10. 属格代名词的绝对型,反身属格的用法
“她有点私房钱”一句话,为什么不可以译成“She has some her own property.”,而必须要译作“She has some property of her own.”才对?
【解答】英文的属格代名词原有两种形态,一是说出名词的,一是不说出名词的,前者为普通型,后者称绝对型(Absolute Form)。如“Your house is larger than mine(= my house).”,用了绝对型的mine,就可避免重复说house一个名词了。当那名词前面用有a、any、some、no、this、that等字样时,这个绝对型常要用在of之后,而构成英文的双重属格(Double Possessive),例如:
A friend of mine is desirous of seeing your house.(我的一个朋友想要看看你的屋子。)
That is no business of yours.(那不关你的事。)
That was a shocking mistake of yours.(那是你的一个大错。)
Where did you buy that watch of yours?(你那只表是哪里买的?)
May I look at this photograph-album of yours?(你的这本照相簿我可以看看吗?)
如果不用代名词而改用名词的时候,就要在名词上附加撇号(Apos-trophe)“s”,才能同样地表示出属格来,例如:
Any friend of my brother’s is welcome.(任何一位我兄弟的朋友我都欢迎他来。)
It was no fault of the doctor’s. ——Irving(那不是医生的过错。)
Which house of your neighbour’s was burnt down?(你附近的哪一幢房子烧掉了?)
That really beautiful speech of your husband’s.(你丈夫说的话真够漂亮。)
反身属格(Reflexive Possessive)的my own、your own、his own等,也是采用这种形式,当那名词前面附有a、any、some、no、this、that一类的字眼时,尤其是与动词have同用的时候,例如:
He has no house of his own.(他没有自己的房子。)
She has no children of her own.(她没有亲生的儿女。)
Has she any money of her own?(她自己有钱吗?)
That boy has a will of his own.(那孩子有自己的意志。)
I have some reasons of my own for wishing to do so.(我想要这样做是有我自己的理由的。)
Among the languages which we describe as foreign,French holds a position of its own.(在我们形容为外国文的各种语文当中,法文有它独特的地位。)
在双重属格时,我们一定要说a friend of my brother’s,因为我们不能说my brother’s a friend或a my brother’s friend。在反身属格时,我们不能说“He has a(或no)his own house.”,一定要说“He has a(或no)house of his own.”;也不能说“She has not any her own property.”,而一定要说“She has not any property of her own.”;也不能说“I have some my own reasons.”,而一定要说“I have some reasons of my own.”。这都是为着要避免指示代名词与属格代名词连在一起的关系。
如果名词前没有a、any、no、this等字,而又不用have(= be the owner of)动词的话,则my own是可以置于名词前面的,如云:
This is not my own house.(这不是我自己的房子。)
又,如果have不作be the owner of解时,也还是可以不采用“of + 反身代名词”的形式,如:
Each country has(= keeps)its own customs.(各国各有其不同的风俗。)风俗不是一种物质,不能有“所有权”的。