Numeral-Classifiers as a Grounding Mechanism in Mandarin Chinese
数-类词在汉语中的前后景设置作用
Wendan Li 李文丹

Abstract 摘要
This paper analyzes the use of the structural sequence “numeral (yi ‘one’)-classifier” (NC) in Mandarin Chinese and its function in discourse. It demonstrates that the use of NCs correlates statistically with a number of morphosyntactic variables, such as the presence of prenominal modifiers, presentative structures, assertions and foregrounded clauses as defined by temporal sequentiality, perfectiveness and narrativity. Therefore, it argues that, on the discourse level, NCs are used as a grounding mechanism to mark the salience of the NPs they occur in. The study also finds that the grounding function is more strongly correlated to classifier use than the thematic centrality account proposed in earlier literature. When NCs have different functions on different linguistic levels, the paper demonstrates that the grounding function represents pragmatic coding (Tomlin, 1985) speciafically on the level of discourse. This analysis also fits in well with Givón’s (1991) "quantity principle" of iconicity that more important information will be given more coding material.

本文研究汉语中数-类词（数词“一”+ 分类词）在话语层次上的作用。文中用统计数字说明数-类词的使用与一系列其它词法句法结构有一定的联系。如，(1) 带有数-类词的名词词组中其它修饰语的数量明显高于不带数-类词的名词词组; (2) 数-类词在存现句中的使用频率极高; (3) 数-类词多用于肯定句中; (4) 数-类词多用于被置于前景的语句中。根据这些特点，作者提出，数-类词在话语层次上有前后景设置的作用，即把名词词组设为前景，置于明显的地位。本项研究还表明，数-类词具有前后景设置作用这一看法，与以往研究中提出的“数-类词的使用取决于名词在主题中的重要性”的观点相比，能够为数-类词的使用提供更好的解释。本文通过对数-类词不同功能的综合观察，指出数-类词在话语层次上的前后景设置的作用属于Tomlin (1985) 提出的“语言结构的语用功能”。这种看法，也完全符合 Givón (1991) 提出的语言符号的数量原则，即，越重要的信息，入码使用的符号也就越多。 \

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