之间的界线,以致无法应对来自理论和经验事实的挑战。在这一背景下,Reinhart另辟蹊径,坚持词汇主义的立场,以特征分解法,将题元分解为c(致使变化)和m(心理活动)两个特征,通过特征组配,形成不同特征丛,并借助普遍映射规则的运作,对论元的分布做出更为科学的预测。Reinhart创立的这套题元系统,不仅具有很强的可操作性,而且为题元的定义确立了概念基础,从而加深了我们对词汇语义以及概念-句法接口等问题的认识。Although thematic roles play an important part in the interpretation of the lexical information carried by verbs and the regulation of the distribution of syntactic arguments,they have the problem of definability as their semantic content and inventory as well as their prominence hierarchy with respect to their linking to syntactic positions have never been clearly defined.To solve the problem,syntacticians attempt to eliminate theta roles from the lexicon and derive them instead from the decomposition of syntactic or event structures and the postulation of functional categories.This approach,downplaying the status of the lexicon as an active module and blurring the boundaries between the lexicon and syntax,is actually an echo of the analysis proposed by Generative Semantics,which has been abandoned by the mainstream generative linguistics after Chomsky(1970) because of its conceptual and empirical problems that can hardly be solved.Against this background,Reinhart takes a rather different approach in her analysis of theta roles by decomposing them into two features,i.e.c(cause change) and m(mental state),and establishes a universal mapping mechanism to account for the interaction between lexical semantics and syntax.We think that the Theta System proposed by Reinhart is a substantial step toward the understanding of lexical semantics and the concept-syntax interface.In this paper,we present a critical survey of the Theta System as proposed by Reinhart(1991,1996,2002,etc.) and discuss its advantages and limitations in terms of theoretical considerations and empirical evidence.

关 键 词：题元 概念-句法接口 词汇分解 特征丛 词汇说 映射 

分 类 号：H314[语言文字—英语]