本書運(yùn)用Fleischman等人的時態(tài)敘事理論，提出時態(tài)分析三維框架，同時采用語料庫的方法，基于自建《紐約時報》新聞報道語料庫，對英語新聞報道中的時態(tài)使用狀況進(jìn)行了深入而細(xì)致的定量定性研究，發(fā)現(xiàn)了新聞報道中時態(tài)的使用特征和功能，為觀察新聞類文本的時態(tài)使用提供了不同的視角。本研究顯示，時態(tài)的功能與動詞類型、時態(tài)所處文本位置密不可分，時態(tài)不僅局限于指涉時間，而且發(fā)揮重要的語篇和元語言功能。時態(tài)使用的新聞文體特征分析，為研究時態(tài)與動詞類型的關(guān)系、時態(tài)聚類以及時態(tài)的語篇功能嘗試了新的思路。
盡管時態(tài)在小說或口頭敘事中有大量研究，英語新聞報道中的時態(tài)研究卻少有探索，而且，研究新聞文本時態(tài)使用，常規(guī)方法在面對海量的數(shù)據(jù)時，會顯得乏力。為了彌補(bǔ)這一不足，本研究基于佛萊什曼（Fleischman）的時態(tài)敘事理論，采用基于語料庫的方法，提出時態(tài)分析三維框架，用于分析時態(tài)在新聞報道中的使用。框架的三個維度分別是：時態(tài)選擇、（與時態(tài)相關(guān)的）動詞類型、文本位置（時態(tài)或動詞類型在文本中所處位置）。這三個維度兩兩組合，構(gòu)成三個層面，它們與三維總體分析一起，提供了觀察時態(tài)使用的不同視角。借助語料庫技術(shù)，三維框架用于分析自建《紐約時報》語料庫。首先在三個分析層面研究單個時態(tài)的使用，有如下發(fā)現(xiàn)：在時態(tài)-文本位置層面，不同時態(tài)具有不同的文本分布模式，一般現(xiàn)在時和現(xiàn)在完成時呈多峰值分布，一般過去時從開始至結(jié)尾呈穩(wěn)步上升趨勢。在時態(tài)-動詞層面，利用Wordsmith 4.0軟件計算出與一般現(xiàn)在時、一般過去時和現(xiàn)在完成時關(guān)聯(lián)的動詞，并根據(jù)萬德勒（Vendler）的分類將其分為四類動詞，發(fā)現(xiàn)不同時態(tài)對不同動詞類型有不同的吸引力，一般現(xiàn)在時吸引狀態(tài)動詞，一般過去時吸引成就動詞，現(xiàn)在完成時偏好成就和活動動詞。在動詞-文本位置層面，四類動詞類型的分布曲線與時態(tài)分布曲線非常相似，該發(fā)現(xiàn)從另一個側(cè)面驗證時態(tài)-動詞研究中所揭示的時態(tài)與動詞類型之間的吸引關(guān)系。最后，綜合三個維度，分析時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組在不同文本位置的變化趨勢，發(fā)現(xiàn)現(xiàn)在完成時與四類動詞的結(jié)合使用在文本分布中保持相對穩(wěn)定，一般現(xiàn)在時與動詞類型的關(guān)聯(lián)隨文本位置不同而發(fā)生變化，在10-19%文本位置，一般現(xiàn)在時與完成類動詞的關(guān)聯(lián)從40.87%降至28.82%，狀態(tài)動詞和行為類動詞分別從35.23%升至41.20%，從21.83%升至28.25%。上述定量分析所發(fā)現(xiàn)的時態(tài)的宏觀特征，可以通過定性分析得到解釋，時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組所在索引行分析表明，時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組在不同文本位置有不同的功能，這些不同功能累積構(gòu)成其宏觀層面的使用及分布特征，從而解釋了定量分析的發(fā)現(xiàn)。三維分析框架接下來用于時態(tài)聚合分析，即在兩個段落范圍內(nèi)高頻共現(xiàn)的時態(tài)連用。統(tǒng)計提取出的時態(tài)聚合，從三個維度進(jìn)行分析，分析其動詞特征、文本位置及功能，發(fā)現(xiàn)了時態(tài)在謀篇方面的新功能�，F(xiàn)在完成時常用于引導(dǎo)一系列過去時或者用于一系列過去時的結(jié)尾處，在該聚合中，現(xiàn)在完成時分別用于引出一個新的話題，標(biāo)志話題結(jié)束。連用的現(xiàn)在完成時可用于分離兩個故事，渲染高潮。一般現(xiàn)在時的連用也具有新聞特色，它可以標(biāo)志新聞報道的特寫式開頭，或記者解讀。一般現(xiàn)在時與一般過去時的交替使用是模糊記者聲音和被引用者聲音、記者悄悄嵌入自己的觀點的一種手段。時態(tài)聚合分析與單個時態(tài)分析互相補(bǔ)充，可以發(fā)現(xiàn)后者不易發(fā)現(xiàn)或容易忽略的一些具體語篇功能。上述發(fā)現(xiàn)是時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組的特性在具體使用中的體現(xiàn)，以所發(fā)現(xiàn)的時態(tài)功能為基礎(chǔ)，本文總結(jié)了時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組在指稱、文本、表達(dá)、元語言四個層面的特性，彌補(bǔ)佛萊什曼時態(tài)分析的不足，補(bǔ)充了佛萊什曼沒有分析的現(xiàn)在完成時。同時，總結(jié)了在新聞報道中時態(tài)所發(fā)揮的文本、表達(dá)和元語言層面的功能。本研究取得的結(jié)果證明，三維時態(tài)分析框架，為時態(tài)分析提供了一個可行的具體可操作的分析框架，并且揭示了新聞報道中時態(tài)使用的新聞文體特征。定量和定性分析發(fā)現(xiàn)的時態(tài)使用特征和功能，側(cè)面反映了影響新聞寫作的新聞價值觀，為新聞界提出的解釋性新聞報道的近期興起提供了數(shù)據(jù)支持。本研究顯示，時態(tài)的功能與動詞類型、時態(tài)所處文本位置密不可分。時態(tài)不僅局限于指涉時間，時態(tài)發(fā)揮重要的文本、表達(dá)、元語言功能。時態(tài)可用于突顯或背景化相關(guān)信息、分割新聞報道中的不同主線副線、或者標(biāo)志敘事性或非敘事性文本。時態(tài)使用與其所在語篇，乃至其所屬的體裁（genre）密不可分。這些發(fā)現(xiàn)從實證的視角回答了時態(tài)使用的問題，進(jìn)一步增加了對時態(tài)的理解，為時態(tài)使用和新聞研究提供了新視角，完善了現(xiàn)有的時態(tài)理論，為將來的時態(tài)研究指出了一條新的研究路徑。
張立英，上海交通大學(xué)英語語言學(xué)及應(yīng)用語言學(xué)專業(yè)博士研究生，主攻語料庫語言學(xué)，2014年獲得博士學(xué)位。之后在解放軍外國語學(xué)院從事博士后研究�，F(xiàn)于解放軍外國語學(xué)院英語系任教。研究方向為語料庫語言學(xué)、認(rèn)知語言學(xué)，參與過多個*或軍隊級科研項目，發(fā)表論文10余篇。
Chapter1 Introduction ········································································1
1.1 Background of the research ···················································1
1.2 Purpose and significance of the research ····································3
1.3 Data and methodology ·························································6
1.4 Organization of the book ······················································9
Chapter 2 Literature Review ·······························································11
2.1 The study of tense in narrative ···············································11
2.2 Studies of tense in media discourse and in corpus linguistics ···········22
2.3 Reflections on previous studies ··············································24
Chapter 3 Theoretical Framework ························································27
3.1 Fleischmans theory of tense-aspect in narrative ·························27
3.2 Labov and Waletzkys narrative model and Bells model structurefor news text ·········31
3.3 A three-dimensional framework for tense analysis ·······················34
Chapter 4 Tense Use on the Three Planes ···············································41
4.1 Tense-position planeTextual distribution of the tenses ················42
4.2 Tense-verb planeVerbs associated with the three tenses ···············47
4.3 Verb-position planeTextual distribution of verb categories ···········62
4.4 Tense, position and verb categories ·········································67
Chapter 5 Tense Patterns ····································································92
5.1 Patterns of the present tenseDistribution and functions ················92
5.2 Present perfect patternsDistribution and functions ··················107
5.3 Consecutive use of present perfect and its functions in news report·········120
Chapter 6 Textual, Expressive and Metalinguistic Functions of Tense ···········132
6.1 Properties of tense-verb construction ·····································132
6.2 Textual function of tenses ··················································137
6.3 Expressive function of tenses ··············································141
6.4 Metalinguistic function of tenses ··········································143
6.5 The functions of tense and modern journalism ·························145
Chapter 7 Conclusion ·······································································147
7.1 Summary of the findings ···················································147
7.2 Conclusion ···································································150
7.3 Limitations and suggestions for further study ···························153
Bibliography ·····················································································156
Appendix A Verbs associated with the present tense ·································169
Appendix B Verbs associated with the past tense ·····································177
Appendix C Verbs associated with the present perfect ·······························185
Appendix D Analysis of News Samples ··················································193
1 Analysis of Sample News 1 ················································194
2 Analysis of Sample News 2 ················································198
Appendix E Sample News Text 1 ·························································204
Appendix F Sample News Text 2 ·························································208
Appendix G Sample News Text 3 ·························································211
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