An Empirical Study of EFL Learners’ Acquisition of English Classifier Constructions: A Cognitive Linguistics Approach文献综述

 2023-03-23 08:03

Literature Review

1. English Classifier Construction

1.1 The Definition of English Classifier Construction

Classifiers as a specific class in classifier languages are used to measure quantities. For non classifier languages, quantification is realized by a distinction between single and plural forms (Shi Yuzhi, 2001). In classifier languages, however, there is a fixed set of morphemes that are obliged to individuate masses, according to Allan (1977a, b), Denny (1976, 1979), Adams and Conklin (1973). However, the English counterpart of classifier is not obligatory. In English, mass nouns can be flexibly used as count nouns, and the application of any implicit classifier is dependent on the pragmatics of the situation(Lehrer, 1986). Therefore, English is not standard classifier language.

Despite this, many scholars have agreed on the existence of an open set of words in English that are functionally similar to classifiers. Quirk(1972, 1985) is one of the first to study the English classifier construction and claimed them a specific group. He summarized a quantifying structure “a/ number N1 N2” where N1 can be regarded as a classifier. Lehrer (1986) proposed a similar construction “(Det) N1 of (Det)N2” and clarified its function of individuating masses, marking quantities as well as categorizing the classified nouns based on certain shared characters. Wright and Kathol(2003) call the structure English measure phrases featured by the form “N of NP”, the functions of which comply with Lehrerrsquo;s conclusions. Allan(1977) calls the construction “Quantifier^Classifier^N” as in : Q[two] C[pieces] of N[equipment].

In terms of the first noun (N1) in the English classifier construction, scholars have not settled down a unanimous name, since it is not strictly a classifier as in a classifier language. It has been called “class quantifier” by Sinclair et al( 1990) “quantifiers” by D. A. Wilkins and Langacker（1991 (1991: 88-89) , “measure noun constructions” by Brems (20003), “partitives” by R. Quirk(1972). McEnery and Xiao (2006) claim it typical classifier in English after a systematic comparison between English and Chinese and concluded that N1 in the English classifier construction parallels with Chinese classifiers. Allan proposed two criteria to determine a classifier, based on which he later claimed that “perhaps all languages have classifiers (Allan, 1977).”

(a) they occur as morphemes in surface structures under specifiable conditions;

(b) they have meaning, in the sense that a classifier denotes some salient perceived or imputed characteristic of the entity to which an associated noun refers (or may refer).

Wang Wenbin and Mao Zhihui (2009) also considered that English has classifiers based on his criteria of being a classifier:

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