A Comparative Study On Chinese And Japanese Passive Sentences Based On A Parallel Corpus

There are passive sentences in both Chinese and Japanese, but as we can find in Chinese-Japanese translation and Japanese-Chinese translation, passive sentences in the two languages are sometimes not equivalent to each other and they exhibit great differences. From the perspective of comparative linguistics, this dissertation, based on authentic texts from two bilingual parallel corpora and focusing on the indispensable components of subject, agent and predicate, makes a comprehensive study, analysis and comparison of passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese. It is found that passive sentence is not just a syntactic phenomenon and that its use in verbal communication is adjusted and restricted by such non-syntactic factors as semantic and pragmatic features. This is the essential reason for the difference between Chinese and Japanese passive sentences.The dissertation consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 is introduction; chapter 2 is the literature review; Chapter 3 is on restrictions of non-syntactic factors to the choice of subject; Chapter 4 is on the influence of non-syntactic factors on the choice of agent; and Chapter 5 is on the restrictions of non-syntactic factors to the predicate verb.Chapter 1 presents the background, objective and significance of this research and introduces the theoretical basis, methodology and the source and processing method of the corpora.Chapter 2 is a review of the studies of passive sentences in China and Japan from the aspects of the range of passive sentences, semantic features, and restrictions to the predicate verb, etc.Chapter 3 conducts a comprehensive study and analysis of the subject of Chinese and Japanese passive sentences. The difference in the choice of subject of passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese can be analyzed as follows:in Chinese the subject is determined by the principle of "definiteness", while in Japanese the subject is determined by the principle of "viewpoint and noun hierarchy". When relating an event in Chinese, the oldest information (definite element) is usually regarded as the theme (subject) and thus put at the beginning of a sentence. Therefore, whether the information is old or new is expressed by word order and it determines the choice between active and passive sentences. When the patient of the action is put at the beginning of the sentence, a passive sentence is used. When relating an event in Japanese, the theme (subject) of passive sentences is determined by the principle of "viewpoint and noun hierarchy". The viewpoint, i.e. the standing point of the speaker when relating the event, influences the choice between active and passive sentence pattern. When the speaker takes the position of the patient, the passive sentence is used. That is to say one function of the Japanese passive sentences is defining the speaker's position. The viewpoint is related to the speaker's degree of empathy to the interlocutor. They form a so-called "noun hierarchy", and compared with the lower class, the upper class has a prior claim to the viewpoint. The so-called "noun hierarchy" centered around "I" with rating from "inside" to "outside" shows that Japanese takes "I" as the center of viewpoint when relating events. So it can be said that Japanese is more subjective than Chinese in terms of expression. The difference principle guiding the choice of subject in Chinese and Japanese is the most important reason for the difference in passive sentences in the two languages, by means of which many differences in passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese can be explained satisfactorily.Chapter 4 studies and analyses the agent of passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese from two aspects:the semantic features and the thematic roles of agent. It is found that semantic factors influence the choice of agent of passive sentences. The diversity of the thematic roles of agent occurs in both Chinese and Japanese, but the passive mark "被" in Chinese does not have the function of introducing the two thematic roles of "basis" and "starting point". This is closely related to the origin and original meaning of the word; in other words, it is attributable to the basic semantic features of Chinese passive sentences. Because the agent of passive sentence may not only undertake the thematic role of "agent" (subject of the action), but many other thematic roles as well, the noun agent in passive sentence exhibits diverse semantic features. This is true in both Chinese and Japanese. There are several agent marks in Japanese passive sentences, such asに,かぅ,で,にょって,のをめに, etc., which are preferred as different thematic roles according to their original meanings.Chapter 5 explores the predicate verb of passive sentence in Chinese and Japanese from the aspect of transitivity and semantic features. First, in both Chinese and Japanese, the vast majority of predicates of passive sentences are transitive verbs, and only a few are intransitive (also adjectives in Chinese). The intransitive passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese (including adjective passive sentences in Chinese) are both pragmatic extensions of passive sentences, but they are different. In intransitive passive sentences in Japanese, there is no semantic governing relation between the subject and the predicate, and the subject is influenced indirectly and negatively by the action of the verb. From a pragmatic view, intransitive passive sentences in Japanese indicate the subject experiences trouble or damage indirectly due to a certain event. Like that in Japanese, in intransitive passive sentences in Chinese, there is no semantic governing relation between the subject and the predicate but the subject is usually the subject of the action or state indicated by the predicate, and the element after is used to introduce the cause, so "被" performs the function of introducing cause. Second, there is difference in the choice of the meaning of the predicate verb (transitive verb) of Chinese and Japanese passive sentences. Some verbs in Chinese, such as verbs of offering, producing and placing, are not used in passive sentences due to the influence of semantic and pragmatic factors, but such influence does not exist in Japanese passive sentences.The conclusion reports the results of the research, summarizes originality and significance of the research, and points out the limitations of the present research and directions for further research.The dissertation makes a two-direction comparison of the authoritative translations of example passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese found in two Chinese and Japanese parallel corpora, and has obtained quantitative and qualitative analysis results. It is found that passive sentence is not just a syntactic phenomenon in both Chinese and Japanese; it is not only restricted by semantic and pragmatic factors, but also related to the cognitive pattern. Non-syntactic factors show different ways of expression in different languages. In the choice of subject of passive sentence, in Chinese, they are expressed by the principle of "definiteness", while in Japanese, they are expressed by the principle "viewpoint and noun hierarchy". The dissertation reveals the differences in passive sentences in Chinese and Japanese and the essential reasons for these differences. The findings of the present research can be directly applied to fields of Japanese language teaching, teaching Chinese as a foreign language and language translation, etc. We also hope that the results of this study would be helpful to the research in typological linguistics.