數詞與量詞系統在民族接觸下的變化：以藏緬語Sunwar和Rabha為例

On the variation of numeral systems and classifier systems under ethnic contact: A case study of Sunwar and Rabha in Tibeto-Burman

不同民族在長期的接觸下，其語言也自然會相互影響，除了常見的詞彙借用外，亦可能導致語法上的系統性改變。世界上量詞語言的熱區在亞洲，其中大部分嚴格遵循〔係數詞－位數詞〕（如「三百」）和〔數詞－量詞〕（如「三隻」）的詞序，位數詞與量詞均為後置，符合位數詞與量詞的同步原則；而僅有的變異與例外均出現於藏緬語族（Her et al. 2015, Her et al. to appear）。本文關注兩個較為特別的藏緬語Sunwar和Rabha，檢視其位數詞和量詞的雙重詞序及其在語言演變中的意涵，主張此雙重詞序的現象是語言接觸所產生的過渡階段；但即使在此外來詞序與原生詞序競爭的狀態下，這兩個語言仍然維持了量詞和位數詞的同步原則。從本研究的結果推斷，藏緬語中數詞和量詞所呈現的各種風貌皆應來自語言接觸，而位數詞與量詞的同步原則應可視為一普遍性原則（language universal）。

The languages of different ethnic groups under long-term contact inevitably influence one another. Aside from the more frequent lexical borrowing, such influence may also induce systematic changes in the grammar. Asia is the hotbed of the world's classifier languages, where the majority of classifier languages follow a base-final [n base] order in numerals, e.g., san-bai 'three hundred' in Chinese, and also a classifier-final [numeral classifier] order, e.g., san-zhi 'three C-animal'. A harmonization between base and classifier in terms of word order thus obtains and the few rare exceptions all occur in Tibeto-Burman (TB), where base-initial and classifier-initial orders are also attested (Her et al. 2015, Her et al. to appear).This study focuses on two special cases in TB, Sunwar and Rabha, and closely examines the double word orders of numeral bases and classifiers and discusses the implications in terms of language change. We propose that such double word orders indicate that the numeral systems and classifier systems are in transition due to language contact, and also note in particular that, even in this unstable stage where the indigenous system and the borrowed system are in competition, harmonization between base orders and classifier orders is still observed in these two languages. We thus contend that the variation of word orders in numeral systems and classifier systems within TB can be attributed to language contact and that the base-classifier harmonization in word order can be seen as a language universal.