副词“本”的演变

Evolution of the Adverb Ben(本)

本文讨论副词"本"及其相应的复音词"本来"等的演变。这些副词都有追原义,基于后来的情况与之前有无变化,可分为[+对比]与[-对比]两种用法。"本"的追原义源于时间义"之前"。这个时间义,一方面可以发展出兼有篇章连接作用的用法,另一方面,又可以发展为具有人际交流功能的语气副词。Traugott(1982)归纳的"命题义>(篇章义)>自我表述义"只是简化的情形。因为概念功能和人际功能往往纠合在一起,概念功能和语篇功能也常纠合在一起。如果一个词尚未完全虚化,兼有一定的概念功能,以及语篇功能,它也可以进一步发展出人际功能;另一方面,如果一个词尚未完全主观化(即纯用为人际功能),兼有一定的概念功能,以及人际功能,那么,它也可能发展出语篇功能。

This paper discusses the evolution of the adverb Ben(本) and several disyllable adverbs composed of it and a certain other morpheme in Chinese. All of them signal a meaning similar to ‘originally', bearing a kind of sense of ‘origintracing'. According to whether the later situation differs from the original, two uses could be distinguished: [+contrast] and [-contrast]. The sense of origin-tracing derives from the temporal meaning ‘previously' which evolved along two pathways: one is to develop into a textual function, with the temporal meaning still persisting, this is the case of ben(本) [+contrast]; the other is to become a mood adverb expressing speaker's confirmation, this is the case of ben(本) [-contrast]. Since the temporal meaning mingling with textual function could further have an expressive function, while the temporal meaning mixing with expressive function could also gain textual usage, the pathway of semantic change outlined by Traugott(1982), i.e., propositional(> textual) > expressive, could be argued to be a relatively simplified one.