古汉语判断句中的系词

The Copula in Declarative Sentences in Archaic Chinese

在汉语史研究中,一般认为上古汉语没有系词,系词“是”是战国末期从指示代词“是”发展而来,但指示代词“是”如何转变为系词“是”的问题,至今尚未得到满意的解释。本文提出:上古汉语判断句的构成,其主谓之间必有一固定的语音停顿。根据这一分析,“是”的来源及其发展可以得到较为理想的解释:在日趋增多的新型判断句中,亦即[S1,S2……是predicate]的结构中,主语位置上“是”的指代功能不断弱化。“是”的弱化导致了主谓之间“停顿”形式的逐渐消失。最后,越来越多的副词先后出现在弱化了的“是”之前,“停顿”终于让位给了“是”,“是”由此而变为系词。

It is generally believed that declarative sentences in Classical Chinese (CO contained no copula, and that the copula shi(是) developed from a Demonstrative pronominal form (D-pro, for short) in such sentences only after the Warring States period (475- 221 B. C. ). To date, the development of the copular shi(是) from the Dpro shi(是) has not been adequately explained. In this paper it is argued, first, that the overt phonological form of a pause in the surface syntax, i. e. between the topic and the comment, did indeed exist in early Classical Chinese declarative sentences. Second, the D-pro shi(是) evolved into the copular shi(是) because of (1) the weakening of the function of the D-pro shi( 是) and (2) the lack of necessity for the pause. As a result, the pronoun was grammaticalized as a copula and the pause disappeared.