关于“文学是什么”与“什么是文学”的句式问题

从回答方式、信息结构和概念等角度探讨"文学是什么"和"什么是文学"两种问句是否相同。从回答方式看,两种问句都能够用"文学(就)是B"或"B(就)是文学"回答,从这一点来看两种问句追求的是相同的东西;从信息结构来看,"文学"对于问话人来说是已知信息,他已经知道有"文学"这个东西存在,只是他不知道是什么,因此用两种问句追问"文学"的含义,从这一点来看两种问句所追求的还是相同的东西。另一方面,一种观点认为"是什么"只能描述事物的既定形态而不能追问事物的定义,文章从概念的内涵与外延的角度出发,认为这个句式完全可以追问事物概念的内涵(定义);而"什么是"除了追问事物概念的内涵外亦可追问其外延。

Issues on Sentence Structures:"Literature is What" and "What is Literature"

This paper probes into the differences of sentence structures "Literature is what?" and "What is literature?" in perspectives of the answers,information structures and concepts.From the perspective of the answer,the two sentences can both be answered with "literature is B" or "B is a literature",showing no major difference.In terms of their information structure,"literature" is something known by the inquirer who is puzzled by what it is.So the information the two sentences convey is of the same.Some people hold the view that "is what" can only describe the established form rather than the definition.But this article claims that "is what" can give the definition from connotation and denotation perspectives of the concept while "what is" asks about both connotation and denotation.