hellog〜英語史ブログ / 2022-05-14

■ #4765. 慣習化して前置詞に近づいた懸垂分詞 [participle][syntax][grammaticalisation][preposition][french][contact][dangling_participle][conjunction]

　昨日の記事「#4764. 慣用的な懸垂分詞の起源と種類」 ([2022-05-13-1]) に続き，懸垂分詞の起源について．
　この構文を Jespersen (407) は "dangling participle" や "loose participle" と呼び，数ページにわたって議論している．とりわけ pp. 409--10 では，"perfectly established" したものとして allowing for, talking of, speaking of, judging by, judging from, saving, begging your pardon, strictly speaking, generally speaking, counting, taking, considering の例が挙げられている．
　pp. 410--11 では，さらに慣習化して前置詞に近くなったものがあるとして，中英語以降からの豊富な例文とともに挙げられている．今後の考察のためにも，ここに引用しておきたい．

22.2₉. A loose participle sometimes approaches the value of a preposition. This use is with possibly doubtful justice ascribed to French influence by Ross, The Absolute Participle, 30. Examples: Ch B 4161 as touching daun Catoun | More U 64 Now as touchyng this question . . . But as concernyng this matter . . . | Caxton R 11 touchyng this complaint | Hawthorne S 247 I am utterly bewildered as touching the purport of your words | Caxton R 54 alle were there sauyng reynard | Gay BP 40 . . . a Jew; and bating their religion, to women they are a good sort of people | Hawthorne Sn 51 barring the casualties to which such a complicated piece of mechanism is liable | Quincey 116 one may bevouack decently, barring rain and wind, up to the end of October | Scott I 31 incapable of being removed, excepting by the use of the file | Di Do 239 Edith, saving for a curl of her lip, was motionless | Dreiser F 292 what chance would he have, presuming her faithfulness itself | Defoe R 2.190 his discourse was prettily deliver'd, considering his youth | Hope D 77 Considering his age, your conduct is scandalous | Thack N 5 there may be nothing new under and including the sun.
   Cf. also regarding, respecting (e.g. Ruskin S 1.291) | according to (Caxton R 57, etc.) | owing to | granting (Stevenson JHF 103 even granting some impediments, why was this gentleman to be received by me in secret?).
   Cf. pending, during, notwithstanding 6.3₄.
   On the transition of seeing, granting, supposing, notwithstanding with or without that to use as conjunctions, see ch. XXI; on being see above 6.3₅.

　これによると，慣習化した懸垂分詞はフランス語の対応構文からの影響の結果とみなす説もあるようだが，昨日の記事でもみたとおり古英語にルーツを探ることができる以上，少なくともフランス語からの影響のみに依拠する説明は妥当ではないだろう．
　引用の最後の部分にあるように，現代までに完全に前置詞化，あるいは接続詞化したものも数例あるので，judging from 問題を考察するに当たって，そのような事例にも目を配っていく必要がある．

　・ Jespersen, Otto. A Modern English Grammar on Historical Principles. Part 5. Copenhagen: Munksgaard, 1954.

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