由小品詞up構成的英語新短語動詞語義分析

曲 莉

(天津外國語大學英語學院,天津300204)

一、引言

(一)短語動詞的定義

短語動詞的定義有廣義和狹義兩種。從廣義來講,短語動詞包括動詞+副詞小品詞、動詞+介詞小品詞和動詞+副詞+介詞小品詞。從狹義來說,短語動詞是動詞和副詞小品詞的組合。本篇論文所使用的是Palm er(1974)提出的概念,即短語動詞由兩部分組成,即動詞和副詞小品詞。副詞小品詞跟隨在動詞之后,它可以被看作是動詞的一部分,就如同動詞的后綴一樣。有的短語動詞表達的是字面意義,這時小品詞表明動作的方向。例如:

He pulled up the rope.

有的短語動詞的意義是完全習語性的,這時很難看出小品詞的方向性。例如:

The enemy gave in.

The contestant gave up.

The old car gave out.[1]

(二)小品詞

小品詞往往與前面的動詞形成修飾和補充說明的語義關系,本身不能單獨充當句子成分和獨自帶賓語。小品詞位于詞匯動詞之后,其詞形固定不變,和動詞組成一類特殊的動詞。

如:d rink up,dispose of和get aw ay w ith中的up,of,away,w ith。小品詞又分為兩個不同、但相互有重疊的類別,即介詞小品詞和方位副詞小品詞(有些副詞小品詞并不含有方位的含義)。夸克(Quirk:1151)把小品詞分為:

(A)against,among,as,at,beside,for,from,into,like,of,onto,upon,w ith,etc.

(B)about,above,across,after,along,around,by,down,in,off,on,out,over,past,round,th rough,under,up,etc.

(C)aback,ahead,apart,aside,astray,away,back,forward(s),hom e,in front,on top,out,together,etc.

(A)中的詞只能作介詞;(C)中的詞只能作方向副詞;(B)中的詞即能做介詞又能做方向副詞。介詞和方向副詞的最顯著的區別在于:介詞后面要跟隨名詞短語作為介詞的補語,而副詞并不需要。[2]

二、數據的采集

本項研究的前提是建立一個最新英語報刊新聞語料庫。為此,筆者對2005年8月至2009年3月間國內外報刊(主要是英美報刊)的文章進行摘錄,建立了190多萬字的最新英語報刊新聞語料庫。在此基礎上,找出近幾年出現的新短語動詞,總共是103個(如表1),然后用語料庫檢索軟件Wordsm ith對其進行分析。

(一)近幾年出現的新短語動詞

表1 近幾年出現的新短語動詞匯總表

(二)出現頻率最高的前8個小品詞

圖1 出現頻率最高的前8個小品詞顯示圖

(三)由小品詞up構成的新短語動詞

表2 由小品詞up構成的新短語動詞表

三、由up構成的新短語動詞的語義特點

(一)新短語動詞的意義

由小品詞up構成的新短語動詞的語義分為以下幾個方面。

a.表示整合的過程。

wrap-up(綜合報道,簡訊)

b.表示提升或提高。

trickle up(逐漸從一個層次升到更高層次)、dumb up(提高某人的智力和文化水平)、up shift(從事競爭力更強,壓力更大的工作)、upcycling(利用可回收的物質生產出價值更高的產品)、upconvert(把影像的畫面尺寸變換成更大尺寸的行為,特別是指把從來的普通電視廣播尺寸的SD品質的影像變換為高精細電視尺寸的HD品質的行為)、upskill(提高員工的技能)、upgradate(更新)、upstaff(增加員工的數量)、m ash up(組合網絡上提供的信息和服務制作的新的軟件,服務和數據庫)等。

c.表示從事某種活動或行為。

fit up(安裝)、up-sell(嘗試說服顧客購買較昂貴的商品或服務)、back up(備份計算機資料)、boot up(預設置程序啟動)、wash-up(飯后洗餐具)、brew up(沏茶)、run-up(將引擎加速使熱以供試驗)、wedge up(為抗議或防止獄吏的鞭打,犯人將牢門揳牢)、set-up(陷害,栽贓)、upskirt(在人群聚集的地方拍攝女人裙子以上部位)等。

d.表示瞬間的行為或狀態。

pop-up(瀏覽頁面時,不斷跳出的視窗)

e.表示互動的行為或狀態。

tweet up(通過Twitter網站在現實生活中見面)、break up(因受到干擾,在電話中聽不到對方的聲音)等。

f.表示事物存在的狀態。

walk-up(沒有電梯的公寓或辦公樓)、tucked-up(把衣服的某些地方暫時挽在一起)等。

g.表示事物不斷進展的過程。

melt up(市場嚴重過熱導致價格上就漲到前所未見的程度)、ro ll up(影片逐漸在眾多影院上映)等。

h.表示某種精神狀態。

sex up(以輕松愉快的方式展現)、pumpedup(振作起來)、sit-up(突然感到興奮或驚訝)等。

(二)小品詞up的意義

Up在這些新短語動詞中的意義分為以下四種。

a.準備和開始。

Up與動詞搭配,表明事情正在準備之中或正在開始。例如:

You have to be kiddingm e thatwe have to boot up the TV in the bed room.

b.價格等的提高、質量的增強和改善。

在這些由up與動詞組合的新短語動詞中,表達此意義的up數量最多。例如:

You hear more or less serious arguments these days that earnings don’t count,that interest rates are irrelevant,that the macro backdrop is a distraction.Otherwise erudite observers use the phrase“melt-up”in their analyses.Melt-up?It can’t be a well thought-outmarket if it is rep resented by so unlikely an image.

It’s a Knockout,and Sir Cliff Richard,why not a salon of musicians and historians,poets and scientists,endowed Royal Scholars,Royal Fellow s,Royal Professors?Elitist?Of course it is,but who begrudges an lite that inspires the rest of us to dumb up and join it?

The reasons to buy an upconverting DVD player are compelling.Consider cost and perform ance.Are you really in a hurry to start a new HD-DVD or Blu-ray library at＄30 to＄40 a pop?Also,rem ember that you’re facing am in imum＄500 price tag for Toshiba’s entry-level player and a Blu-ray price of twice that amount.You can buy excellent upconverting players for＄200 and breathe new life into your existing DVDs.

Mr.Kalin is big on‘upcyc ling,’a process whose name was coined by William Mc Donough,an architect,and Michael Braungart,a chem ist,in their 2002 book,‘Cradle to Cradle:Remaking the Way We Make Things.’They used the term to describe the process of taking something that’s essentially waste and moving it up the consumer-goods chain.‘I love upcycling,’Mr.Kalin said.’I love this idea of bringing something from lower down and elevating it.

c.在一起或合起來。

Twitter has been taken up so exuberantly by the connected comm unity that it’s now used by the MTV Music Video Awards,presidential candidate John Edwards,and even some new sorg anizations and fire departments to communicate their urgent messages.Its ow n vocabulary has even em erged:As mentioned earlier,a Twitter post is called a“tweet”,and“tweetups”have taken p lace w here“ tweeps”have met up in the real world for social gatherings.

d.出現或創造。

Many legitim ate advertisers on the Internet use window s that pop up in the middle of your screen to display a message.They might also open when you click a link or button on a Web site,and they might open either over or under the window you wish to view.Some pop-ups are help ful.

Electric supercars sex-up eco-friend lymotoring.

(三)Up構成的短語動詞的名詞化

表3 由小品詞up構成的名詞化短語動詞表

在由小品詞up構成的30個新短語動詞中,名詞化的短語動詞就有17個,約占總數的57%。根據《朗文語言教學及應用語言學辭典》(Longm an Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics)(Richards,2000),名詞化是“指把其他詞性的詞,一般為動詞或形容詞,變成名詞的語法過程”。[3]由up構成的名詞化新短語動詞的結構分為三大類:左分支結構(left branching)和右分支結構(right b ranching)。左分支結構是指“小品詞+動詞”,共9個;右分支結構指“動詞+小品詞”,共6個。另外,還有以動名詞或分詞+小品詞構成的名詞化短語動詞,共2個(如表3)。這些名詞化的新短語動詞在句中的成分分為:作主語、賓語、定語、表語和同位語等。例如:

Along the way,mapmashups are providing perhaps the c learest idea yet of commercial applications for the generation of so-called social technologies they rep resent.(作主語)

Upskirt is a slang term usually referring to up skirt photography,images of the viewup a woman’s skirt.(作主語和定語)

When work experience girls and boys arrive at the Exam iner they rarely partake of our regular brew-ups,preferring water or soft drinks.(作介詞賓語)

The Hartford has written rap-ups for several major private development and infrastructure projects this year.(作動詞賓語)

What is tucked-up?It describes an abdomen of s mall circumference as compared to the thorax or to the normal outline for the individual animal.Norm ally seen in some breeds of dogs,e.g.Whippet,Greyhound.(作表語)

we were really pumped up for the race.(作表語)

The term wash-up is the act of washing yourself(o r another person).(作同位語)

短語動詞的名詞化生成新詞新義的潛力較大,速度較快,大大增加了英語的構詞能力,使原本動態的過程變為靜態。名詞化的短語動詞,在表達意義時濃縮了信息、增加了小句的信息量,并且更加生動和形象,與其他動詞共用,為語言增加了更多的色彩。如pop-up refers to computingsomething that appears over or above the open window on a computer screen(瀏覽頁面時,不斷跳出的視窗);Up-sell is a sales technique whereby a salesman attempts to have the customer purchase more expensive item s,upgrades,or other add-ons in an attempt to make a more profitable sale(嘗試說服顧客購買較昂貴的商品或服務);Upshift refers to taking on a fast-paced,high-stress job after having previously retired or moved to a low-stress job(從事競爭力更強,壓力更大的工作);wrapup is a brief final summary,as of the new s(綜合報道,簡訊);Upconvert is the act of converting one set of values to a higher set of values(把影像的畫面尺寸變換成更大尺寸的行為,特別是指,把從來的普通電視廣播尺寸的SD品質的影像變換為高精細電視尺寸的HD品質的行為);Walk-up is an apartment house or office building with no elevator(沒有電梯的公寓或辦公樓)等。

四、結語

綜上所述,以最新英語報刊新聞語料庫為研究基礎的由小品詞up構成的30個新短語動詞有如下語義特點。

第一,新短語動詞所表達的語義包括:表示整合的過程、表示提升或提高、表示從事某種活動或行為、表示瞬間的行為或狀態、表示互動的行為或狀態、表示事物存在的狀態、表示事物不斷進展的過程、表示某種精神狀態等幾個方面。

第二,Up在這些新短語動詞中的意義分為以下幾種:準備和開始、價格等的提高質量的增強和改善、在一起或合起來、出現或創造。

第三,在由小品詞up構成的30個新短語動詞中,名詞化的短語動詞就有17個,約占總數的57%。其結構分為三大類:左分支結構、右分支結構,還有以動名詞或分詞+小品詞構成的名詞化短語動詞。這些名詞化的新短語動詞在句中的成分分為:作主語、賓語、定語、表語和同位語等。這些名詞化的短語動詞意義表達更加生動和形象,為語言增加了更多的色彩。

[1] Palmer,F.R.The English Verb.New York:Longman Group Limited,1974.

[2] Quirk,Ret al.A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language.New York:Long man World Publishing Corp,1985:1150-1167.

[3] Richards,Jack C.et al.Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics.Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2000:309.