A Corpus-based Study On The Adjectival Double Negative In English

This thesis,based on the perspectives of Modern English Grammar,aims to investigate the use features of the adjectival double negatives,which adopts a corpus-based method with the concordances from the British National Corpus and the Corpus of Contemporary American English,and combines quantitative analyses and qualitative analyses.This study investigates the adjectival double negative from three aspects:the distribution,the underlying principles governing the uses of adjective double negative,and the functions of adjectival double negatives.The main research results are concluded as follows:Firstly,in British English,the distribution of different types of adjectival double negatives in various registers differs significantly.Secondly,there is a significant difference on the distribution of different types of adjectival double negatives in American English.Thirdly,after comparative studies,it is found that the distribution of adjective double negatives has similarities and differences between British English and American English.Fourthly,the uses of adjective double negative are governed by M-Principle in GCI and Maxim of Quality in Cooperative Principle.Lastly,adjectival double negatives mainly have two kinds of functions:1)to make the expression more indirect with a high degree of courtesy;2)to make the expression more convictive,attractive and emphasized.The present study is of both theoretical and practical significance.To begin with,it adds new information to the previous research studies.Further,it helps English learners to have a clearer understanding of the adjectival double negatives.In addition,the study plays an important role in improving the accuracy of Chinese-English translation.