A Syntactic Comparison Of Chinese And English Auxiliary Verbs

The aim of the Comparative Linguistics is to find out the similarities and differences between languages, which can help to understand a language deeply. The research of the Chinese Auxiliaries is relevant to western languages, especially English from the date of introducing the name of "Auxiliaries" to Chinese grammar. The comparative research of the auxiliaries between Chinese and English can help us have a bird's-eye view to the Chinese auxiliaries (CA). Compared with other categories, the research in syntactic category is especially important to the research of auxiliaries. CA, as one of the Word Classes is established on the basis of comparison with English auxiliaries (EA) and English auxiliaries is classified as one of groups in English Verbs for its special syntactic "NICE" feature. This dissertation aims at finding out the syntactic similarities and syntactic differences between CA and EA, which will have great benefits to the study of the nature of CA.The syntactic similarities and differences between CA and EA as following:ⅠSimilarities(1) By analyzing the status of CA and EA in their respective grammar system, we find out that both CA and EA are a subclass under the verb class.(2) Chinese "you(有) " (in "you VP" structure) and the English primary auxiliaries share the similarity:both of them have only grammatical meaning with no lexical meaning.(3) From the angle of raising verbs and control verbs, the epistemic and deontic modal verbs of both EA and CA are raising verbs and the dynamic modals are control verbs.(4) By discussing the relationship between "Aux" and "Verb", we find out that when auxiliaries co-occur with the perfect aspect of verbs, the latter can help to make the meaning of "Aux" clearer. When multi-modals co-occur with the perfect aspect of verbs, they should firstly be explained as epistemic modality.(5) By describing the distribution of CA and EA, we find out:except in some special structures and fixed patterns, both CA and EA are situated at the predicate-initial position of various sentences (such as simple sentence, main clause, subordinate clause and inclusive sentence).(6) CA and EA share many similarities on the fusion of auxiliaries. Both CA and EA can fuse with the surrounding elements with various ways. CA can fuse with both the negative marker "Bu" and the interrogative pronoun "Zen me". EA can fuse with the negative marker "not" and personal pronouns. ⅡDifferences(1) From the angle of Generative Transformational Grammar. CA and EA belong to different categories, EA is a kind of functional category, it positions under the sentence head IP; CA belongs to lexical category; it positions under the VP staying closest to the sentence head.(2) Chinese "Aux+Verb" structure and English "Aux+Verb" structure are of different nature. Chinese "Aux+Verb" structure is a kind of VO structure, English "Aux+Verb" structure can not be separated, the whole structure functions as the predicate of the sentence.(3) When focusing on the elements between "Aux" and "Verb", we find out:the elements between "Aux" and "Verb" in Chinese can be various, including PP, Temporal Nouns, Adverbs, "Ba"+Nouns, and "Bei"+Nouns. The elements between "Aux" and "Verb" in English can be only single Adverbs.(4) About the reduplication of auxiliaries, there is no device of reduplication in the English grammar, so all of the EA can't be reduplicated. Chinese verbs can be reduplicated by the way of "X not X" or "XX" to express interrogation; when there is an auxiliary in a sentence, the reduplicating priority should first lay on the auxiliary.(5) About the movement of auxiliaries, English expresses interrogation by moving auxiliaries, movement operating is obligatory when forming the interrogative category, but, the movement of CA has nothing to do with the interrogative category.(6) CA and EA differ greatly when it comes to the succession. The phenomenon of auxiliary succession is common in Chinese, and the order of the succession of CA follows certain rules---EDD rule; the succession of CA is productive. English modals cannot be used together in the Standard English; the phenomenon of Double Modals appears only in some of the English dialects and the succession of EA is not productive; Double Modals are single lexical items.CA and EA conduct both similarities and differences in many aspects such as grammatical feature, syntactic position, syntactic operation and so on. The similarities outweigh the differences. Most of the seemingly complicated differences between EA and CA are not caused by the differences between CA and EA, they are in fact determined by the differences of grammar system between Chinese and English. The differences between EA and CA are in fact very limited, there is only one essential difference between CA and EA:EA is a kind of functional category, CA belongs to lexical category. To some degree, some of the differences between EA and CA are in fact caused by this essential difference.