英語主位結(jié)構(gòu)的語篇功能

桂永霞，彭文娟

(廣東女子職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院 外語系， 廣州 511450)

英語主位結(jié)構(gòu)的語篇功能

桂永霞，彭文娟

(廣東女子職業(yè)技術(shù)學(xué)院 外語系， 廣州 511450)

討論了英語句子及語篇的主位結(jié)構(gòu)；分析了英語主位結(jié)構(gòu)的語篇功能；得出了主位結(jié)構(gòu)是使語篇實(shí)現(xiàn)語意上連貫，結(jié)構(gòu)上銜接的主要手段之一；指出了將該理論運(yùn)用于英語閱讀與寫作等教學(xué)實(shí)踐具有實(shí)際意義。

主位結(jié)構(gòu)；語篇功能；話題范圍；主導(dǎo)信息流程

一、主位結(jié)構(gòu)

(1)簡(jiǎn)式主位。主位是位于句首的成分，是話語的出發(fā)點(diǎn)，是說話者想突出的部分；主位之后繞主位展開的部分是述位，是對(duì)主位的陳述。從信息分布來看，位于句首的主位表達(dá)已知信息，位于句子后部的述位表達(dá)新信息。一個(gè)句子中有多個(gè)成分充當(dāng)主位時(shí)，一般按語言的三種元功能(概念功能、人際功能、語篇功能)將其劃分為三種類型。如果這三類主位同時(shí)出現(xiàn)在一個(gè)句子中，按其相對(duì)突出程度的不同排序分語篇主位、人際主位、話題主位。話題主位位于句首時(shí)，為無標(biāo)記主位。一般情況下，主位與述位之間用“|”隔開(例1)[1]：

1a The papers|were destroyed by(話題主位)the fire.

1b And sooner or later a ship∣(語篇主位)(人際主位)(話題主位)will put in here.

(2)句式主位。語篇是包含任意長(zhǎng)度的語義單位，既可以是含一個(gè)小句的句子，也可以是若干句子組成的語篇。在語篇中，復(fù)合句的第一個(gè)分句為主位，稱句式主位(例2)：

2a Morgan left home at midnight|and he missed the train.

2b Morgan missed the train|because he left home at midnight.

當(dāng)句子是正常語序時(shí)，前一分句為主位，即無標(biāo)記主位；后一分句為述位。作者刻意將其所要特別突出的或強(qiáng)調(diào)的其他信息置于句首時(shí)，則為有標(biāo)記主位。

(3)段落主位與語篇主位。語篇中，題目是整個(gè)語篇的主位，它影響讀者對(duì)整個(gè)語篇的理解。第一自然段第一句是首段落的主位句，它不僅影響讀者對(duì)該段的理解，而且還影響對(duì)語篇其他所有內(nèi)容的理解。那么，每一段落的首句即是該段落的主位句，如果段落首句就是該段落的主題句，則為無標(biāo)記主位(例3a)；如果段落主題句不位于段首，而位于段中或段末，那么段落首句則為有標(biāo)記主位(例3b)。語篇其他部分則為語篇的述位(例3)[2]：

3a How to improve your study habit.

3b Perhaps you are an average student with average intelligence.

3b ① Plan your time carefully.

3b ② Find a good place to study.

3b ③ Skim before you read.

3b ④ Make good use of your time in class.

3b ⑤ Study regularly.

3b ⑥ Develop a good attitude about tests.

There are other techniques that might help you with your studying.

二、主位結(jié)構(gòu)的語篇功能

研究語篇功能，通常指研究語篇信息分布和組篇的種種手段[3]。我們一般從三個(gè)方面來討論或總結(jié)主位結(jié)構(gòu)的語篇功能。

(1)主位結(jié)構(gòu)為語篇提供話題范圍，或者說主位結(jié)構(gòu)展示語篇主導(dǎo)信息流程(例4)[4]137。

4a Jack goes up the beanstalk again.

4b He comes to the giant’s house and he sees the giant’s wife.

例4所指“Jack”以不同的形式“Jack”、“he”在各句中得到主位化，并獲得相對(duì)的突出性；它在句中為句子提供話題，稱作話題主位，即該語段的中心議題或主人翁。

電影、故事、長(zhǎng)篇小說人物角色的變化與連貫，說明文、議論文議題的深入與保持，都是通過話題主位的變化與連續(xù)實(shí)現(xiàn)的(例5)[5]。

5a Books on space adventure and life on distant planets

5b One of the first men to write about this subject

5c In his novel, 'The First Men in the Moon’, he

5d In this they

5e They

5f There they

5g After many strange adventures, one of the men

5h Where nobody

在例5的主位結(jié)構(gòu)中，可以看出該語篇是在談?wù)撘槐咎仗诫U(xiǎn)的小說，并可以看到探險(xiǎn)進(jìn)程的脈絡(luò)：起先；然后；接著；最后。

(2)主位結(jié)構(gòu)為組織語篇提供視點(diǎn)或情景語境。情景語境，即場(chǎng)景，主要指時(shí)間、地點(diǎn)和處所的物理位置(如房間大小、家具的陳設(shè)等)、談?wù)撛掝}、陳述觀點(diǎn)的角度等(例6)[6]。

6a Merchants in the Middle Ages who traded in spices, silk and carpets

6b For them, the East

6c The region

6d This ruler and the commodities that found their way into European market places

從例6的主位結(jié)構(gòu)可以判斷，“the East”與“The region”是同指，即指同一地區(qū)，并且是談?wù)摰脑掝}。6d中的統(tǒng)治者(This ruler)和商品(the commodities)則是該地區(qū)的統(tǒng)治者和商品，是深入或進(jìn)一步談?wù)撛掝}的新的角度，或稱視點(diǎn)(perspective)。6b中的For them(對(duì)他們而言)表明，6a的主位“中世紀(jì)商人(Merchants in the Middle Ages)”并不構(gòu)成語篇的“話題”，而構(gòu)成談?wù)撛掝}“the East”與“The region”的視點(diǎn)。6d中的“商品(the commodities)”與6a主位中的“中世紀(jì)商人(Merchants in the Middle Ages)”和“辣椒、絲綢、地毯(spices,silk and carpets)”相呼應(yīng)，既為談?wù)撛掝}提供了視點(diǎn)，又實(shí)現(xiàn)了我們討論的第一點(diǎn)語篇功能，即為語篇提供了主導(dǎo)信息流程，或格定了語篇的話題范圍(例7)[7]。

7a Merchants in the Middle Ages who traded in spices, silk and carpets | had no knowledge of the lands from which they came.

7b For them, the East | remained a mystery.

7c The region | was a remote place, ruled over by the fabulous Prester John.

7d This ruler | was said to be immensely wealthy, far weal-thier than any Western monarch, | and the commodities that found their way into European market places | were an indication of his riches.

再看例8：

8a Mr. William Serby

8b From 1917 to 1919 he

8c In 1926 he

8d During the Second World War he

8e In 1926 he

這是一段簡(jiǎn)歷、傳記或卜文，通篇只有一個(gè)話題實(shí)體或主人翁，該個(gè)體以不同的形式“Mr.William Serby”和“he”在題目和各段落各句中得到主位化。此外，作者將一些時(shí)間副詞置于主位的位置?？梢哉f，盡管作者仍在談?wù)撏辉掝}實(shí)體，但選擇了不同的角度，這些時(shí)間副詞主位化，給作者提供了組織語篇的不同視點(diǎn)，對(duì)讀者的理解有指導(dǎo)意義(例9)[4]。

9a Mr. William Serby

9b Mr. William Serby who died aged 85 on September 20 was County Treasurer to Buckinghamshire County Council from 1929 to 1961.

9c He was commissioned in the Queen’s(R. W. Surrey Regiment) in 1915 and served in France until he was wounded in 1916. From 1917 to1919 he served as Liaison Officer with the French and Russian forces in the North Russian Expeditionary Force.

9d In 1926 he was appointed County Accountant to the Cornwall C. C.

9e During the Second World War he commanded the Home Guard in Wendover and in later years was actively concerned with the work of the R. N. I. B., the Oxford Diocesan Board of Finance, the Bucks Historic Churches Trust and in many local organizations in Wendover.

9f In 1926 he married Jean Durns and they had one son and two daughters.

三、主位結(jié)構(gòu)反映語篇組織結(jié)構(gòu)和語類

根據(jù)主位結(jié)構(gòu)反映語篇組織和語類的功能，文中所給出的例3表明，該語篇為論說文，并且標(biāo)有數(shù)字的幾個(gè)段落為平行發(fā)展結(jié)構(gòu)；例(9)則是一段簡(jiǎn)歷，傳說或卜文。再請(qǐng)看下面一段文字的主位：

10a This rug

10b The design

10c The prayer mihrab

10d But the vase

10e In rugs of this type

10f Outstanding examples…

例10各句的主位結(jié)構(gòu)表明：第一，該段文字為說明文；主位結(jié)構(gòu)反映語篇組織結(jié)構(gòu)和語類。第二，作者的話題范圍——地毯。第三，該語段的組織結(jié)構(gòu)，從某一特定類型的地毯(10b)，到該類地毯的特征性式樣(10c、10d)，再到該類地毯的一般性特征(10e)，即從一個(gè)個(gè)特定的視點(diǎn)組織語篇，陳述話題(例11)[4]。

11a This rug comes from the village of Shalamazar in the Southern Chahar Mahal, but the design is woven in many of the villages.

11b The design is one of those that fit into several possible categories, involving as it does elements of bird, tree, vase and prayer types.

11c The prayer mihrab may be omitted in some cases.

11d But the vase is always present, as are the strikingly drawn birds ….

11e In rugs of this type excellent natural dyestuffs are very often found, and the quality varies from medium to quite fine.

11f Outstanding examples….

[1] 胡壯麟.語篇的銜接與連貫[M].上海：上海外語教育出版社，1994.

[2] 董亞芬.大學(xué)英語精讀：第1冊(cè)[M].上海：上海外語教育出版社，1989.

[3] 任紹曾.英語時(shí)態(tài)的語篇功能[J].外國(guó)語，1995(3)：22-29.

[4] BROWN & YULE，Discourse Analysis[M].England:Cambridge University Press，1983.

[5] 董亞芬.大學(xué)英語精讀：第2冊(cè)[M].上海：上海外語教育出版社，1989.

[6] DAVID.Introducing Discourse Analysis[M].England：The Penguin Group，1993.

[7] WIDDOWSON H G.Teaching Languageas Communication[M].Oxford：Oxford University Press，1978.

[責(zé)任編輯 毋愛君]

TheTextualFunctionofThematicStructuresinEnglish

GUIYong-xia,PENGWen-juan

(DepartmentofForeignLanguages,GuangdongFemaleVocationalandPolytechnicalSchool，Guangzhou522450,China)

The thematic structures in English are discussed at the sentential and discoursal levels. The textual functions work in three aspects: the thematic structures provide the topic for the discourse; thematic structures provide different perspectives or the situational context for organizing and interpreting the discourse; thematic structures reflect the organization structure and type of the discourse.

thematic structures；textual functions；topic; main idea

2010-04-17

桂永霞(1966-)，女，湖北京山人，副教授，從事應(yīng)用語言學(xué)、功能語法、話語分析等方面的研究。

E-mail：gyx30@163.com

H3

A

1673-9779(2010)04-0457-03