Researches On Discourse Function Of S-P Comment Sentence

S-P predicate Sentences is continuously regarded as a special sentence pattern in modern Chinese. How to analyze this sentence pattern has been argued heatedly, but it has no common viewpoint till now. This sentence pattern also always make the students studying Chinese as a second language confused. In order to help those students grasp this sentence pattern easily and quickly, the present study propose to re-name S-P predicate Sentences as S-P Comment Sentence (S-PCS hereafter) , applying the notion of topic as an occupier of a syntactic slot proposed by Xu Liejiong & Liu Danqing(1998). The topic enjoys the same status as an element in the syntactic structure of this sentence analyzed as TSVO. Thus, it provides a new method of introducing the notion of topic when teaching S-PCS for Teaching Chinese as a second Language.Following the footsteps of previous researchers, we re-define the scope of S-PCS and classify them into several subtypes in terms of their syntactic, semantic and pragmatic properties. Also some common methods of topicalization are examined. On the discourse-based approach, we find out its discourse function as well as the obligatory and non-obligatory conditions of its occurrence in discourse, thereby investigating its generating process which is an interactive process between topic, syntax and semantics. By doing so, the present study can hopefully further our standing of this particular phenomenon, in a sense that the previous study basically was hindered by its limited scope of single sentences. Finally, we point out that the introduction of concept of topic is advisable in the field of Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, and last but not the least, some suggestions are provided on how to tackle the problem of textbook compiling and exercise design regarding S-PCS.