| The syntactic position of adjunct is always attractive in theoretical research.Due to the relatively free positions an adjunct may get,scholars assume that it involves two syntactic operations,either to the left or to the right.This violates the uniformity within the theories. Even Chomsky(1995:242) considers that it is not in the satisfaction with present theories.And the mingled classification of adjunct can't make people have a clear thought about it.So,we choose this as the topic of the thesis,and take the typical Chinese adjunct,adverb,as a case study.Since adjuncts illustrate the relevance between syntax and semantics,theoretical frame of the thesis is based on the interface of syntax and semantics,which employs the theories of minimalist program(MP),event semantics and logic semantics.Based on this theoretical framework,the basic properties of adjuncts will be examined in present research.The main purpose of this research is to find the syntactic positions of adjunct in basic generation,to discover the theoretical mechanism which determines the distribution of adjunct in a sentence,and to propose a reasonable classification of adjunct.There are four parts in the thesis.The first part is chapter one.A workable definition of adjunct is first provided.Then,we compare and overview the concerned researches,and analyze the basic properties of adjuncts. And the main purpose and general thoughts of the thesis are proposed.The last is the chapter assignment.The second part,which includes the next three chapters,is the core of the thesis.The properties of VP,νP,TP and clause-initial adjuncts are examined respectively.Each chapter here employs the following operations:Firstly,we examine the syntactic domain of adjunct in MP,and propose a tentative "Syntactic Position of Adjunct Hypothesis"(SPAH),which is expected to predict the proper position of adjunct.Secondly,the semantic orientation of adjunct is discussed.In combination with event semantics,the argument of adjunct is also examined.According to that,we propose the "Extended Theory of Theta Roles"(ETTR).Thirdly,we analyze the possible readings of different adjuncts when they are regarded as operators in terms of logic semantics.Thus,the properties of all adjuncts show a parallel mapping between syntax and semantics.The third part is chapter five.Through the comparison of the compatibility and the position of all adjuncts,we discover the "Hierarchical Linear Order of Adjuncts"(HLOA),and constraints.The last part is chapter six,theoretical findings of the thesis.Adjuncts have four positions and they can be classified into four kinds:VP,νP,TP and clause-initial adjuncts.VP adjuncts include manner and momentum adverbs;νP adjuncts include degree and scope adverbs;TP adjuncts include time,domain,modal,subject-oriented and speaker-oriented adverbs; clause-initial adjuncts include time,domain,modal and speaker-oriented adverbs.Five factors determine the syntactic positions of an adjunct:its syntactic domain,its semantic orientation,its argument,the statu as an operator,and the syntactic operation a verb takes.And the order for adjuncts' co-occurrence conforms to "Hierarchical Linear Order of Adjuncts"(HLOA).The research method of the thesis is introspective and qualitative.The thesis testifies the explanatory force of MP to the adjunct phenomenon in modern Chinese.To some extent,it amplifies the theories of interface of syntax and semantics,and sheds some light on other researches within this frame.
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