先日の William & Catherine の royal wedding の「結婚の誓約」 (marriage vows) について，transcript が BBC: Royal wedding: Transcript of marriage service に掲載されている（本記事の末尾に再掲）．誓約の場面は，こちらの Youtube 動画よりどうぞ．
結婚式を含む宗教的儀式の言語は，古い表現を豊富に残していることが多い．英国国教会の marriage vows は，1549年に出版された The Book of Common Prayer の誓約が土台となっており，以降，軽微な改変はあったものの，ほぼそのままの形で現在にまで伝わっている．したがって，今回の誓いも現代英語より近代英語を体現しているというほうが適切であり，古風な表現に満ちている．聖書の言語と同様，歴史英語の入門にはうってつけの教材だろう．
さて，英国国教会の長 the Archbishop of Canterbury が用いた古風な表現の1つに「結婚（している状態）；婚姻」を表わす wedlock がある．holy wedlock と使われているように，宗教的に認められた婚姻関係を指すことが多い．語形をみる限り，lock 「錠前」と結びつけられるのではないかと考えるのが普通だろう．新郎新婦が "till death us do part" と誓い合っているように，夫婦の愛が錠前のように固く結びつけられるという含意ならばロマンチックだが，既婚者の多くが真っ先に想像する「結婚の錠前」とは，日常生活上のあれやこれやの制限のことだろう．"Wedlock is a padlock." なる金言がある通りである．中世の登記には，独身者はラテン語で solutus 「放たれた，つながれていない」と表記されたが，これもよく理解できる．
wedlock を上記のように「結婚という錠前」と解釈する語源は言い得て妙，と膝をたたく既婚者も少なくないと思われるが，これはよくできた民間語源 ( folk etymology ) である．語源学の正しい教えに従えば，既婚者は錠前から解放される．wedlock は古英語より使われていた本来語で，当時は wedlāc という形態だった．-lāc は動作名詞を作る接尾辞で，wed 「誓い」と合わせて，本来は「誓いの行為；誓約」ほどの意味だった．そこから「結婚の誓約」の語義が生じ，中英語期には「結婚（している状態）」を表わすようになったのである．接尾辞 -lāc は，古英語では他にも以下のような派生語に見られたが，現代にまで残ったのは wedlock のみである．
brȳdlāc "nuptials", beadolāc "warfare", feohtlāc "warfare", heaðolāc "warfare", hǣmedlāc "carnal intercourse", wiflāc "carnal intercourse", rēaflāc "robbery", wītelāc "punishment", wrōhtlāc "calumny"
wedlock や marriage は類義語が多い．Visuwords の marriage や wedlock で類義語の関係図を見ると，結婚がすぐれて社会的な制度，社会的な拘束力のある「誓約の行為」であることを実感することができる．類義語の視覚化ツールとしては，[2010-08-11-1]の記事「toilet の豊富な婉曲表現を WordNet と Visuwords でみる」で紹介した Visual Thesaurus も参考までに．
Archbishop to Prince William: William Arthur Philip Louis, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony?
Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?
He answers: I will.
Archbishop to Catherine: Catherine Elizabeth, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together according to God's law in the holy estate of matrimony? Wilt thou love him, comfort him, honour and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?
She answers: I will.
The Archbishop continues: Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?
The Archbishop receives Catherine from her father's hand. Taking Catherine's right hand, Prince William says after the Archbishop: I, William Arthur Philip Louis, take thee, Catherine Elizabeth to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.
They loose hands. Catherine, taking Prince William by his right hand, says after the Archbishop: I, Catherine Elizabeth, take thee, William Arthur Philip Louis, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse: for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy law; and thereto I give thee my troth.
They loose hands. The Archbishop blesses the ring: Bless, O Lord, this ring, and grant that he who gives it and she who shall wear it may remain faithful to each other, and abide in thy peace and favour, and live together in love until their lives' end. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prince William takes the ring and places it upon the fourth finger of Catherine's left hand. Prince William says after the Archbishop: With this ring I thee wed; with my body I thee honour; and all my worldly goods with thee I share: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The congregation remains standing as the couple kneels. The Archbishop says: Let us pray.
O Eternal God, Creator and Preserver of all mankind, giver of all spiritual grace, the author of everlasting life: send thy blessing upon these thy servants, this man and this woman, whom we bless in thy name; that, living faithfully together, they may surely perform and keep the vow and covenant betwixt them made, whereof this ring given and received is a token and pledge; and may ever remain in perfect love and peace together, and live according to thy laws; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Archbishop joins their right hands together and says: Those whom God hath joined together let no man put asunder.
The Archbishop addresses the congregation: Forasmuch as William and Catherine have consented together in holy wedlock, and have witnessed the same before God and this company, and thereto have given and pledged their troth either to other, and have declared the same by giving and receiving of a ring, and by joining of hands; I pronounce that they be man and wife together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
The Archbishop blesses the couple: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you; the Lord mercifully with his favour look upon you; and so fill you with all spiritual benediction and grace, that ye may so live together in this life, that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.
・ ジョーゼフ T. シップリー 著，梅田 修・眞方 忠道・穴吹 章子 訳 『シップリー英語語源辞典』 大修館，2009年．
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