時貌與時序關係的互動：以完成貌「了」為例

Interactions Between Aspects and Temporal Relations: A Case Study of the Perfective le

本篇論文探討完成貌「了」如何影響時序關係。本人論證，漢語中，時貌標記透過修辭關係以下面兩種方式間接影響時序關係：一、當文章脈絡中沒有其他時序關係之訊息時，時貌標記依其語意決定一修辭關係，修辭關係再決定時序關係；二、時貌標記標示一時序限制，供修辭關係所標示之時序關係遵守。因為完成貌「了」把一個事件視為一個整體，本人提出：當文章脈絡中沒有任何相關訊息時，完成貌「了」標示修辭關係「敘述」，而「敘述」則表示時序關係與事件被描述之順序相符合。此外，完成貌「了」亦限制了其所呈現之事件，其內部過程非有必要不能讀取。此外，本篇論文也替「敘述」及「闡述」兩個修辭關係分別提出了新的時序關係。

This paper discusses how perfective le influences temporal relations. I argue that, in Mandarin, an aspect indirectly influences temporal relations via rhetorical relations in two ways: first, based on its semantics, an aspect specifies a default rhetorical relation, which in turn determines a temporal relation, when there is no cue or other information in the discourse indicating otherwise, and second, an aspect sets up a temporal constraint, which the temporal relations specified by rhetorical relations must obey. Perfective le has been argued to present a situation as a whole. Based on its semantics, I argue that perfective le specifies a default rhetorical relation Narration, which indicates temporal progression, and sets up a temporal constraint: the internal process of a situation presented by perfective le cannot be accessed unless it is necessary. In addition, this paper proposes a new temporal relation for Narration and one for Elaboration. When a state that goes with perfective le is connected to the following sentence by Narration, it does not have to be the case that the whole state temporally precedes the situation described by the following sentence. Instead, it suffices that the starting point of the state temporally precedes the latter situation. Elaboration does not necessarily specify temporal inclusion, contra Asher & Lascarides (2003:160). When an achievement presented by perfective le is elaborated on, the situations providing more details temporally precede the achievement.