【作者】 张蕾；

【导师】 鲍贵；

【作者基本信息】 南京工业大学 ， 外国语言学及应用语言学， 2012， 硕士

【摘要】 句法复杂性是语言发展的一个重要组成部分。大多数学者关注于通过学习者的口笔语的产出来分析句法复杂性是否能很好的区分文本/语言水平、不同年龄/年级之间的关系。但是，很少有研究考察学习者全面掌握复杂句式的情况，尤其是在非谓语动词知识这一方面。而且在理解学习者怎样运用句法复杂性知识来帮助他们产出复杂句式或口语的这一方面还存在研究上的空白。因此，本文旨在探讨从句类型、非谓语动词类型以及任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性的影响，具体研究问题如下：1.从句类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著的效应？1.1从句类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著的主效应？1.2任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著的主效应？1.3从句类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性上是否有显著的交互作用？2.非谓语动词类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著的效应？2.1非谓语动词类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著的主效应？2.2任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性是否有显著地主效应？2.3非谓语动词类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性上是否有显著的交互作用？在本研究中，复杂句式类型由从句类型和非谓语动词构成。从句类型主要有三种类型：定语从句、状语从句和名词性从句。非谓语动词类型也分为三种：不定式、分词和动名词。任务类型包括组句测试（产出性组句知识测试）和语法判断（接受性组句知识测试）。组句测试由75题构成，语法判断由40题构成。本研究采用两个2×3重复测量方差因素设计。本研究的受试来自南京工业大学、盐城师范学院以及盐城工学院5个自然班的147名英语专业二年级学生。2012年4月的第一周，所有受试者随堂参加了组句测试。一周后，同批受试者随堂参加了语法判断。所有受试者的数据均为有效数据。本研究采用了两次重复测量方差因素分析，测量结果如下：1.从句类型(η~2=0.35, F=77.04, p <.001,)和任务类型(η~2=0.64, F=250.48,p <.001)对英语学习者句法复杂性均有显著性的主效应。从句类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性产生交互作用(η~2=0.48, F=137.17, p <.001)。在合并句子中，状语从句显著好于关系从句，但在语法判断中，两者无显著差别。状语从句和名词性从句的使用在合并句子中没有显著性差别，但是在语法判断中，状语从句显著好于名词性从句。关系从句和名词性从句在合并句子中有显著差别，但在语法判断中，它们不存在显著差别。2.非谓语动词类型(η~2=0.29, F=59.39, p <.05)和任务类型(η~2=0.03, F=4.94, p <.05)对英语学习者句法复杂性均产生显著性的主效应。非谓语动词类型和任务类型对英语学习者句法复杂性产生交互作用(F=46.49, p <.05, η~2=0.24)。在合并句子中，动词不定式的使用显著好于分词，但是在语法判断中，两者无显著差别。分词和动名词的使用在合并句子中有显著性差别，但在语法判断中，结果正好相反。不管是在合并句子还是在语法判断中，动词不定式的使用都显著好于动名词。概而言之，本研究发现英语学习者句法复杂性受从句类型、非谓语动词类型以及任务类型的显著影响。本研究的结果支持了“可变模型”假设和语言多层面性理论。学习者掌握了部分句法复杂性的知识，并且能够帮助他们产出复杂的句式。此外，学习者在语言知识的不同层面上（接受性和产出性知识）之间也存在差异。本研究对外语教学有重要的启示。一方面，外语教学应加强系统的句法复杂性训练。另一方面，虽然定语从句是学习者在二语习得的一个难点，但是各种类型从句的句法复杂性的训练应该用来促进学习者的句法发展。更多还原

【Abstract】 Syntactic complexity is a very important component of language development.Most researchers have shown interest in whether syntactic complexity distinguisheswell between/among genres/proficiency levels, different ages/grades by analyzing EFLlearners’ oral/written output and their research has contributed a lot to ourunderstanding of how EFL learners’ development of syntactic complexity is affected bydifferent factors. Unfortunately, EFL learners’ comprehensive complex structureknowledge, little research has been conducted on, especially in the non-finite verb type,an important factor influencing their production. Moreover, a gap needs to be filled inunderstanding how EFL learners’ knowledge of syntactic complexity helps them toproduce syntactically complex sentences/utterances. This study aims to explore howcomplex syntactic structure type and task type influence EFL learners’ syntacticcomplexity. To be specific, this research answers the following two big questions:1. How do clause type and task type influence EFL learners’ syntactic complexity?1.1How does clause type influence EFL learners’ syntactic complexity?1.2How does task type influence EFL learners’ syntactic complexity?1.3Is there any interaction between clause type and task type for EFL learners’syntactic complexity?2. How do non-finite verb type and task type influence EFL learners’ syntacticcomplexity?2.1. How does non-finite verb type influence EFL learners’ syntacticcomplexity?2.2How does task type influence EFL learners’ syntactic complexity?2.3Is there any interaction between non-finite verb type and task type for EFLlearners’ syntactic complexity?In this study, complex syntactic structure type is composed of two categories:clause type and non-finite verb type. Clause type is categorized into3levels: relativeclause, adverbial clause and nominal clause. Non-finite verb type falls into3levels:infinitive, participle and gerund. Task type consists of two levels, sentence combining (productive knowledge of syntactic complexity) and grammaticality judgment(receptive knowledge of syntactic complexity). The design is two2×3repeatedmeasures factorial ANOVAs.This study chose five intact classes of147second-year English majors fromNanjing University of Technology, Yan Cheng Institute of Technology, and Yan ChengTeachers University as subjects. In the first week, all the students took the test ofsentence combining, which included75items and one week later, they were required totake the other test of grammaticality judgment and40items designed. The data from allthe subjects were valid.Two repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted, with the findings given below:1. Both clause type and task type have significant main effects on EFL learners’syntactic complexity. Specifically, they both have a large effect size (for clause type: η~2=0.35, F=77.04, p <.001; for task type: η~2=0.64, F=250.48, p <.001). And there isa significant interaction between clause type and task type (F=137.17, p <.001, with alarge effect size, η~2=0.48). In sentence combining, the use of adverbial clauses issignificantly better than that of relative clauses, whereas in grammaticality judgment,there is no significant difference between them. Besides, in sentence combining, there isno significant difference between the use of adverbial clauses and that of nominalclauses; while in grammaticality judgment, there is a significant difference betweenthem. Moreover, in sentence combining, there is a significant difference between theuse of nominal clauses and that of relative clauses, but in grammaticality judgment,there is no significant difference between them.2. Both non-finite verb type and task type have significant main effects on EFLlearners’ syntactic complexity. Specially, non-finite verb type has a large effect size (η~2=0.29, F=59.39, p <.05), while task type has a small effect size (η~2=0.03, F=4.94, p<.05). Moreover, there is a significant interaction between non-finite verb type and tasktype, with a large effect size (η~2=0.24, F=46.49, p <.05). In sentence combining,the use of infinitives is significantly better than that of participles, whereas there is nosignificant difference between them. And in sentence combining, the use of gerunds issignificantly better than that of participles, but the contrary is true of grammaticality judgment. Additionally, in both tests of sentence combining and grammaticalityjudgment, the use of infinitives is significantly better than that of gerunds.To sum up, EFL learners’ syntactic complexity is significantly affected by clausetype, non-finite verb type and task type. These results lend support to the VariableCompetence Model and dimensionality of language knowledge. EFL learners have thepartial knowledge of syntactic complexity, which can help them to producesyntactically complex sentences. There is a gap in dimensionality of languageknowledge (between productive and receptive knowledge of syntactic complexity) ofEFL learners. This study also has important pedagogical implications for furtherresearch. On one hand, more and systematic practice in syntactic complexity techniquesmight be in order in the second language classroom. On the other hand, althoughrelative clause as one of the difficult points for EFL learners to acquire in secondlanguage acquisition, intensive practice on all types of clauses and non-finite verbwould be invaluable in expediting the syntactic development for EFL learners.更多还原