本文主要探讨疑问代词"什么"的否定用法及其成因,揭示表示否定意义的"什么"句的语义形成与识解机制。文章首先描写了"什么"句表示否定意义的七种主要环境,指出这种"什么"句主要表示对某种事物(或性状、行为、观点等)的合理性的否定,也就是认为它不具有合理性。文章还指出,疑问代词"什么"表示否定往往是对"引述内容"的否定,是一种元语言否定(即语用否定),而不是语义否定。接着,文章着重揭示了"什么"句表示否定意义的内在原因:"什么"所否定的对象在意义上往往具有"反通常性"的特点,说话人由反常的迹象而心生疑惑;在"疑善信恶"原则的指导下,对相关的事情进行否定性猜测,即不相信某种正面和积极的可能性,转而相信某种负面和消极的可能性,从而使得整个"什么"句涌现出否定意义,即否定某种事物或行为的合理性。同时,文章还揭示了听话人在识解表示否定意义的"什么"句时所采取的策略,即基于"疑善信恶"这种反常思想。最后,文章还探讨了疑问和否定的相通性:疑问和否定都是一种否定性语境,都具有向下蕴涵的语义推理特点,并且可以允准否定极项。
This paper mainly discusses the negative usage and its cause of the interrogative pronoun shenme,and reveals the formation and construal mechanism of the negative meaning of shenme-sentences.Firstly,the paper describes seven major circumstances under which the shenme-sentence conveys negative meaning,and points out that this kind of sentence mainly negates the rationality of something(or character,behavior,opinion,etc.).Then it demonstrates that shenme usually negates the quoted content;that is,it is a kind of metalinguistic negation(pragmatic negation)instead of semantic negation.Thirdly,it reveals that the reason for the shenme-sentenceto convey negative meaning is that the object negated usually has characteristics of abnormality,which triggers the speaker's suspicion.Under the guidance of the cognitive pattern of‘doubting the good but believing the bad',negative speculations are formed about the related things,which makes the sentence convey negative meaning.The same cognitive pattern also applies to the hearer's construal of such sentences.Finally,it discusses the relativity of negation to question.It points out that both negation and question are negative contexts which license downward entailment and negative polarity items.