Abstract:

The concept of finiteness has complex connotations in contemporary linguistics. The morphology-based traditional approach, the syntax-based generative approach, and the form-meaning-based functional approach present markedly different interpretations of finiteness within different theoretical frameworks. This paper adopts a cross-linguistic perspective to review and prospect previous studies on finiteness in Chinese, finding that: (1) research on Chinese finiteness has generally followed three major lines of inquiry, namely structuralist, generativist, and functionalist approaches, each of which involves internal debates and controversies; (2) in current studies, insufficient attention has been paid to imperative clauses when exploring the functional foundations of finiteness, and the research scope has largely been confined to putonghua; (3) future researchers should adopt a cross-linguistic perspective, and a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of finiteness in Chinese is expected to be achieved through large-scale cross-linguistic, areal-typological, and cross-dialectal comparisons.

Keywords: cross-linguistic perspective; Chinese; finiteness; functional foundations; common language

摘要：

“限定性”概念在当代语言学中具有复杂内涵。基于形态的传统路径、基于句法的生成路径以及基于形式与意义的功能路径在各自的理论框架下，对限定性持不同理解。本文从跨语言视角出发，回顾并展望汉语限定性的以往研究，发现：①汉语限定性研究的基本思路可以分为结构主义、生成主义和功能主义3类，各思路内部尚有不同程度的争议；②现阶段的汉语限定性研究在探讨限定性的功能基础时对祈使句的关注相对不足，且研究范围主要局限于普通话；③未来研究中，应当进一步贯彻跨语言视角，通过大规模跨语言比较、区域类型比较以及跨方言比较，对汉语限定性问题获得更为全面和深入的认识。

关键词: 跨语言视角, 汉语, 限定性, 功能基础, 共同语