N that-cl型式是书面语料库中高频出现的型式之一,由空壳名词(shell nouns)及其引导的补语从句构成。由于空壳名词语义不明确,依靠补语从句进行语义具化的特点吸引了许多关注。以往关于N that-cl型式的研究多从语篇组织、立场表达和教学方法三个角度展开,但对中西学者在特定语域中使用这一型式的用法和功能异同少有系统探索。本研究基于Beijing CARE Corpus对比探究了中西学者论文中25个高频N that-cl型式的频数分布、用法和特征性意义异同。研究发现,中国学者使用N that-cl型式少于西方学者,事实组、认知过程组、可能性组的频数差异尤为显著,但中国学者趋于使用研究组这类泛化意义较强的型式。此外,一些典型的N that-cl型式体现了中西学者文本的区别性特征意义:西方学者重视研究过程,包含观点分析及逻辑推理,而中国学者更重视研究结果。本研究对学术话语分析和二语学术写作有一定的启示。
N that-cl patterns, which comprise a shell noun and a that-cl complement, frequently occur in academic written corpora. The fact that the shell nouns in the pattern are semantically unspecific and rely on the lexical realization of that-cl has aroused the attention of many researchers. Previous studies on N that-cl patterns mainly concern the discourse organizing function, stance constructing function and the pedagogical methods of the patterns, yet few has made a contrastive study of the patterns produced by Western and Chinese scholars in terms of their co-selections and functions in a specific register. In this study, we conduct a corpus-based contrastive study, on the basis of the Beijing CARE corpus, of the frequencies, co-selections and functions of 25 most frequently used N that-cl patterns in research articles by Western and Chinese scholars. The study reveals that Chinese scholars use N that-cl patterns remarkably less frequently than Western scholars, especially the Fact group, Cognitive Process group and Possibility group. Meanwhile, Chinese scholars tend to use more general N that-cl patterns like the Research group to review the literature or make reference to their own research. Moreover, the divergent usages of some N that-cl patterns reveal the unique features of Chinese and Western academic discourses. Chinese scholars give more weight to own research conclusions, while Western scholars set great store by expounding different viewpoints and logical reasoning. The study provides implications for academic discourse analysis and second language academic writing.
Aktas, R.N. & V. Cortes. 2008. Shell nouns as cohesive devices in published and ESL student writing [J]. Journal of English for Academic Purposes 7(1): 3-14.
Biber, D.S. & E. Finegan. 1988. Adverbial stance types in English [J]. Discourse Processes11:1-34.
Biber, D.S., J. Johansson, S.C. Leech & E. Finegan.1999.Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English[M]. Harlow: Pearson Education.
Charles, M. 2004. The Construction of Stance: A Corpus-based Investigation of Two Contrasting Disciplines [D].Birmingham:University of Birmingham.
Flowerdew, J. 2006. Use of signaling nouns in a learner corpus [J].International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 11(3): 345-62.
Flowerdew, J. & R.W. Forest. 2015. Signaling Nouns in English: A Corpus-based Discourse Approach[M].Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Flowerdew, J. 2010. Use of signaling nouns across L1 and L2 writer corpora [J].International Journals of Corpus Linguistics 15(1):34-53.
Francis, G. 1988. The teaching techniques of lexical cohesion in an ESL Setting [A].In V. Bickley (ed.). Language in a Bi-lingual or Multi-lingual Setting[C]. Hong Kong: Institute of Language in Education.325-38.
Granger, S.& M. Paquot. 2008.Disentangling the phraseological web [A]. In S. Granger & F.Meunier (eds.). Phraseology: An Interdisciplinary Perspective[C]. Amsterdam/Philadelphia: John Benjamins. 27-49.
Halliday, M.A.K. 1985/1994. An Introduction to Functional Grammar (2ndedn.)[M]. London: Edward Arnold.
Halliday, M.A.K. &R. Hasan.2001.Cohesion in English[M].Beijing: Foreign Lnaguage Teaching and Research Press.
Howarth, P.A. 1996. Phraseology in English Academic Writing: Some Implications for Language Learning and Dictionary Making [M]. Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag.
Hunston, S. & G. Francis. 1999.Pattern Grammar: A Corpus-driven Approach to the Lexical Grammar of English[M].Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Hunston, S. & G. Thompson (eds.). 2000. Evaluation in Text: Authorial Stance and the Construction of Discourse[M]. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jiang, F & K. Hyland. 2016. Nouns and academic interactions: A neglected feature of metadiscourse [J]. Applied Linguistics (1): 1-25.
Martin, J. 2000. Beyond exchange: APPRAISAL system in English [A].In S. Hunston & G. Thompson. (eds.). Evaluation in Text: Authorial Stance and the Construction of Discourse[C]. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 142-175.
Sinclair, J. 1991. Corpus, Concordance, Collocation[M].Oxford:Oxford University Press.
Sinclair, J. 1996. The search for units of meaning [J].Textus 9(1): 75-106.
Winter, E.O. 1977. A clausal-relational approach to English texts: A study of some predicative lexical items in written discourse [J]. Instructional Science 6(1): 1-92.
姜峰. 2015. 中美学生论说文的立场名词表达——基于语料库的对比研究[J].外语与外语教学(5): 8-14.
姜峰. 2016. 外壳名词的立场构建和人际功能[J].现代外语(4): 470-482.
张毓. 待刊.中国学者学术英语概指名词的特征性意义研究[J].外语与外语教学.
