5個中英文的主要文法分別 #2 : 字形變化


在本系列的 #1中,我們討論了中文的句子結構容許省略名詞,而英文不能。


現在,我們來看另一個中英文的主要的文法分別 – 英文會轉變字形來表達不同的意思及文法資訊,但中文的字形在任何情況下,都是固定不變的。


語言學家將英文歸類為所謂的「綜合性」語言(synthetic language),中文則屬於所謂的「分析性」語言(analytic language)。


中文這種「分析性」語言中的字,無論要傳遞甚麼意思或文法資訊,字形都不會變。像中文,就是以添加額外字詞的方法來傳遞這些資訊,例如加入副詞(如「未食」的「未」),或額外的助詞(如「食咗」的「咗」)之類。


「綜合性」語言相反,它們的字詞可被拆分成多個部分,包括字根、前綴、和字尾,各部分都有自己的意思。它們會透過加入或合拼不同的部分來轉變字形,以此傳遞不同的意思和文法資訊。


例如,中文的動詞,不管在句子中扮演甚麼角色,或表達出哪些文法資訊,其字形都保持一致:


  1. 我琴日迪士尼。

  2. 我聽日迪士尼。

  3. 我哋幾年都一直有迪士尼。

  4. 迪士尼好好玩。


上述例句1-3中,「去」這個動作的發生「時間」和「狀態」都各有不同,但「去」字沒有因此而變了字形。而例句4中,「去」扮演了名詞角色(「去迪士尼」這動作),但字形還是維持一樣。這是因為中文字詞不會轉變字形的文法特徵。


對比,英文的動詞,是依靠轉變字形的方式來表達不同文法資訊的,當中包括動作的時間和狀態,以及它們在句子中的角色:


  1. I went to Disneyland.

  2. I am going to Disneyland.

  3. I have been going to Disneyland a lot these past few years.

  4. Going to Disneyland is fun. 


上述例句1-3中,動詞「go」轉變成不同的字形,以表現動作發生的不同時間和狀態。而例句4中「go」的字形,表現出它是一個作為句子主語的名詞。


我們再用兩個語言中的名詞作例子。


中文名詞不會因應數量(單數或眾數)去改變字形。


例如:


  1. 呢間餐廳好出名。

  2. 香港有好多出名嘅餐廳


就算第一句中的「餐廳」是單數,第二句是眾數,但作為名詞的「餐廳」仍保持字形一致。


英文的名詞,則會加入額外字尾或改變字形來呈現眾數狀態:


  1. This restaurant is famous.

  2. There are many famous restaurants in Hong Kong.


而相信大家都知道,(大部分)可數的英文名詞在表現眾數時,會加入字尾「-s」(發音是 /s/ 或 /z/)。


由於中文是「分析性」,而英文是「綜合性」的,對於英文要轉變字形來傳遞意思和文法資訊,中文母語人士也就自然不敏感。


當你意識到這點,在平時進行英文會話和書寫時,記得加倍注意字形(尤其是動詞和名詞)的變化,來避免犯錯。


_____________________


小練習:


嘗試把以下句子翻譯成英文。

(請注意字形)


Translate the following simple sentences into English, paying attention to word forms.


  1. 嗰邊有好多。佢架係新嘅。


  1. 我想籃球。籃球好好玩。


_________________


答案:


  1. There are many cars over there. His car is new.


  1. I want to play basketball. Playing basketball is fun. 


_______________

(English version) 



5 Main Differences between Chinese and English Grammar


#2: Word form changes


In #1 of this series, we explored how Chinese grammar allows the dropping of nouns within the structure of a sentence, but English grammar does not allow it. 


This time, let’s look at another major difference between the grammars of the two languages, which is that words in English change forms to express different meanings and grammatical information, while Chinese words do not ever change forms.


Linguists classify English as a so-called “synthetic” language and Chinese as a so-called “analytic” language. 


“Analytic” languages like Chinese contain words that do not change forms to convey different meanings or grammatical information. Instead, Chinese uses additional words – like adverbs, additional particles – to convey these. 


“Synthetic” languages, on the other hand, contain words that can be broken down further into different word parts – including word roots, prefixes, and suffixes – which all contain meaning. Words can change their forms – mostly by adding and/or combining these different word parts – in order to convey different meanings and grammatical information. 


Chinese verbs remain the same no matter what role they are playing in a sentence, or what grammatical information they are conveying.


For example:


  1. 我琴日迪士尼。

  2. 我聽日迪士尼。

  3. 我哋幾年都一直有迪士尼。

  4. 迪士尼好好玩。


For example, the “time” and “state” of the action of “去" are different in sentences (1) to (3), but the form of “去" remains the same. In sentence (4), “去" is playing the role of a noun – the “doing” of the action of “去" – but it also has the same form. This is because Chinese words cannot change forms.


English verbs, however, change forms to express different grammatical information, including the time and state of the action as well as their role in the sentence:


  1. I went to Disneyland.

  2. I am going to Disneyland.

  3. I have been going to Disneyland a lot these past few years.

  4. Going to Disneyland is fun. 


In sentences (1) to (3), the verb “go” changes into different forms to convey different information about the “time” and “state” of the action. In sentence (4), the form of “go” conveys that the word is playing the role of a noun as it acts as the subject of the sentence. 


Let’s look at another example, this time with nouns. 


Chinese nouns do not change forms to convey “number” (as in, “singular” or “plural”).


For example:


  1. 呢間餐廳好出名。

  2. 香港有好多出名嘅餐廳


The noun “餐廳" remains the same even though it is singular in (1) and plural in (2).


However, English nouns take on additional endings or change forms when they become plural:


  1. This restaurant is famous.

  2. There are many famous restaurants in Hong Kong.


As you probably know, (most) grammatically countable nouns in English take on the ending “-s” (pronounced as /s/ or /z/ in speech) when they are plural. 


Because Chinese is “analytic” and English is “synthetic,” it is natural for Chinese native speakers learning English to not be sensitive to the fact that English words change forms to convey different meanings and grammatical information. 


If you have an awareness of this, you can try to avoid mistakes by paying extra attention to the word forms (especially of verbs and nouns) that you are using when speaking/writing English. 


_____________________


Mini Exercise:


Translate the following simple sentences into English, paying attention to word forms.


  1. 嗰邊有好多。佢架係新嘅。


  1. 我想籃球。籃球好好玩。


_________________


Answers:


  1. There are many cars over there. His car is new.


  1. I want to play basketball. Playing basketball is fun. 


_____________


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