本文是一篇语言学论文，尽管本研究取得了一些研究成果，做出了一些贡献，但由于时间和案例的限制，仍然存在很多局限性。首先，在回答第一个问题（SFPyě在《左传》中用来表达什么语言价值？）时，作者只发现了主要的和其他明显的语言价值。然而，更多的价值观可能有待我们去探索。其次，在回答第二个问题（左传的SFP yě是如何实现这些语言学价值的？）时，作者主要通过分析有限的精选案例，探讨不同句子中不同标点符号标记的位置及其与周围SFP的比较。然而，分类方法可能会被改进；这些类别可能相互交织；而一项详尽的研究可能有助于获得准确的理解。CHAPTER ONEGENERAL INTRODUCTION
1.1 Research background
The study aims to figure out the meanings which are expressed by the sentence-finalparticle (SFP) yě ( 也 ) in Zuozhuan and understood in this research as linguisticvalues in terms of Saussure’s language philosophy. In this part, the researchorientation will be firstly presented, and then a brief introduction to SFPs inZuozhuan will be provided.
1.1.1 Research orientation
In Chinese linguistics, words can be roughly divided into two main categories:content words and function words, in which there is a unique subcategory calledmodal particles. Modal particles are mostly located at the end of simple sentences,subordinate clauses and complex sentences. The category of function words hasbeen a research focus of Chinese grammar since the monograph called Zhu Yu Ciwritten by Lu Yiwei in the Yuan Dynasty came into being. It is the book that takesthe initiative to formally compile and illustrate Chinese function words.
Like other subcategories of function words, SFPs of ancient Chinese do nothave lexical meanings, but they do make a difference in facilitating communication,implicating that these words can be regarded as a kind of linguistic device to expressmeaning. And meaning is understood as linguistic value in Saussure’s languagephilosophy. With a number of 3385 uses, yě is the most frequently used SFP inZuozhuan, accounting for about 68% of its sentence-final particles. Thus, the study will take the most representative SFP yě as its object to try to unveil its linguisticvalues in ancient Chinese. In Ma Shi Wen Tong (1898), yě has been included in themodal particle group of delivering affirmation, and it has been widely recognizedthat yě is mainly used for making judgments. However, the origin of its function hasnot been clarified yet. From the language-philosophical perspective, the study isintended to explore the linguistic values of the most representative SFP yě inZuozhuan. Linguistic value is a concept provided by Ferdinand de Saussure, whopresented that language is only a system of pure values (Saussure, 2011). Saussurebelieved that linguistic values actually remain totally relative and “each one’s entireexistence depends on reciprocal difference” (Saussure, 2006:42). Therefore, thevalue of each linguistic term can be identified through comparison with other relatedterms in the language system. What’s more, linguistic value is created by community,and this means that it should be studied within a certain language community.
1.2 Rationale and significance of the research
SFPs in the Spring and Autumn Period have been widely studied from theperspectives of syntax and pragmatics, especially in terms of their distributions,modality functions, compounds and systems. With the highest utilization rate inZuozhuan, yě is the representative one in these studies. However, there are fewstudies concerning Chinese SFPs from a language-philosophical perspective. Andfrom the language-philosophical perspective of Saussure, the meaning expressed bythe SFP yě in Zuozhuan is understood as a linguistic value. Therefore, this thesistries to fill in the gap by studying the linguistic values realized by the SFP yě inZuozhuan.
This thesis can make two contributions. Theoretically speaking, this study offers a new perspective to analyze the SFP yě within a framework based onSaussure’s theory of linguistic values. This means to figure out its linguistic valuesassigned by the ancient Chinese SFP system through looking at its positions andcomparing it with other related SFPs. Unlike general studies of analyzing it at thelexical, syntactic or pragmatical level, the paper in this way reaches a level ofseeking the meanings, or linguistic value
