Abstract：Presupposition is one of the widely discussed issues in the field of linguistics not only in semantics but also in pragmatics. Presupposition triggers, sources of presupposition, are generally associated with specific lexical items or grammatical utterances. They are structures or items that mark the existence of presuppositions in utterances, which are generally known by the speakers. Domestic researches on presupposition triggers have become more and more independent of foreign theories and made great progress on the study of Chinese presupposition triggers, especially complement structure and some specific   sentence patterns. However, less attention has been paid to comparative study of English and Chinese presupposition triggers. This thesis has attempted a look into the development of the study on presupposition and summarized the similarities and differences between presupposition triggers in English and Chinese so as to smooth intercultural communication and enlighten translation and teaching practice.

Key words: English presupposition triggers; Chinese presupposition triggers; development of presupposition triggers; comparative study

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction-1

2. Literature Review-1

3. Development of the Study of Presupposition Trigger-3

3.1 Study on English Presupposition Triggers-3

3.2 Study on Chinese Presupposition Triggers-6

4. The Similarities between English and Chinese Presupposition Trigger-9

4.1 The Similarities at Lexical Level-9

4.2 The Similarities at Syntactic Level-11

5. The Differences between English and Chinese Presupposition Trigger-12

5.1 Marking by Voice Stress-12

5.2 Comparison and Contrast-13

5.3 Non-restrictive Relative Clauses-13

5.4 Culture-loaded Presupposition Triggers-13

5.5 Change of State Predicates-14

5.6 Implicative Predicates-14

5.7 Some Specific Structures in Chinese-15

6. Implication-15

7. Conclusion-16

Works Cited-18