The Development of Long-Distance Binding for Chinese Ziji: Revisited

再探中文「自己」之長距離約束的兒童語言發展

10.6129/CJP.2004.460203.12

蘇宜青(Yi-Ching Su)

兒童語言習得 ； 中文長距離約束 ； first language acquisition ； Chinese long-distance binding

中華心理學刊

46卷2&3期（2004 / 06 / 01）

249 - 257

英文

本研究探討習得中文為母語的兒童如何詮釋含有長距離反身代名詞「自己」的句子。Chien, Wexler and Chang（1993）用圖片確認（picture verification）的方式測習得中文為母語的兒童對「自己」，「他自己」和「他」的理解。該研究在「自己」的部分結果顯示兒童允許長距離約束的比例平均為41%，五個年齡組（由三歲至八歲）之接受度由最低的30%到最後的45.8%，成人之接受度平均為38.54%。該研究結果中兒童與成人相似的詮釋模式對於反身代名詞「自己」之長距離約束的發展引發一個問題，即其詮釋是否由短距離至長距離逐漸發展，捀或是一互習得該詞便馬上容許長距離的詮釋。本研究包括兩個實驗，皆是使用真假值判斷（Crain and Thornton, 1998）作為實驗方法。由於實驗故事中提供具體的語境給受試者判斷句意，本研究的兩個實驗結果顯示：中文反身代名詞「自己」的長距離約束之發展是逐漸的，且該反身代名詞是出現在動詞前或動詞後也會影響句子是否容易得到長距離約束的詮釋。

This study examines Chinese-speaking children's interpretations of sentences containing long-distance reflexive ziji 'self'. Chien, Wexler and Chang (1993) used a picture verification task to test Chinese-speaking children's knowledge of ziji 'self', taziji 'himself' and ta 'he'. Their results on the interpretation of ziji 'self' showed that children allowed long-distance binding about 41% of the time, ranging from 30% to 45.8% for the five age groups (from 3 to 8 years old), and adults about 38.54% of the time. The similar response patterns from children and adults in Chien et al'.s study raise a question as whether there is a gradual development from strictly local to long-distance binding for ziji, or the long-distance binding for ziji, or the long-distance interpretation is acquired immediately once children acquire the word. Two experiments were conducted in this study, using a truth value judgment task (Crain and Thornton, 1998). With specific contexts for subjects to interpret the test sentences, the results of the two experiments showed that there is a gradual development from local to long-distance binding for ziji in Chinese, and that whether the reflexive is in a pre-verbal or a post-verbal position has an effect on the availability of the long-distance interpretation.

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