先秦條件句標記「苟」、「若」、「使」的功能

On the Functions of the Protasis Markers Gou 苟, Ruo 若, and Shi 使 in Pre-Qin Chinese

本文試圖在事理觀點的標記研究之外，開啟另一種詮釋的可能性，從標記起源與發展的角度，辨析先秦「苟」、「若」、「使」的語義功能。文獻證據顯示它們是有功能分工的。「若」注記相對或不確定條件，言說者可藉此將自身抽離言說情境「茍」始於注記言說者祈願實現的條件，延伸注記絕對條件；「使」可能始於注記言說者欲便為真的條件，又延伸注記反向推論的前提。它們都不具有使用上的強制性，使用與否全取決於言說者有意或無意明示其發言態度與立場。先秦「苟」、「若」、「使」真正的功能不在注記條件關係，而在注記條件關係中的言說主觀性。

Although it is well-known that gou 苟, ruo 若, and shi 使in Pre-Qin Chinese marked protases of conditional sentences, it has rarely been mentioned that they differ in their expressive meanings. The present paper examines the origins of these morphemes and their semantic extensions in order to account for their functional distributions. The paper concludes that ruo 若marks a relative or uncertain premise; gou 苟, an absolute premise; and shi 使, a premise for non-factual conditionals. Moreover, these protasis markers are not obligatory for conditional sentences, and the paper suggests that they are used only when the speaker intends to make explicit his/her attitude of expression, i.e., subjectivity of utterance.