敬辞“请”的语法化历程、特点及成因

The Grammaticalization Process and Its Characteristics and Contributing Factors of the Polite Expression "Qing"

敬辞"请1"和"请2"均从西周晚期由行为动词"请q"虚化为修饰句子的语气副词,在《左传》时代正式确立。中古时期二者并行但"请2"渐趋衰减,自元代以后"请2"退化为粘着语素。"请1"却从上古一直沿用到当代,并逐渐由"恭敬义"泛化出"礼貌义",有了话语标记功能。"请1"、"请2"经历的语法化并不十分典型,"请1"在句法位置和语音特征上至今与源词"请q"很相近。敬辞"请"语法化的成因主要是认知上的隐喻投射、语用上的高频仪式化引发和推动词义的主观化、泛化。

Approximately starting from the late period of the Western Zhou Dynasty with the behavior verb ＂Qing＂ which means ＂request＂,semantic grammaticalization makes the two polite expressions used widely as mood adverbs modifying the whole clause during the age of Zuozhuan.Both ＂Qing1＂ and ＂Qing2＂ can be found frequently in the literatures of the mediaeval times of China,but ＂Qing2＂ is decreased gradually so that it has become an adhesive morpheme since Yuan Dynasty.＂Qing1＂ is continued to from the Chinese ancient times to the present times,and its implication is extended from ＂with respect＂ to more common ＂with good manners＂ mainly found in modern Mandarin.Relatively the process of the grammaticalization of ＂Qing1＂and ＂Qing2＂ is not perfectly typical,its contributing factors mainly include subjectivization and generalization of acceptation which are brought about by metaphorical mapping and then propelled by Ritulization through long-time adoption in great frequency.