代词it的主观化-外国语言学与应用语言学专业论文.docx

ON SUBJECTIFICATION OF THE PRONOUN IT By Xu Zhiping Under the supervision of Dr. Hu Jian A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts to the School of Foreign Studies Anhui University April 2009 i i Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Dr. Hu Jian, who has carefully corrected my writing and given me thought-provoking suggestions. Words fail me to convey my gratitude to her for her industrious work, enthusiastic encouragement, inspiring comments, patient help and precious advice. To some extent, without her constant encouragement, I can not finish this thesis. I also feel obliged to the outstanding teachers in the Foreign Studies of Anhui University, like Prof. Zhu Yue, Prof. Zhou Fangzhu, Prof. Zhu Xiaomei, Prof. Zhang Ming, Dr. Yang Ling, Dr. Zhang Hongxia, ect., whose profound knowledge and sincere attitudes towards study are sure to have far-reaching influence upon me. Last but not least, my gratitude is given to my wife, who has been creating a pleasant working environment for me during my preparation for the thesis. ii ii Abstract It, as a pronoun, has been studied both at home and abroad. However, the literature review shows that there is no adequate exploration into such issues, like whether there are connections between the diversified uses of the pronoun it, what connections exist among them, what is the driving force behind the extension of its functions and interpretations. The present study aims to depict the mechanism and process of the diversification of the uses of the pronoun it with the theory of subjectivity and subjectification. According to cognitive linguistics, subjectivity, which is recognized as a human cognitive motivation, plays a significant role in the evolution of syntactic structures. ―Subjectivity‖ in this study is defined as the expression of self and representation of a speaker‘s perspective and point of view in the propositions;