| The dissertation aims to the study on information packaging of Chinese, with special reference to Chinese topic-comment structures under the theoretical framework of Functional Discourse Grammar(FDG), attempting to find out its formulation operation under the frame proposed by FDGSeveral major theories involving Functional Grammar (FG), Role and Reference Grammar (RRG) and Systemic Functional Grammar (SFG) have been surveyed. According to the survey, these theories have some findings in syntax, phonology and other aspects of discourse analysis, yet there are some limitations to these theories.Firstly, the clausal division is too simple to reflect the complicatedness of discourse. Secondly, most of studies on information packaging are associated with syntactic analysis of sentences. These studies do not distinguish given/new information in verbal communication from cognition, ignoring the way information conveyed and encoded. Thirdly, these studies adopt the top-down approach to discuss the information packaging. In short, these studies take the standpoint of structural analysis to observe the meaning of information unit, causing the inaccurate representation in discourse analysis and failure in bringing cross-linguistic study into full play. Consequently, an updated model is brought up to describe different linguistic phenomena and deal with information packaging as well.Though FDG is a new version of FG and shares its functional-typological orientation with FG, it differs with respect to a number of important basic properties:(1) FDG adopts top-down approach in discourse analysis which starts with the encoding of the speaker’s intention and then works down to articulation.(2) FDG takes the discourse act as its basic unit of analysis. It is thus a discourse rather than a sentence grammar and is capable of handling discourse acts both larger and smaller than a sentence.(3) FDG distinguishes an interpersonal, a representational, a morphosyntactic, and a phonological level of linguistic organization.(4) FDG constitutes the grammatical component of an overall model of the natural language user. This overall model furthermore contains a conceptual, a contextual, and an output component.Using FDG as its theoretical framework, the dissertation points out the problem of pragmatic function assignment as an obstacle to deal with information packaging in FDG. Then a proposal is made to adopt the informational frame as a complex unit at the interpersonal level. Two layers are proposed that can insert into the informational frame:topic and comment. In addition, a focus operator may be attached to the unit inside an information layer. It yields five basic frames:topic-central thetic, comment-central thetic, topic-central categorical, comment-central categorical and identificational focus. In such way, it justifies FDG typology adequacy and proves that information packaging could be represented in limited coding strategies.This dissertation applies these informational frames to the analysis of Chinese, especially Chinese topic-comment structure. Then it turns out to be the close connection between Chinese structure and informational frame of FDG.(1) Chinese presentative construction reflects feature of the topic-central thetic frame. The construction introduces a new topic which leads the addressee to construe a new discourse referent and used as background information in the subsequent discourse. In addition, the construction with stative verb also belongs to this informational frame. The frame raises the addressee’s attention for the new topic as well.(2) When it comes to comment-central thetic, the presentative construction with "you" is included. When "you" is positioned in the initial position of sentence, it not only introduces a new referent, but also includes the description of the new referent, so the overall new information constitutes the construction.(3) Comment-central categorical informational frame contains sentence with nominal predicates, subject-predicate construction, and comparative construction. Those constructions are set to expand the addressee’s state of knowledge of a mutually agreed topic in ongoing discourse.(4) Topic-central categorical informational frame contains left-detachment sentence, right-detachment sentence. These constructions identify a new discourse referent, and comment part of these constructions is regarded as information relevant to the new referent.Besides topic-copying construction, " lian...ye/dou" and its varied forms belong to the combination of two informational frames—topic-central categorical frame and identificational focus frame. Those constructions focus on the topic, while comparing topic with pragmatic presupposition, so it belong to the combined frame.(5) Identificational focus frame includes subject adjective-predicate construction, shi....construction. It focuses on one discourse subact. This kind of information frame is so special that it intends to change or update one presupposition information.
|
PDF Full Text Request