In-scene Foregrounding Theory on Ba-Construction:A Comparative Study of How Chinese Traditional Opera Shapes Language
This paper expounds and proves the grammatical meaning of the ba-construction.There are various explanations within linguistics for the grammatical meaning of the ba-construction.Those are all results of research conducted within the internal structure of the language,derived from the internal logic and consistency of grammatical development.The most compelling theory is the Subjective Disposal Theory,which,however,still seems cumbersome when addressing specific ba-constructions.This paper breaks free from the narrow confines of grammatical explanation,and instead,analyzes the influence of traditional Chinese opera on the formation and inter-pretation of ba-construction from a comparative perspective between Chinese and Western cultures.In Western drama,the philosophical background revolves around the subject-object dichotomy that dates back to Plato,with subject being a person with subjective agency and object being the objective material world outside of humans.In contrast,the cultural and philosophical background of Chinese opera is the concept of harmony.In traditional Chinese culture,humans and nature coexist harmoniously as an integrated whole.Humans are seen as part of the natural order,and thus,they should conform to the laws of nature.Aligned with these philosophical views,the stage and the audience in Western drama are two independent parts.Conversely,in traditional Chinese opera,the stage and the audience are integrated into a cohesive whole without clear boundaries.The differences in philosophical background and thinking pattern profoundly shape and influence ba-construction.The essential meaning of ba-construction is that the speaker/actorbrings a background character"into the scene"or"to the forefront"to highlight them,making them a foreground character,while the original foreground character recedes into the background and may not need to be mentioned.It can be said that the ba-construction is a stylized linguistic format used by the speaker/actor to bring off-stage characters into the scene,often accompanied by stylized actions.We call this the theory of"in-scene foregrounding through dramatized discourse".This theory can more reasonably explain three special types of ba-constructions which either lack a subject,lack a predicate,or have an indefinite object—three issues dis-cussed in the field without satisfactory solutions even today.Examined from the theory in topic,these issues seem to be easily resolved.The unified explanation is that the originally prominent foreground character,intentionally backgrounded by the speaker,is weakened to the point that it does not need to be mentioned;meanwhile,another character who was outside the scene or unnoticed is brought into the play and becomes a prominent role.Ba-construction is deeply influenced by the traditional Chinese concept of harmony and is shaped by the cultural characteristics of seamless integration between the audience and the actors,where the actor moves in and out of the scene freely.Chinese grammar should break through disciplinary boundaries,exploring solutions from outside linguistics,and combining internal and external perspectives in the study of linguistic issues.
ba-constructiondifference between Chinese and Western culturesdramatic viewin and out of the sceneMacro-grammar
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