从信息结构理论角度看汉语无定主语句的允准问题

On the Admittance of Chinese Indefinite-Subject Sentences from the Perspective of Information Structure Theory

In Chinese, the subject is generally definite, but there is also indefinite-subject sentence with the typical form of “one + quantity + noun”. In this paper, the information structure of Lambrecht is used as the theoretical basis to discuss the information structure of the indefinite-subject sentence of Chinese and the influence of this information packaging method on the permitting of such sentences. An indefinite subject is generally used to refer to an entity that is not recognizable to the listener. It participates in the whole event as a new message, forming an inseparable and integral unit of information with the predicate part, which is also new message. So the whole sentence is focus. Therefore, there are many restrictions on the use of indefinite-subject sentences, compared with the definite-subject sentences. Firstly, predicates are mainly stage predicates, and more use of intransitive verbs. Secondly, whether the indefinite subject is a simple form or a complex one requires the predicate part to use a more complex form. Thirdly, the autonomy of indefinite-subject sentences is poor, generally requires a clause before and after it; Finally, such sentences mainly appear in literary works and news reports of various media.

有定、无定是名词性成分在指称上的重要概念，各种语言中，它们都有其语法形式上的表现。汉语中主语所指称的事物一般是有定的，但同时也存在以“一+量+名”为典型形式的无定主语句。本文以Lambrecht的信息结构框架为理论基础探讨了汉语的无定主语句的信息结构以及这种信息包装方式对该类句式允准上的影响。 作为话题突出语言的汉语，大部分句子都采用话题-述题(谓语焦点)的信息结构，表达逻辑上的一种断言判断，不过作为事件-报道句的无定主语句则表达人类逻辑判断的单一判断。无定主语一般用来指称对于听者来说不可识别的实体，它以新信息的身份参与整个事件，与同样是新信息的谓语部分构成一个不可切分的完整的信息单元，整个句子都是焦点。因此，比起一般的有定主语句来，无定主语句的使用上受到诸多的限制。 首先，谓语多使用不及物动词；其次，无论无定主语是简单形式还是复杂形式，都要求谓语部分要使用较为复杂的形式；再次，无定主语句的自足性较差，一般要求前、后要有分句作为补充；最后，这类句子主要出现在文学作品以及各种媒体的新闻报道里。