疑问性if-分句与whether-分句的句法、语用差

摘要

本文对英语疑问性if/whether-分句在句法和语用两方面的差异进行比较。文章首先介绍了前人的研究成果，如Jespersen，Quirk,Radford等对疑问性if/whether-分句差异的研究，然后阐述相关的理论，包括X-bar理论、核查理论、移动理论、言语行为理论和语用预设理论。文章对疑问性if/whether-分句在句法方面的比较有：从if/whether的句法范畴，句法特性以及疑问性if/whether-分句的句法分布三方面阐述疑问性if/whether-分句的句法差异；通过图示分析if/whether在句法树形图中不同的范畴(whether在句法树形图中所占据位置的变化--从Complementizer位置到Spec-CP位置，而if-直占据Complementizer位置)，这不同的范畴导致其具有不同的句法特性，从而归纳出if/whether不同的句法特性，总结出造成差异的原因；指出疑问性if/whether-分句的句法分布(疑问性if-分句在句法树形图中只可作为complement of VP,而whether-分句除了可作为complement of VP外，还可以作为specifier of IP,complement of PP)。文章对疑问性if/whether-分句在语用方面的比较有：追溯if/whether用法的起源；用言语行为理论尝试性地讨论疑问性if/whether-分句的不同用法，通过间接疑问句表现间接言语行为时，通常用疑问性if-分句，而不用whether-分句；借助语料分析，发现一些动词后常跟whether-分句，很少跟if-分句；通过划分疑问性if/whether-分句的范畴(属于嵌入性选择疑问句还是属于嵌入性一般疑问句)，进行疑问性if/whether-分句种类的再讨论；借鉴近年来对疑问性if/whether-分句语用预设方面新的研究成果-if的倾向性和whether的非倾向性，进一步丰富疑问性if/whether-分句的语用差异。

目录

文摘

英文文摘

前言

声明

Acknowledgements

1 Introduction

1.1 The reason for and the significance of this topic

1.2 The structure of this thesis

2 Literature Review

2.1 Studies abroad

2.2 Studies at home

3 Theoretical Framework

3.1 X-bar theory

3.2 Checking theory

3.3 Head movement and Operator movement

3.3.1 Head movement

3.3.2 Operator movement

3.4 Speech act theory

3.5 Presupposition

4 Syntactic Differences between Interrogative if-clause and whether-clause

4.1 Differences of category between if and whether

4.1.1 The category of if

4.1.2 The category of whether

4.2 Different properties of if and whether

4.2.1 Properties of if

4.2.2 Properties of whether

4.2.3 A comparison between properties of if and whether

4.3 Different distributions of interrogative if-clause and whether-clause

4.3.1 As the specifier of IP

4.3.2 As the complement of VP

4.3.3 As the complement of PP

5 Pragmatic Differences between Interrogative if-clause and whether-clause

5.1 The different use of interrogative if-clanse and whether-clause

5.1.1 The original use of if and whether

5.1.2 Preference of if-clause in reports of questions used as indirect speech acts

5.1.3 Perference of whether-clause after some matrix verbs

5.1.4 Difference of style of interrogative if-clause and whether-clause

5.2 Embedded alternative questions or embedded yes-no questions

5.3 “The Bias of if” and “the Non-Bias of whether”

5.3.1 The nature of difference

5.3.2Presupposition of an embedded if-questionv

6 Conclusion

References