Restricted Use of First Person Pronouns in Archaic Chinese and its Consequences in Chinese Rhetoric and Syntax
商代第一人称代词的御用化对日后汉语在语法和修辞上的影响
Shun-chiu Yau 游顺钊

Abstract 摘要
Classical Chinese is particularly rich in respectful and self-depreciatory forms of address, respectively equivalent to terms or expressions such as the 'royal we' and 'your humble servant' in English or the 'nous de majesté' and the 'votre humble serviteur' in French. But the number of these terms of address in Chinese is by far greater than those registered in these two European languages. In view of this Chinese rhetoric particularity, it is therefore of interest to give a brief account of continued changes in these terms of address observed in classical texts. Moreover, the Chinese language is known to easily allow the dropping of pronouns when used as subjects or objects as long as their absence does not create contextual confusion. This paper will trace the development of these two apparently unrelated lexico-syntactic features since China's first historical documents as recorded in the oracle-bone and bronze inscriptions of the Shang dynasty.

本文主旨是探讨汉语代词主语的省略现象和词汇中所沉积的大量尊称和谦称用语两个现象及其两者间的关系。这分别在汉语语法和修辞上的两个特点，在与一些外语比较下，更显得令人注目。试举代词主语的省略为例。拉丁文和古希腊文的无主语句式，或俄语代词主语的省略，都可以用它们的动词形态变化来解释。可是，为什么在构词形态贫乏的汉语里，代词主语的省略却比好些西欧语言，向英语，法语，更普遍，更合乎习惯呢？只惜这类在不同语族出现的差异现象的成因，往往受到忽视。就汉语语法和修辞上这两个特点而言，笔者认为它们间存在着一个互为因果的历时关系，而其远因可追溯到商代的语言去，特别是当时第一人称代词的御用化。固然本文的论证有待各方家的指正，但如果其中提出的那条线索获得一定程度的肯定，那么商代的语言，除了在字体方面与后世的一脉相承外，我们今天的口语和书面语，也承受着它的深远的影响。总的来说，只有发掘，分析和归纳这些个别的差异，才能更好了解一个文化区域的语言系统特色是怎样形成的。

Subject Keywords Subject Keywords 关键词

Classical Chinese 古汉语 Personal Pronouns 人称代词 Lexical taboos 避讳 Rhetoric 谦称 Pronominal dropping 主语省略

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