hellog〜英語史ブログ / 2020-01-07

■ #3907. 英語の重言 [rhetoric][prescriptivism][semantics]

　「馬から落馬する」「後の後悔」の類いの重言（重ねことば）は，英語では "redundancy", "pleonasm", "tautological expression" などと言及される．Usage and Abusage の "TAUTOLOGY" の項目の下に，この種の句がいろいろと挙げられている．長いリストだが，おもしろいので以下に引用しよう．

adequate enough, and etc., appear on the scene, ascend up, at about (e.g. 3 p.m.), attach together, attached hereto, both alike, burn down and burn up, classified into classes, collaborate together, connect together and connect up, consolidate together, continue on and continue yet, co-operate together, couple together, debate about (v.), descend down, discuss about, divide off and divide up, drink up and drink down, early beginnings, eat up, enclosed herewith (or herein), end up, equally as, file away (commercially), final completion, final upshot, finish up (v.t. and v.i.), first begin, flood over, follow after, forbear from, forbid from, free, gratis, and for nothing, fresh beginner, from hence, from thence, from whence, funeral obsequies, gather together, good benefit, have got (for 'have' or 'possess'), hoist up, hurry up, important essentials, in between, indorce on the back, inside of, join together, joint co-operation, just exactly, just merely, just recently, lend out, link together, little birdling, meet together, mention about, merge together, mingle together, mix together, more inferior, more preferable, more superior, mutual co-operation, necessary requisite, new beginner, new creation, new departure and entirely new departure, new innovation, not a one, (it) now remains, open up (v.t.), original source, outside of, over again, over with (done, ended, finished), pair of twins, past history, peculiar freak, penetrate into, plan on (v.), polish up, practical practice, (one's) presence on the scene, proceed on(ward), protrude out, raze to the ground, really realize, recall back, reduce down, refer back, relax back, remember of, render a return, renew again, repay back, repeat again, repeat the same (e.g. story), (to) rest up, retire back, return back, revert back, revive again, rise up, seldom ever, (to) separate apart, settle up, shrink down and shrink up, sink down, steady on!, still continue, still more yet, still remain, study up, sufficient enough, swallow down, taste of (for taste, v.), termed as, than what, this next week, twice over, two halves (except when from different wholes), two twins (of one pair), uncommonly strange, unite together, used to (do something) before, we all and you all, where at, where to, whether or not, widow woman, young infant

　なるほどと思うものもあるが，めくじらを立てるほどでもない例や，語義や語源を厳密に解釈しすぎた語源論法風の屁理屈な例もある (cf. 「#720. レトリック的トポスとしての語源」 ([2011-04-17-1])) ．たとえば meet together など together を伴う例が多いが，動詞にその意味が埋め込まれているかどうかは当該の動詞の（統語）意味論の問題であり，記述言語学の立場からは，意味が通時的に変化してきた（あるいは共時的に変異している）と解釈することもできるのである．規範は規範であるというのは認めるにせよ，一方で記述は記述という立場もあり得ることは押さえておきたい．
　これらの冗長表現は，論理的には無駄が多いということになるが，修辞的にはある種の効果（強調，念押し，曖昧さの回避など）を担っており，それ自体に存在意義がないというのは言い過ぎだろう．だからといって，私ももちろん手放しに容認しているわけではない．社会的にはスティグマを伴うため，使用が一般的には推奨されない，といっておくのが現実的なところだろう．言葉は一面的には評価できない難しい代物なのだ．

　・ Partridge, Eric. Usage and Abusage. 3rd ed. Rev. Janet Whitcut. London: Penguin Books, 1999.

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