【名詞】

名詞出場，必有標記

• I saw cat. —> 中式英文

• I saw a cat / the cat / cats / the

(X) cats. (O)

• A noun is used to refer to an entity.

• a / the is a hint to the hearers:

a dog	the dog
Indefinite: ONE but unfamiliar	Definite: ONE and familiar
One of a kind	A specific token
Non-identifiable to the hearer	Identifiable to the hearer

 

Four possible referential statuses:

1. 我不知你也不知 → unknown to S and H • I want to buy a car.

2. 我知但你不知 → known to S but unknown to H • I bought a car.

3. 我知你也知 → known to both S and H • I bought the car.

4. 你好像也知道(藉由限定) →made known to H • I want to buy the car [I saw yesterday].

 

 

何時用a？何時用the？

判別方法：可否指認

 

• Is it identifiable to the ________?

1) the: 你知我知 (identifiable to the hearer)

2) a: 你知我不知 (non-identifiable to the hearer)

A. What did you do yesterday?

B. I read a book yesterday. 聽者不知道是哪一本 I read the book yesterday. 說者認定聽者知道哪一本

 

情境一 Scenario 1

The first conversation today between two female classmates： A: You know what?! I bought the shirt last night. B: You did! I really like it.

—> the shirt is identifiable to the hearer.

(A認為B知道自己指的是哪一件襯衫)

 

情境二 Scenario 2

Between two female friends: A: You know what?! I bought B: You did! I’d like to see it

a new shirt

last night.

—> The speaker assumed this new shirt is unknown to the hearer. (A不認為B知道自己指的是哪一件襯衫)

 

情境三 Scenario 3

• A conversation between a wife and a husband： Wife：I called you at your office, but the operator answered the phone.

Husband: Oh, I was away from my desk for a while.

(老婆相信operator 是「可辨識指認」的訊息) (是公司場景中共有的知識)

 

 

1) Shared situation 共享情境

處在同一個情境當中的人都有同處的時空環 境：人、事、地、時、物

 

2) Shared discourse (共享的言談對話)

• 說者初次談及某事的時候，聽者對內容一無所知

• 我們必須把指涉對象建立出來

• 第一次介紹到的人、事、物都用 a

• 之後才用the或是人稱代名詞來指稱

I saw a friend yesterday at Starbucks. He loves coffee and drinks it every day. The friend and I used to visit all the newly opened coffee shops in the area.

 

3) Shared background knowledge(共享的背景知識)

A. Shared universe: the Sun, the Earth, the Mars

B. Shared experience: the President, the Mayor

C. Shared knowledge frame:

He bought a house, but the living room was too small. He was sent to the emergency room, and the doctor…

• 處於相同社會或文化中的人，擁有共同的背景知識

• 日常生活的認知，會形成一套知識框架 （schema）

 

1. 定冠詞用在特定的名詞 • the capital of France、the United States

2. 世界上獨一無二的事物或自然現象的名詞 • the Earth、the Sun

 

 

定冠詞the

1. 江河、海洋、海峽、海灣、群島、山脈、沙漠 等專有名詞

• the Taiwan Strait、the English Channel.

1. 修飾上文已提過的人事物

• Last night I visited a man. The man is a singer.

1. 序數詞，形容詞最高級和方位名詞

• He won the first prize.

• He is the best singer in the south.

1. 單數名詞前，表示某一類的總稱 • The computer is a very important invention.

• 「泛指類型」的用法，「個體」代表群體。 專指類型

1. 在形容詞前，表示某類人或物 • the old、the young、the rich、the dead

• 用形容詞 （old） 來代替名詞的總類（old people）

1. 表示某姓氏的一家人 • The Browns often come to see us.

2. 和計時、計量的名詞連用 • He is paid by the month.

3. 常識範圍內已知的事物

• We went to a Chinese

restaurant. The waiter was…

 

可數與不可數

— Is it individualized?

• not a physical concept

• Related to language use!

認知上需要細分	認知上不需刻意細分
通常視為個體	通常視為整體
需要個體化	不需個體化
tears / noodles / drops	rice / sand / water

 

(O) The 2 nd World War / War World II

• 一般名詞大寫成為「稱謂詞」

• 序數需要定冠詞的要求

(X) The Chapter 2 The World War II

• 專有名詞已標記為獨特，不需冠詞

 

名詞不需要冠詞的情況

• 名詞的出現並非為了指涉個體

• 聽者無須辨明指涉對象

• 不需個體指涉的名詞

1. 複數名詞表示「無須辨明個體」

• I see dogs there. —> 不須細究是哪些狗

• I see the dogs. —> 複數使用指涉群體

1. 用不可數名詞表示「無須個體化」

• I eat rice. I like brown rice. —> 這種類型的米

 

 

A.

What did you do lately?

B.

I sold a house. 我賣了一棟房子

I sold houses. 我賣房子 (可能是房屋仲介)

I sold the house. 我賣了那棟(你知我知的)房子

→ 可能是自己的房子 the houses. 我賣了那些(你知我知的)房子

 

I sold the houses.

→ 可能是自己的房子  我賣了那些(你知我知的)房子

 

專有名詞可否加上the

(O) I saw President Ma yesterday.

(X) I saw the President Ma.

• 專有名詞僅此一家，指涉性強。不須額外標記

• 另外兩類的專有名詞

1) 稱謂 + 姓：President Obama = the President of the US

2) the + 大寫名詞：the Sun、the Moon (大寫標示專有性)

 

a / the 與時態的關係

1) 已發生的事實(Real events)

• I met a friend. / I bought a car.

• 指涉一個明確的個體 (a specific one)

• 聽者雖不知「哪一個」、但確實有「一個」

 

2) 未發生的事實(Unreal situations)

• I want to sell a house.

• 可以是明確的個體(a specific one)

• 也可能是尚未確定的任何一個(anyone)

 

情境一

A：What do you want to buy? B：I want to buy a book.

可能一：

I want to buy a book, but I haven’t found it here.

–> a specific book in mind (特定個體) token referring

 

可能二：

I want to buy a book, but I don’t know which one yet.

—> any book (一種種類) type referring

 

情境二

Richard would like to marry a rich woman.

可能一：

Richard wants to marry a rich woman, though he doesn’t love her.

—> a specific woman (特定個體)

 

可能二：

Richard wants to marry a rich woman, though he doesn’t know any.

—> any women (一種種類)

 

情境二 比較：

Richard married a rich woman.

可能一

(O) Richard married a rich woman, though he didn’t love her.

—> a specific women

 

可能二

(X) Richard married a rich woman, though he didn’t know any.

—> 不能是any women (已是事實)