The copula in classical Chinese declarative sentences
古汉语判断句中的系词
Li Feng 冯利

Abstract 摘要
It is generally believed that declarative sentences in Classical Chinese (CC) 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 Zhanguo period (475-221 B.C.). To date, the development of the copular shi from the D-pro shi has not been adequately explained. In this paper it is argued 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, and that the D-pro shi evolved into the copular shi because of the weakening of the function of the D-pro shi and the lack of necessity for the pause. Consequently the pronoun was grammaticalized as a copula and the pause disappeared. It is also argued that a crucial syntactic environment–the triggering experience that the person hears and which permits the growth of the relevant grammar–was necessary for the development of shi, and that adverbs preceding shi in this syntactical environment were partially responsible for the development of copular shi as well.

在古汉语史研究中，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”发展出来的。但是指示代词“是”是如何转变为系词“是”的问题，至今尚未得到满意的解释。本文根据《诗经》，《孟子》，《论衡》，《世说》等诸方面材料，提出构成上古汉语的判断句，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，（［S1, S2,…是pred］）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，愈来愈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。文章最后指出，句法位置是研究和解释古汉语语法的关键。

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