中文摘要：英语广义否定词是副词的一个语义次类，以往对其成员的研究都是规定性的或者是不够全面系统。本文基于美国当代英语语料库，从总体频率、在不同语域及功能、位于助动词之前及之后的分布等方面，对英语中的五个广义否定词，即hardly、 barely、 rarely、scarcely和seldom进行了研究，并通过相应的分析使其结果可视化。本文使用多层列联频次分析法来研究其分布模式。

本研究主要发现如下：（1）hardly、barely和rarely整体使用频率明显高于seldom和scarcely。 （2）seldom和scarcely的用法最为正式，hardly和barely的用法最为不正式，rarely的正式程度介于这两组词之间。（3）hardly主要修饰形容词、副词和限定词，很少被用来修饰动词，而seldom和rarely刚好与之相反。barely主要修饰动词，scarcely主要修饰限定词。（4）每一个英语广义否定词都可以出现在一个助动词之后，或者是在自然语序及倒装语序中出现在助动词之前。（5）当英语广义否定词出现在助动词之前或之后时，它们的分布大有不同。

关键词：广义否定词； 分布；总体；多层列联频次分析

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

1.1 Research Background-1

1.2 Purpose and Significance-1

1.3 Structure of the Research-2

2. Literature Review-3

2.1 Previous Studies of English Broad Negatives-3

2.2 Corpus-based Approach-5

2.2.1 Brief Introduction of Corpus and Corpus Linguistics-5

2.2.2. Corpus-based Studies of the Sub-classes of English Adverbs-5

3. Research Methodology-7

3.1 Research Questions-7

3.2 Corpus in Use-7

3.3 Research Instrument--Hierarchical Configural Frequency Analysis (HCFA)-8

3.4 Procedures of the Study-8

3.4.1 Querying COCA for the General Overall Frequency-8

3.4.2 Querying COCA for the Distributions in Various Registers and Functions-9

3.4.3 Querying COCA for the Distributions Following and Preceding Auxiliary Verbs-11

4. Results and Discussion-13

4.1 General Overall Usage Patterns-13

4.2 The Distributional Patterns in Various Registers and Functions-13

4.2.1 Cross-Register Distribution Patterns-13

4.2.2 Distributions as Modifier of Verbs, Adjectives, Adverbs and Determinatives-14

4.3 Distributions Following and Preceding Auxiliary Verbs-15

4.3.1 Distributions Following an Auxiliary Verb-15

4.3.2 Distributions Preceding Auxiliary Verbs in Natural Order Sentences-16

4.3.3 Distributions Preceding Auxiliary Verbs in Inverted Sentences-16

5. Conclusion-18

5.1 Major Findings of the Study-18

5.2 Limitations and Suggestions-18

References-20

Appendix-22