Information Passing Functions of Negative Sentences in EST

-- Function to Compare Topics

Hu Li; Duan Zhongyan
Language Research Institute,
Wuchang University of Technology,
Wuhan, Hubei Province, China ,430223
Correspondence to: Hu Li
E-mail: prodigy99@126.com
KEYWORD: message passing function; negative sentences; EST

ABSTRACT
Many scholars have done primary exploration of kinds of English sentences in the area of message passing
function. Besides, some suppositions are offered. This is not only significant for a good understanding and
analysis of English articles, but also beneficial for English learners to get a correct mastery and application of
all kinds of sentences. However, it is still blank for negative sentences in this area. Therefore, the author
makes a conclusion about negative sentences message passing function from a careful analysis of plenty of
sentences by random sampling of EST and many new discoveries have been found about the function to
compare topics

1. Introductions
Nowadays English of science and technology has
been developed into a very important style of
English. EST is entitled with its own distinctic
characteristics, one of which is that a great amount
of passive voice sentences, ellipsis sentences, broken
sentences and inverted sentences are used ( Chen
Xin, 1999). Based on consistent research and
analysis on plenty of EST articles, which come from
authentic English magazines,the author found that
negative sentences have been also very common and
popular in EST. In the recent 20 years (1987
2013), the research on negative sentences in EST
have been much fruitful, which centered on
translation of negative structure, on the classification
of negative structure, on negative words and on
special negation. However, among so much
research ,there is so little involving how negative
sentences influence the information passing of EST
sentences and in which way such information can be
passed, while the research on these aspects will be
very favorable for students to improve abilities to
read and write. During these years the research on
information function and information function in
passages is as well as fruitful, mainly concerning
two aspects as information function of rhetorical

devices, information function of sentence

components ( such as words, phrases, and
sentences), besides, there are some research
concerning information function of special negative
sentences ( such as passive voice sentences, and
interrogative
sentences),
also
concerning
information function of different styles , sentence
morphology, and sentence structure. Zhang Keding (
Foreign Language, 2001) has done research on the
passage information function of inverted structure.
In his opinion, inverted sentences, as a device to
reform information in passage , consists of five
functions: function to import the topic, function to
create situation, function to emphasize key points,
function to compare key points, function to keep the
whole passage related and coherent. Bai Shuxia
( Xin Yang Normal College, 2005) points out six
functions in passage constructing, which can be
defined as function to import the topic, function to
develop the topic, function to conclude the topic,
function to make sentences coherent and related,
function to emphasize key points, and also function
to compare key points. Chen Liping ( Shan Dong
Foreign Language, 1997) found from research that
there are eight functions of rhetorical devices in
English passage, such as: function to make passage
easy to understand , function to make passage clear,

function to cohere passage, function to regularize

sentences, function to strengthen the rhythm of the
whole passage, function to set off and contrast
sentences, function to stress meaning , and function
to make climax. The author has made a detailed
analysis and study of information functions made by
former language researchers in recent twenty years,
and got a conclusion that the involved functions can
be summarized into following types:
(1) function to import a topic
(2) function to develop a topic
(3) function to conclude a topic
(4) function to change a topic
(5) function to emphasize a topic
(6) function to compare topics
(7) function to describe in an objective way
(8) function to connect and cohere information
In EST, it is still not known that in which way
that a negative sentence pass its information, and
what influences negative words show to the whole
sentence. Whats more, there are many different
types of negative structures in negative sentences,
then it comes out a question whether all the negative
structure share the same way to pass information or
not. It is the area that former researchers havent
touched on and remains blank.Therefore, the author
of this article intends to cope with it through a
thorough analysis of a great amount of negative
sentences chosen from authentic English famous
magazines.

3. Analysis and discussion.

The former scholars ,as Bai Shuxia, Wang Junhua

and so on , have pointed outthe function to compare
two topics in their research findings. As the former
language researchers have mentioned in their
research that the function to compare two or more
topics is to adopt a structure that two or more
sentences or phrases which share the same structure
and then this similar structure is placed at the end of
a sentence one by one, in this way, this kind of
structure comes into a focus which makes the
function to compare topics realized.
However, the function to compare two or more
topics is not restricted only to this region. And the
author of this article will offer a further analysis of it
as follows.
(1) Rather than
Example one:
The map shows the proportion of households that
are gay or lesbian , and because of the likelihood of
undercounting , it categorizes the dispersion of this
population by quintiles rather than by absolute
percentages.(from the fifth sentence of the third
paragraph on the right on page twenty, March)
Example two:
She also wonders whether the pattern of reaching for
familiar objects in the dark would hold for different
degrees of familiarity, because novelty may be a
special case rather than simply a lower level of
2. Research
Subjects,
Research familiarity.(from the third sentence of the forth
Methods and Research Results.
paragraph on the right on page twelve, March)
1. Research subjects: Scientific America
Example three:
2. research methods: This article adopts a research
The extent of hematite mapped from orbit suggests it
method named getting random samples. In the
was an isolated large lake or small sea rather than
process of this research , the author made a careful
part of a global ocean. (from the second sentence of
and detailed collection of the articles in the
the second paragraph on page twenty six, May)
Scientific America in the year 2005 from January to
Example four:
October, and wrote down all the negative sentences
The ubiquitous dust does contain small amounts of
appearing within this range.
carbonate, but it probably formed by direct
3. Research results.
interaction with water vapour in the atmosphere
After careful analysis and classification, it is found
rather than liquid water on the surface. (from the
that the eight information passing functions all make
forth sentence of the second paragraph on page
appearance in those collected negative sentences ,
twenty eight, May)
but obviously the frequency and proportion is quite
Example five:
different from one to another. The result will be
Wouldnt it be smarter to focus attention on a little
showed in the following table.
battery of genes from several genomes rather than
one? (from the third sentence on the left on page
twelve, May)
function function
function function function toExample six:
to import to
to
to
emphasizePhysicians should begin preventive treatment within
hours of a mini stroke rather than taking weeks to
a topic
conclude develop change a a topic
assess a patient, as some studies have found. ( from
a topic
a topic
topic
the third sentence on page sixteen, July)
In the above six examples, there is the same
expression of rather than. This phrase is one with a
49times 32times
45times 36times 211times negative meaning but without negative form. It
means it is something but not ... Thus, it naturally

and clearly involves in two focuses. In example one,

the two focuses are quantities and absolute
percentages, and it affirms quantities but not
absolute percentages. In example two, ...novelty
may be a special case rather than simply a lower
level of familiarity.The two focuses are a special
case and a lower level of familiarity. And it
emphasizes and affirms that it is a special case but
not a lower level of familiarity. In example three, it
was an isolated large lake or small sea rather than
part of a global ocean, and the focuses are an
isolated large lake and part of a global ocean. In this
sentence, the author affirms a global ocean and
negates a lake. In example four, in order to make
ubiquitous dust clear, a phrase water vapour in the
atmosphere rather than liquid water on the surface is
used and to tell a truth that the constituents is water
vapor but not liquid water. In example five, the
author wants to express that the attention should be
focused on a little battery of genes from several
genomes but not one by using rather than. In
example six, in the sentence there is ...hours of a
mini stroke rather than taking weeks to assess a
patient... to tell clearly that the time is not as long
as people have originally resumed. From all these
examples, rather than is correctly and directly used
by negating information A thus to emphasize
information B to show the importance of it.
(2) Unlike
Example one:
Unlike flights to the International Space Station, a
mission to Hubble provides no repair depot and safe
haven for the shuttle and its crew in an emergency.
(From the line two to six on the second paragraph on
page ten, January)
Example two:
Unlike most other European countries, Germany
consisted for many centuries of a multitude of
independent states, each with its own culture
landscape. ( from the forth sentence of the first
paragraph on page twenty two, July)
In these two examples, unlikeis used to
compare the correctness of two things and tells
which one should be chosen. In example one,
compared with flights to the International Space
Station, the author figures out the characteristics of a
mission to Hubble. In example two, compared with
most other European countries, the author points out
the nature of Germany. By this kind of contrast, the
characteristic of one will be very clear and obvious.
(3) Less than
Example one:
Because part of the helium is motionless, the amount
of force required to set the bucket and helium
rotating is less than it would be otherwise. (from the
third sentence of the third paragraph on page
fourteen, January)
Example two:

This twoyear outcome contrasts with the studys

end results after 14 months, which suggests that
behavioral therapy was somewhat less beneficial
compared with highdose medication. (from the
first sentence of the seventh paragraph on page
fourteen, May)
Example three:
Hence, a flu victim who takes it within 48 hours o
inflection has milder illness and is less infectious to
others. ( from the third sentence on the left on page
ten., May)
In the above three examples, less than is used to
describe the relationship of degree of two things. In
example three, in order to describe the situation and
effects of a milder illness, the author uses less
infectious to others. Thus we know it is not that
serious. In example two, by saying that the
behavioral therapy was somewhat less beneficial
compared with high dose medication, thus we
know the effects of this behavioral therapy.
(4) More .. than
Example one:
When the researchers painted the wasps to give them
the markings of higher or lower dominance, they
found that both kinds of liars were harassed more
than unpainted wasps, indicating that the wasps
frownon lying per se. (from the fifth sentence on
page twenty, January)
In this example, more than means not only. When
it involves in two topics, it usually is to say that
something is not only the other thing. In this
example, the liars were harassed not only just like
unpainted wasps. In this way, the author successfully
and vividly discloses the treatment and situation of
different liars. And thus to gain some forgiveness
and sympathies from the outside people.
(5) No more than
This strategy received a setback last December,
when the European drugmaker Astraieneca reported
that its targeted therapy, Iressa, shrank tumors but
was no more effective than a placebo at extending
the lives of patients with lung cancer. (from the
second sentence on the right, January)
In this sentence, no more than is used to describe a
comparison between two things. However, what is
different is that this comparison is an equal one,
which means these compared two things are nearly
the same in some aspects.
(6) Neither.. nor
Example one:
For half the words, a photograph of the matching
object was flashed. Afterwards, volunteers listen to a
random sequence of words correspondingly either to
photographs they saw, to objects they were only told
to imagine, or to items neither seen nor imagined.
(from the forth sentence on page twenty, January)
In this example, neither... noris used to negated
two information topics. By this contrast, we know
that a photograph of the matching object is not told

to something seen nor something imagined. This

phrase gives denial to two topics.
Example two:
It could be the most elegant explanation for
acceleration yet proposed, requiring neither exotic
forms of energy nor new laws of physics, merely a
careful accounting of how gravity interconnects
structures of vastly different size. (from the second
sentence of the second paragraph on the right on
page ten, January)
Notas much as, this usage means that the degree
or the number is not up to the one that is compared
to. In this sentence, in order to describe the property
and excellence of this explanation, it first displays its
advantages which requires neither exotic forms of
energy nor new laws of physics, thus further proves
by evidence that it could be the most elegant
explanation for acceleration until now.

4. Conclusions

According to the analysis of each negative

sentence in detail, it is found that the eight
information passing functions which the former
language researchers have pointed out in their
research all reappear in negative sentences. Thus, the
author makes a systematic and careful analysis on
these eight information passing functions in those
negative sentence samples and has got many new
discoveries which are neglected by former language
researchers.
There are many new discoveries and new
findings of two information passing functions in this
article. One is the function to emphasize a topic, and
the other is the function to describe a topic in an
objective way. However, the samples in this research
are a bit limited because of the limitation of research
samples. Wish those coming language learners and
researchers would make further efforts and take
further research in this area, and more new findings
of information passing functions will be found out in
the later years.

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