本書運用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)使用狀況進行了深入而細致的定量定性研究，發(fā)現了新聞報道中時態(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據時，會顯得乏力。為了彌補這一不足，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�？蚣艿娜齻�維度分別是：時態(tài)選擇、（與時態(tài)相關的）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，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：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，一般現在時和現在完成時呈多峰值分布，一般過去時從開始至結尾呈穩(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在時、一般過去時和現在完成時關聯(lián)的動詞，并根據萬德勒（Vendler）的分類將其分為四類動詞，發(fā)現不同時態(tài)對不同動詞類型有不同的吸引力，一般現在時吸引狀態(tài)動詞，一般過去時吸引成就動詞，現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)現從另一個側面驗證時態(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)現現在完成時與四類動詞的結合使用在文本分布中保持相對穩(wěn)定，一般現在時與動詞類型的關聯(lián)隨文本位置不同而發(fā)生變化，在10-19%文本位置，一般現在時與完成類動詞的關聯(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。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高頻共現的時態(tài)連用。統(tǒng)計提取出的時態(tài)聚合，從三個維度進行分析，分析其動詞特征、文本位置及功能，發(fā)現了時態(tài)在謀篇方面的新功能�，F在完成時常用于引導一系列過去時或者用于一系列過去時的結尾處，在該聚合中，現在完成時分別用于引出一個新的話題，標志話題結束。連用的現在完成時可用于分離兩個故事，渲染高潮。一般現在時的連用也具有新聞特色，它可以標志新聞報道的特寫式開頭，或記者解讀。一般現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)分析互相補充，可以發(fā)現后者不易發(fā)現或容易忽略的一些具體語篇功能。上述發(fā)現是時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組的特性在具體使用中的體現，以所發(fā)現的時態(tài)功能為基礎，本文總結了時態(tài)-動詞聯(lián)組在指稱、文本、表達、元語言四個層面的特性，彌補佛萊什曼時態(tài)分析的不足，補充了佛萊什曼沒有分析的現在完成時。同時，總結了在新聞報道中時態(tài)所發(fā)揮的文本、表達和元語言層面的功能。本研究取得的結果證明，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)現的時態(tài)使用特征和功能，側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據支持。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、元語言功能。時態(tài)可用于突顯或背景化相關信息、分割新聞報道中的不同主線副線、或者標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)現從實證的視角回答了時態(tài)使用的問題，進一步增加了對時態(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，上海交通大學英語語言學及應用語言學專業(yè)博士研究生，主攻語料庫語言學，2014年獲得博士學位。之后在解放軍外國語學院從事博士后研究�，F于解放軍外國語學院英語系任教。研究方向為語料庫語言學、認知語言學，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
書單推薦
