以下は、民法からの引用であるが、法律の文章は、「および」「並びに」「かつ」という接続詞はその使用が厳密に区別されているし、「又は」「若しくは」といった接続詞も等位の階層が違う。そのことは、法律を普段読んでいる人には常識だろうが、普通の日本語では一般的ではないだろう。たとえば、2 項は [[暴行若しくは脅迫] 又は隠匿]と読む必要がある。
第百九十条 悪意の占有者は、果実を返還し、かつ、既に消費し、過失によって損傷し、又は収取を怠った果実の代価を償還する義務を負う。
２ 前項の規定は、暴行若しくは強迫又は隠匿によって占有をしている者について準用する。
英語を読む際には、このような並列構造は普通にあるのでそれを把握することに慣れるのが重要である。奇妙なというか、不気味なとさえ感じる並列構造が沢山ある。例をあげると、
It comes from being and speaking English.
English は、comes from being にかかる際は「イギリス人」のことで、speaking にかかる際は「英語」の意味である。
I went to the toy store, bought, came home, wrapped up, and put under the Christmas tree one of the nicest little laser death-ray kits I’ve ever seen.
“one of the nicest littile laser death-ray kits I've ever seen” はすべてにかかっているわけではなく、“went to the toy store” “came home” の部分には、この共通項は必要としない。
Japanese workers who lose their jobs, have their pay cut, or who have unforeseen high medical bills should not be afraid to declare bankruptcy.
“lose their jobs”, “have unforeseen high medical bills” には、who がついているのに、“have their pay cut” には who がついていない。つまり、等位構造は入れ子になっていて、“lose their job” と “have their pay cut” はより、意味が近いということである。
下は如何にも受験英語にむいた例題である。
A sensitive and skilful handling of the language in every day life, in writing letters, in conversing, making political speeches, drafting public notices, is the basis of an interest in literature.
次の例は、them が共通項目なのだが、最後の文の途中にもぐりこんでしまっている。
After using dishes, please wash, dry, and put them away in the proper place.
同じような例としては、
The troops occupied and burned the town to the ground.
等位接続は文法上対等なものが接続されるとか言われるときがあるが、必ずしもそうではない。
Pat was annoyed by the children's noise and that their parents did nothing to stop it.
この例文で重要なのは、
Pat was annoyed by the children's noise.
は単独でも成立するが、
× Pat was annoyed by that their parents did nothing to stop it.
は単独では成立しないということである。
by A and B
の形で、文法的に by の後が名詞であることが必要という条件は、by (A and B ) として機能していると考えるしかなかろう。そうすると A and B の場合、左側の A の方だけが文法を満たせばいいと思うかもしれないがそうではない。
× That he was late all the time resulted in his being dismissed.
ところが、次の文は問題ない。
That he was late all the time and his constant harassment of co-workers resulted in his being dismissed.
しかし、逆の順序は許されない。
× His constant harassment of co-workers and that he was late all the time resulted in his being dismissed.
[A and B] は 制約に関連する語により近い方が満たさないといけない。つまり、最初の例でいえば、by により近い A であり、次の例でいえば、result により近い B の方である。
同じような例をさらに見てみる。
So the fox thought about and decided to carry the scorpion across the river.
次の例では once は副詞で名詞を修飾しないはずである。
The Once and Future King
同じような不気味な並列構造の例。
Pat remembered the appointment and that it was important to be on time.
You can depend on my assistance and that he will be on time.
文法カテゴリーが違う等位接続などいくらでもある。
Pat is a Republican and proud of it.
Pat is healthy and of sound mind.
That was a rude remark and in very bad taste.
Pat has become a banker and very conservative.
We walked slowly and with great care.
They wanted to leave tomorrow or on Tuesday.
逆に品詞が同じ種類でも意味的カテゴリーがかけ離れたものを等位接続したために認可されない例も多々存在する。
× The man is a republican and John.
× A tall and alledged thief
以下は等位構造の練習用。
John left his office at 11 and at 12, the library.
Kim likes Sandy, and Lee Leslie.
※ Lee と Leslie は別人Judi was then able to talk with Mrs. French about her fears and concerns and offer a positive outlook by explaining that breast cancer, when detected early, has a good prognosis.
Many doctors do not want to use such software because it makes their experience and expert knowledge seem less important.
The state of mind which made primitive peoples invent and rely on magic has not entirely disappeared.
I have been looking for, and Peter said that Mary told Joe that she was unable to find, the course textbook.
When circumstances have led us to change our habits or life - as when the university has succeeded school, or professional life the university - we get into many fresh ways, and leave many old ones.
※ professional life の後、 has succeeded が省略されているIf a machine can think for itself on some level, perhaps even learn from and improve upon its performance through experience, it can be a far more useful tool.
Yet profitability is not the purpose of but a limiting factor on business enterprise and business activity.
There is general apathy to if not positive distrust of science itself as a search for truth.
Darwin judged them to be closely related, which we now know through detailed chemical as well as other measures is correct.
He appeared to be destitute alike of the ambition which urged, and of the passionate energy of mind which enabled me to excel.
※ エドガー・アラン・ポーの文章から。I believe John to be honest and Mary to be kind.
We can view utterances as acts of various kinds and the exchanges of utterances that we call conversations as exchanges of acts.
Having emerged from the poverty and obscurity in which I was born and bred to a state of affluence and some degree of reputation in the world, and having gone so far through life with a considerable share of felicity, the conducing means I made use of, which, with the blessing of God, so well succeeded, my posterity may like to know, as they may find some of them suitable to their own situations, and therefore fit to be imitated.
※ ベンジャミン・フランクリンの文章。 最後の方は長い目的語が倒置されてもいる。
上の例文でわかることだが省略についてもごく簡単に触れておく。
1）動詞の省略
Kim likes Sandy, and Lee Leslie.
日本語にすると 「Kim はSannday を、Lee はLeslie を好きである」だから、省略の位置が日本語と英語で違う。英語の場合は、等位接続詞で結ばれた文章の後者の方の動詞を削除する。
I ate fish, Bill pork, and Harry roast beaf.
なおこの空所化ができるのは、等位接続詞 (FANBOYS: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So など) で文章が結ばれた場合だけである。
× Tom played the piano whenever John the violin.
2) 目的語の省略
John respects, and Mary despises that lawer.
日本語では、「ジョンはその弁護士を尊敬しており、メリーは軽蔑している」が普通だから、省略の位置が日本語と英語では違う。英語の場合、等位接続詞で結ばれた最初の方の目的語を削除する。前置詞の目的語も同じような扱い。
Yet profitability is not the purpose of（business enterprise and business activity) but a limiting factor on business enterprise and business activity.
3) 動詞句の省略
動詞と目的語がセットになって省略されるときは、その場所に助動詞を残さないといけない。等位節だけでなく、文を超えた省略、従属節での省略も可能である。
John rarely eats sushi but Tom does.
Tom isn’t signing the contract even though most of his frends are.
Because John might, Tom will eat sushi.
Did Tom eat sushi? Yes, he did.
be 動詞でない一般の動詞では、
John slept, and Mary will too.
みたいに時制は変わっても許されるが、be 動詞はそうはいかない。
× John was here, and Mary will too.
The New York Times の記事から、動詞句が省略されている例を示しておく。
Experts said the study, which was published online Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, will not settle the long-debated question of whether being insured prolongs life, but it provides the most credible evidence yet that it might. Still, health improvements can take years to surface in mortality data, and some researchers were skeptical of the magnitude and suddenness of the decline.
