普通语言学基础上的当代英语 内容简介

本书作者遵循共时、对比、功能的原则，构筑起了一个比较完整的英语功能语言体系。这个语法体系包括功能名称学和功能句法学两个部分。

普通语言学基础上的当代英语 本书特色

什么是功能语言学 什么是功能语法 功能语言学的基本原则和方法有哪些 怎样从功能的角度研究或者教授英语语法 怎样运用语言对比的方法 这是一些至关重要的问题，是从事语言研究和语言教学的同道普遍关心的问题，这些问题在本书当中都可以找到答案。

普通语言学基础上的当代英语 目录

普通语言学基础上的当代英语 节选

nbsp; 序
世界图书出版公司是国内*早通过版权贸易出版影印海外科技图书和期
刊的出版机构，为我国的教学和科研作出了重要的贡献。作为读者，我自己
也是得益于这项工作的人之一。现在世界图书出版公司北京公司打算引进出
版一套“西方语言学视野”系列丛书，一定也会受到广大研究语言、教学语
言的人士的欢迎。
世界图书出版公司的宗旨是，把中国介绍给世界，把世界介绍给中国。
我认为，从总体上讲，在今后相当长一段时间内，把世界介绍给中国这项任
务还是主要的。西方的语言学在过去几十年里的发展和变化是很快的，新理
论、新方法、新成果很多，特别是在语言学和其他学科的交叉方面。跟我们
的近邻日本相比，据我所知，我们翻译、引进西方语言学著作无论在速度还
是数量上都是有差距的。不错，从《马氏文通》开始，我们就在不断地引进
和学习西方的语言学理论和方法，有人会问，这样的引进和学习还要继续到 ，
哪一天?其实，世界范围内各种学术传统的碰撞、交流和交融是永恒的，我
们既要有奋起直追的勇气、独立创新的精神，也要有宽广平和的心态。要使
我们的语言研究领先于世界，除了要继承我们传统中的优秀部分，还必须将
别人先进的东西学到手，至少学到一个合格的程度，然后再加上我们自己的
创新。
这套丛书叫“西方语言学视野”，顾名思义，就是要开拓我们的视野。
理论和方法姑且不谈，单就关注的语言而言，我们的视野还不够开阔，对世
界上各种各样其他民族的语言是个什么状况，有什么特点，关心不够，了解
得更少，这肯定不利于我们探究人类语言的普遍规律。我们需要多引进一些
语言类型学方面的书，看来出版社已经有这方面的考虑和计划。我发现这套
丛书中有一本是《历史句法学的跨语言视角》，另一本是《语法化的世界词
库》，都是从各种语言的比较来看语言演变的普遍规律。还有一本是《语言
与认知的空间——探索认知的多样性》，大概是从语言的多样性来看认知方
式的多样性。这都是值得我们参考学习的。
请专家给每本引进的书写一个导读，这是一个帮助一般读者阅读原著的
好办法。种种原因不能通读原著的人，至少也可以从导读中了解到全书的概
貌和要点。*后希望世界图书出版公司能不断给这套丛书增添新的成员，以
满足读者的需求。
B. FUNCTIONAL SYNTAX
I. DEFINITION OF THE SENTENCE
The central issue of functional syntax is the problem of the sentence. It is
due to the fact that just as the basic element of the naming process is the word,
the basic element of the communicative process (of the process in which
naming units are brought into mutual relations) is the sentence.
The substance of the sentence has been the subject of linguistic reflections
for many decades. As a result, there are a large number of definitions of the
sentence. In 1931 the German grammarian JOHN RIES published a book, Was
ist ein Satz ?., where he discusses some one hundred and fifty definitions of the
sentence, yet even his extensive collection does not exhaust all of Shem. We
must also define the sentence since it is difficult to proceed in syntax with
scientific precision without realizing what is to be regarded as the sentence.
We attempted to solve this problem by our definition of the sentence many
years ago (V. MATHESIUS 1924). We approached the sentence from the func-
tional point of view and examined it as a tool of communication. As was
explained on p. 13, an utterance constitutes either expression or communica-
tion. Expression is a mere manifestation of an emotion which does not reckon
with the hearer (we may express our feelings, as it were, against our will).
A communication, on the other hand, is a speech act directed towards the
hearer. The earliest beginnings of speech were presumably expressive, but the
known languages in their present form are based on communication. Hence it
appears suitable to treat the given problem from the viewpoint of the commu-
nicative function. If we approach the issue from this angle, we can give the
following definition of the sentence. The sentence is an elementary communi-
cative utterance through which the speaker reacts to some reality or several
items of the reality in a manner that appears to be formally customary and
subjectively complete.
This definition requires some comments.
1. The sentence is defined here as an elementary utterance in order to
be distinguished from a more extensive utterance that may include two or
more sentences.
2. According to our definition, the speaker reacts to some reality in a certain
manner. In the act of sentence formation this active element is of prime im-
portance. Every sentence, if it is a sentence, reacts to some reality (the term
reality is here used in the widest sense of the word).
FUNCTIONAL SYNTAX
3. The sentence reacts in a manner which -- as is stated in our definition --
appears to be formally customary (conventional). This means that every
language uses certain sentence patterns. Hence an elementary utterance
through which the speaker reacts to some reality is not a sentence unless the
utterance has a form that is common in the particular language. Let us imagine
that a foreigner with elementary knowledge of Czech says Venku prset [outside
to-rain]. It is undoubtedly an elementary utterance through which the speaker
reacts to the reality, but according to our definition it is not a sentence, since
the statement does not satisfy the requirement of formal conventionality.
4. From the formal point of view, the above definition further requires the
sentence to be subjectively complete. This term calls for explanation. It
is different from objective completeness. It is not decisive whether the sentence
contains everything necessary to be understood and whether the hearer really
understands it; it suffices if the speaker considers it complete from his own
point of view. This completeness is indicated by the falling intonation of the
particular sentence.
It should be pointed out that in one respect our definition is deficient. It
contains no reference to the process through which the sentence arises. Ex-
cessive emphasis laid on the genesis of the sentence was the weak point of the
definition given by WILHELM WUNDT (who stressed that through the sentence
we present an analysis of the reality [1922, pp. 243 ff.]) or by HERMANN PAUL
(who, on the contrary, proposed that through the sentence one carries out the
synthesis of certain elements [1920, pp. 121 ff.]). Both these genetic definitions
are defective in being inapplicable to one-element sentences; in contrast, the
functional definition presented above applies to one-element sentences equally
well as to two-element ones.
Some scholars seem to think that our definition says too much. Thus VLA-
DIMIR SKALICKA 1935 does not share the view that structures of the type Venku
prset [outside to-rain] are not sentences in Czech. He claims that every utterance
through which the speaker reacts to some reality is a sentence. In our opinion,
however, the definition of the sentence should not exclude conventionality
of form if we are to remain within the bounds of the given language. The
definition given by Skalicka is "The sentence is an elementary semiological
reaction". The word reaction means that through it the speaker reacts to
some reality. The word elementary denotes the smallest possible extent of
the given reaction, while the attribute semiological indicates that the reac-
tion has been implemented by means of a certain system of signs. So far
everything is correct. The shortcoming of Skalicka's definition is, however,
that it does not remain within the bounds of language -- according to his
definition a sentence would also be constituted by someone's whistling in
a previously agreed manner. Thus, Skalicka's definition is not essentially
incorrect, but defines something much broader than the sentence ora language.
II. FUNCTIONAL SENTENCE ANALYSIS
1. THE BASIS AND THE NUCLEUS OF A STATEMENT
The most important feature of the sentence is the reaction of the speaker to
some reality. In declarative sentences, which are merely a special, though the
most common, type of sentence, this active part of the speaker might be said
to be manifested in a certain assertiveness. A closer examination of sentences
from the viewpoint of assertiveness shows an overwhelming majority of all
sentences to contain two basic content elements: a statement and an element
about which the statement is made. This can best be seen in declarative sen-
tences. (For practical reasons we shall confine the scope of our discussion prima-
rily to this kind of sentence.) The element about which something is stated
may be said to be the b a s is of the utterance or the t h e m e, and what is stated
about the basis is the nucleus of the utterance or the theme.

普通语言学基础上的当代英语 作者简介

【作者介绍】
本书作者Vilem Mathesius(1 882—1 945)，著名语言学家，功
能语言学的先行者，布拉格学派创始人，以倡导和实践功能语言学
的成就而载入史册。他的语言学代表性论文包括《英语词序史研究》
(1907)、《论语言现象的潜势》(1911)、《语言研究的新潮流和新
趋势》(1927)、《论现代英语的语言特征学》(1928)、《功能语言
学》(1929)、《论现代英语的句子实际切分