漢語は本当に名詞として受容されたのか

Revisiting Sino-Japanese parts of speech : Yoshio Yamada’s theory of the introduction of Chinese loanwords in noun form

From a diachronic viewpoint, the Chinese language has had a great influence on the characters, phonology and vocabulary of the Japanese language, but its impacts on Japanese grammar are often overlooked in academic circles, especially in terms of the parts of speech of Sino-Japanese vocabulary. The incorporation of Sino-Japanese parts of speech was very significantly affected by the characteristics of Japanese grammar, as Chinese loanwords had to be firstly introduced into Japan in noun form, and were then transformed into other forms only according to the dictates of Japanese grammar. This view springs from Yoshio Yamada’s “A Study of Sino-Japanese vocabulary items.” In the reception of this work, the theory of grammar it was based on was neglected by subsequent scholars, which led to a one-sided and misguided view on Sino-Japanese parts of speech. In the first half of this article, the author raises doubts about the dominant academic view, and illustrates how ancient Chinese loanwords differ from other loanwords of foreign origin, as the former were able to retain their original grammatical characteristics without being transformed into the noun form when they were introduced. In the second half of this article, the background and the reasons for this are analyzed through an interpretation of Yoshio Yamada’s standpoint. In conclusion, this article emphasizes the necessity of understanding the theoretical basis of previous studies instead of passively accepting their conventional perspective. It also points out the necessity of conducting a comprehensive assessment of Sino-Japanese parts of speech through the morphological and syntactic functions and meanings of words.

現在､漢語は､体言(殊に名詞)として日本語に受容されたとの見方がほぼ一般化されている｡この｢体言受容説｣は山田孝雄(1940)『国語の中に於ける漢語の研究』に発するが､その継承の過程において論拠の一部が看過され､漢語語彙に関する文法現象の理解が不十分なまま今日に至っている｡ 本稿では､日本語史における漢語の品詞性の実態を炙り出し､従来説の問題点についても取り上げる｡前半で､従来説への疑問点について述べ､中国語出自の漢語が原語の品詞性を一定程度保持しつつ受容された可能性を論じる｡後半では､山田説をはじめとする漢語研究の理論的基盤を分析し､問題点を指摘する｡併せて､通時的にみた個々の漢語の文法的な特徴を､単に日本語内部における理論的な整合性を追求するだけではなく､形態はもちろん､時には統語意味といった応用の面からも吟味するのが前提であることを主張し､その上での体系構築を目指すべきだと提案する｡