基于語(yǔ)料庫(kù)的cease to do和cease doing研究

金長(zhǎng)革

(鞍山師范學(xué)院外國(guó)語(yǔ)學(xué)院，遼寧鞍山114007)

Cease是個(gè)常用詞，但國(guó)內(nèi)外對(duì)cease to do和cease doing的研究不多，在之前的研究中使用的語(yǔ)料有的來(lái)自語(yǔ)料庫(kù)，但使用的語(yǔ)料庫(kù)規(guī)模小，語(yǔ)料陳舊，檢索工具簡(jiǎn)陋，有的語(yǔ)料是作者杜撰的，不是真正使用的語(yǔ)言，加之英語(yǔ)發(fā)展很快，因此有些說(shuō)法是否還成立是個(gè)巨大的問(wèn)號(hào)，本文旨在總結(jié)和利用語(yǔ)料庫(kù)檢驗(yàn)之前的說(shuō)法，并欲解決下列問(wèn)題:1．在cease to exist中，cease是及物動(dòng)詞嗎?2．cease to do和cease doing的區(qū)別在哪里?本文使用了兩個(gè)大型語(yǔ)料庫(kù)以確保得到的數(shù)據(jù)更準(zhǔn)確，防止片面性。

一、之前的研究

麥克米倫詞典是這樣給cease下定義的:

1．［不及物動(dòng)詞］stop happening or continuing

If we don’t get more money，our community theater will cease to exist．

2．［及物動(dòng)詞］stop doing something cease doing/to do something

In 1981 he ceased being a player and moved intomanagement．

Ihad ceased to care what happened to her．

Quirk等(1985)認(rèn)為體動(dòng)詞(aspectual verbs)后接不定式或動(dòng)名詞在意義上沒(méi)有明顯的區(qū)別［1］。

Lucy started/continued/ceased to write/writing while in hospital．

Kaleta(2012)認(rèn)為cease to do表示靜態(tài)的或穩(wěn)定的狀態(tài)的停止，一些詞素表示情感和認(rèn)知狀態(tài)，如 amaze，think，care，enjoy 和 matter［2］。Fukuda(2008)認(rèn)為體動(dòng)詞不能后接表示“未實(shí)現(xiàn)的將來(lái)”的不定式，如，Today，the law ceased to have its effect tomorrow．也不能后接進(jìn)行時(shí)或完成時(shí);不定式可以表示一個(gè)重復(fù)的事件，如，That never ceases to amaze/amazingme．祈使句中用動(dòng)名詞［3］。

Freed(1978)認(rèn)為cease doing表示在特定的某時(shí)正在發(fā)生的事件，而cease to do表示在一段一般或非特定的時(shí)間斷斷續(xù)續(xù)進(jìn)行的事件［4］。

Lacey ceased cryingwhen she heard her parents come in the door．(Lacey was crying when she heard her parents come in the door．)

Lacey ceased to cry when she heard her parents come in the door．

Lacey ceased to cry whenever she heard her parents come in the door．他還認(rèn)為持續(xù)時(shí)間越長(zhǎng)越有可能用cease to do，持續(xù)時(shí)間越越短越有可能用cease doing。

Barbar resolved that for the rest of her life，she would cease to think/?thinking about the horror that she had endured thatweek［5］．

二、研究的方法

本文使用的語(yǔ)料庫(kù)是基于網(wǎng)絡(luò)的全球英語(yǔ)語(yǔ)料庫(kù)Corpus of Global Web－Based English(GloB-wE)和英語(yǔ)雙十語(yǔ)料庫(kù)(2012年版)EnTenTen12。它們都是世界最大的語(yǔ)料庫(kù)，單詞容量分別為19億和130億，分別建于2013年和2012年，語(yǔ)料來(lái)自網(wǎng)絡(luò)，語(yǔ)料來(lái)源國(guó)達(dá)二十個(gè)，它們能反映世界英語(yǔ)的最新發(fā)展，檢索功能強(qiáng)大。在GloWbE中輸入“［cease］to［vv］”檢索到含有“cease to do”的例句11 152個(gè)，輸入“［cease］［vvg］”檢索到含有含有cease doing的例句2 289個(gè)。利用EnTenT-en12中的檢索功能Word Sketch經(jīng)過(guò)人工編輯后檢索到含有cease to do的例句72 502個(gè)，含有cease doing的例句24 996個(gè)，檢索日期為2014年9－10月。本文利用這些語(yǔ)料數(shù)據(jù)研究cease to do和cease doing的用法和區(qū)別。

三、發(fā)現(xiàn)和討論

GloBwE檢索結(jié)果顯示與cease搭配的不定式前 20名的詞素分別是:exist，amaze，function，hold，operate，apply，work，make，believe，matter，carry，act，use，become，live，provide，flow，grow，surprise和think;與cease搭配的動(dòng)名詞前20名的詞素分別是:trade，use，work，operate，make，fight，take，fire，function，provide，try，pay，publish，support，speak，give，sell，look，pray 和 accept。

EnTenTen12檢索結(jié)果顯示與cease搭配的不定式前 20 名的詞素分別是:exist，amaze，function，live，operate，surprise，flow，impress，trade，matter，pray，amuse，breathe，fascinate，shine，astound，astonish，marvel，entertain 和 accrue;與 cease 搭配的動(dòng)名詞前20名的詞素分別是:trade，smoke，operate，function，snore，fire，consume，bark，breathe，ingest，broadcast，strive，feed，bleed，ring，beat，sweat，ponder，breastfeed 和 make。

兩個(gè)語(yǔ)料庫(kù)含有cease to do的例句共83 654個(gè)，而含有cease doing的例句共27 285個(gè)，前者要比后者在數(shù)量多近三倍。在上文提到的前20名中，function作為不定式出現(xiàn)的次數(shù)是2 140，而作為動(dòng)名詞出現(xiàn)的次數(shù)是450，operate作為不定式出現(xiàn)的次數(shù)是994，而作為動(dòng)名詞出現(xiàn)的次數(shù)是590，語(yǔ)料顯示不僅僅前20名的詞素是這樣，其它詞素也多半可以這兩種形式出現(xiàn)，也就是說(shuō)在多數(shù)情況下不定式和動(dòng)名詞完全可以互換，二者在意義上沒(méi)有差異，只不過(guò)前者使用更加普遍而已。

After this date，the court ceased to function as an arbiter of behavior，and became concerned only with administrativematters．

The Archdeaconry Courtappears to have ceased functioning as a place of detection and punishment．

If the visitors do not accept the terms and conditions，please cease to use this web site and do not use the on-line services．

通過(guò)研究語(yǔ)料，筆者發(fā)現(xiàn)如果cease的賓語(yǔ)是延續(xù)性動(dòng)詞，如 work，live，stay，sing，watch，sleep，study，walk，wait和 read，cease to do 和 cease doing在意義上無(wú)差別且使用次數(shù)基本相當(dāng)。

Iwill probably cease to watch the show，butwill try onemore time．

I decide to cease watching them now．

She never ceased working for human rights and social justice．

語(yǔ)料還顯示:在cease to do和cease doing中，停止可以是暫時(shí)的，也可以是逐漸的或永久的，因?yàn)槎叨寄芘cmomentarily，gradually和permanently這樣的副詞連用。

Including such persons who on grounds only of their own or their family’s or dependants’educational or health needs or old age have ceased to travel momentarily or permanently．

The end result is that Igradually cease to read and view much new art．

Ihad almost ceased courting entirely．

在GloBwE中分別輸入“．cease［vvg］”和“please cease［vvg］”，得到 26個(gè)含有 cease doing的祈使句;分別輸入“．cease to［vv］”和“please cease［vv］”，得到 cease to do的祈使句3個(gè);輸入“．do not cease［vvg］”，得到2個(gè)含有 do not cease doing的祈使句，輸入“．do not cease to［vvi］”，得到1個(gè)含有do not cease to do的祈使句。在En-TenTen12中檢索到含有cease doing的祈使句985個(gè)，含有cease to do的祈使句252個(gè)，含有do not cease doing的祈使句17個(gè)，含有do not cease to do的祈使句13個(gè)。事實(shí)證明，在祈使句中使用動(dòng)名詞或不定式皆可，兩者在意義上無(wú)差別，但前者使用更多一些。

Cease using greywater during wet periods．

Cease to use credit cards permanently．

不定式可以表示一個(gè)重復(fù)的事件，在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)中檢索到含有never cease to do的例句11 333個(gè)，其中含有never cease to exist的例句184個(gè)，含有never cease to impress的例句219個(gè)，含有never cease to surprise的例句333個(gè)，含有never cease to amaze的例句6 461個(gè)，而含有never cease doing的例句才685個(gè)，沒(méi)有含有never cease amazing的例句。

Yim never ceases to impressme．

It never ceases to surprise me whenever someone asks to take a picture with me．

在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)中檢索到含有it never cease to amazeme的例句2 425個(gè)，it never cease to amaze me已經(jīng)成為一個(gè)固定搭配，表示持續(xù)的驚訝。

It never ceases to amazeme how different everyone’sminimalist list is!

出乎意料的是在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)中檢索到含有 cease existing的有效例句68個(gè)。

Things become more or less，or cease existing altogether．

You’ll never cease existing．

既然 cease existing成立，cease在這里當(dāng)然是及物動(dòng)詞，動(dòng)名詞existing是賓語(yǔ)，由此筆者不同意麥克米倫詞典的說(shuō)法，認(rèn)為在cease to exist中，cease在這里也是及物動(dòng)詞，而不是不及物動(dòng)詞，to exist也應(yīng)是賓語(yǔ)，而不是補(bǔ)語(yǔ)。上文提到很多詞素可以以不定式和動(dòng)名詞形式出現(xiàn)，不難得出結(jié)論，若cease既可以后接某一動(dòng)詞的不定式形式又可以后接其動(dòng)名詞形式，cease在這里是及物動(dòng)詞，不定式或動(dòng)名詞作其賓語(yǔ)。

The Company has ceased to trade．

The Children Furniture Company ceased trading after itwas unable to take off the original links from its website or afford to to‘reproduce’its external links from scratch．

在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)中檢索到含有cease to be doing，cease to have done和cease having done的有效例句極少，無(wú)論cease to do還是cease doing意義上都表示某一動(dòng)作的停止，cease不能后接進(jìn)行時(shí)或完成時(shí)也在預(yù)料之中。語(yǔ)料顯示在cease to do中的時(shí)間壯語(yǔ)幾乎都是修飾cease to do的，也就是說(shuō)幾乎沒(méi)有單獨(dú)修飾不定式的時(shí)間壯語(yǔ)，cease后接表示“未實(shí)現(xiàn)的將來(lái)”的不定式的情況也就不可能出現(xiàn)。

This link will probably cease to work next year．

If this continues，the companywill cease to exist in the future．

從語(yǔ)料中很容易看到cease to do的確表示靜態(tài)的或穩(wěn)定的狀態(tài)的停止，這些詞包括1．情感類詞:love，like，adore，detest，appreciate，hate 和 prefer;2．知道類詞:know，understand，doubt，forget，realize，remember和 remind;3．感官類詞:feel，hear，notice，recognize，see，smell和 sound;4．領(lǐng)屬類詞:own，have，belong 和 possess;5．思維類詞:believe，mean 和 suppose;6．驚訝類詞:amaze，surprise，astonish，astound，marvel，wonder，alarm 和 shock．在語(yǔ)料中找到含有cease to amaze/surprise/astonish/astound/marvel/alarm/shock的例句7 527個(gè)，幾乎所有的例句都含有never cease，表示重復(fù)的事件。以上提到的詞的動(dòng)名詞形式很少或不用在cease之后，比如，cease remaining/resembling/progressing/belonging/astonishing/astounding/alarming/smelling/supposing不成立，沒(méi)有這樣的語(yǔ)料。

They cease to appreciate the amazing blessing of life．

Paul had ceased to know Christ after the flesh．

在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)檢索到含有“身體部位(head/eye/face/brain/tissue/heart/body/leg/hand/lung)+cease to do”的例句249個(gè)，含有“身體部位+cease doing”的例句42個(gè)，這說(shuō)明如果主語(yǔ)是身體部位時(shí)往往后接 cease to do，而不是 cease doing，只有body，tissue和brain三個(gè)詞可以后接cease doing。

Talking head ceases to add value in amatter of minutes．

As the day went on，her eyes ceased to move and she continued to deteriorate．

在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)檢索到含有be ceasing to do的例句173個(gè)，含有 be ceasing doing的例句8個(gè)，很明顯，若cease用于進(jìn)行時(shí)在絕大多數(shù)情況下后接不定式，這可能是因?yàn)楝F(xiàn)在分詞后接動(dòng)名詞有些尷尬。

The Beastwas ceasing to weep!

So we are ceasing to honor sanctioned begging．

在語(yǔ)料庫(kù)檢索到含有“抽象名詞 +cease doing”的例句極少，而含有“抽象名詞 +cease to do”的例句比比皆是，這意味著若cease前面的主語(yǔ)是抽象名詞如(mind/spirit/form/solution/mechanism/diversity/time/progress/civilization/trend/faith/impenetrability/slavery/principle/partnership/unity/system)，cease后接不定式。

And when existence ceases to thrive and delay sets in，there is nothing in the world that can stop it．

At that point，grief ceased to ambush me．

語(yǔ)料顯示cease doing的確表示在特定的某時(shí)正在發(fā)生的事件，cease to do無(wú)此用法。

He ceased contemplating when Don and April entered the room．

(He was contemplating when Don and April entered the room．)

She ceased struggling when I dropped her into my lap．

但cease to do和cease doing都可以表示持續(xù)一段時(shí)間的事件，時(shí)間可長(zhǎng)可短。

unfavorable reviews，and Tennyson ceased to publish for ten years．

In 1994，the MLB ceased operating for as prolonged as 232 days．

This occurs when the snorer stops or ceases to breathe for several seconds，which totally obstructs the breathing，this type of condition is known as Sleep Apnea．

四、結(jié)論

本文證實(shí)了以下說(shuō)法是正確的:1．cease后接不定式或動(dòng)名詞在意義上沒(méi)有明顯的區(qū)別，不定式和動(dòng)名詞多半可以互換，但cease to do比cease doing更常用。2．不定式可以表示一個(gè)重復(fù)的事件，含有never cease to do的例句多達(dá)11 333個(gè)。3．cease不能后接進(jìn)行時(shí)或完成時(shí)，原因是無(wú)論cease to do還是cease doing意義上都表示某一動(dòng)作的停止，由于同樣的原因，cease不能后接表示“未實(shí)現(xiàn)的將來(lái)”的不定式。4．cease to do表示靜態(tài)的或穩(wěn)定的狀態(tài)的停止，而有關(guān)詞的動(dòng)名詞形式很少或不用在cease之后。5．cease doing表示在特定的某時(shí)正在發(fā)生的事件。

本文的新發(fā)現(xiàn):1．如果cease的賓語(yǔ)是延續(xù)性動(dòng)詞，cease to do和cease doing在意義上無(wú)差別。2．在cease to do和cease doing中，停止可以是暫時(shí)的，也可以是逐漸的或永久的。3．祈使句中使用動(dòng)名詞或不定式皆可，兩者在意義上無(wú)差別，但前者使用更多一些。4．在cease to exist中，cease在這里是及物動(dòng)詞，to exist是賓語(yǔ)，這是因?yàn)閏ease existing成立，cease在這里當(dāng)然是及物動(dòng)詞，動(dòng)名詞existing是賓語(yǔ)。5．主語(yǔ)是身體部位時(shí)往往后接cease to do，而不是 cease doing。6．cease用于進(jìn)行時(shí)在絕大多數(shù)情況下后接不定式。7．主語(yǔ)是抽象名詞時(shí)往往后接cease to do。8．cease to do和cease doing都可以表示持續(xù)一段時(shí)間的事件，時(shí)間可長(zhǎng)可短。

由此看來(lái)cease to do比cease doing更常用，在未來(lái)的研究中可以研究二者在不同文體、不同年代和國(guó)家中的用法差異。

［1］ Quirk，R．，Greenbaum，S．，Leech，G．＆ Svartvik，J．A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language［M］．London ＆New York:Longman Group Ltd，1985．

［2］ Kaleta，A．The English Gerund vs．The to-infinitive:The Case of Aspectual Constructions［M］．Selected Papers from UK-CLA Meetings，2012，Vol 1:323－341．

［3］ Fukuda，S．Aspectual Verbs and the Aspect Phrase Hypothesis［M］．San Diego Linguistic Papers，Issue 3(2008)11－31．

［4］Alice F．Freed．The Semantics of English Aspectual Complementation D［M］．Reidel Publishing Company，Dordrecht:Holland/Boston:USA/London:England，1978．

［5］楊軍．新詞詞典編纂視角下的英語(yǔ)“新詞”界定［J］．鞍山師范學(xué)院學(xué)報(bào)，2014(5):49－53．