續娶亡妻姐妹婚（Sororate）

 續娶亡妻姐妹婚（Sororate）

● 字源

sororate：拉丁文 soror（姊妹）加名詞字尾 -ate，指鰥夫續娶亡妻姊妹（或妻不育時另娶其姊妹）的制度。對照詞是 levirate（亡夫之兄弟娶寡嫂）。兩者都是 marriage custom 的下位類型，目的都是在婚姻因死亡中斷後，維繫兩家的姻親聯盟。

● 例句（80 字）

Although many modern readers have criticized, and sometimes ridiculed, the custom of a man marrying his dead wife's sister, those lineages in many tribal societies that long observed the sororate, the practice of a widower's taking his late wife's sister as a new bride, did so not merely because custom demanded it, but because they believed that an alliance which is carefully maintained, once sealed by marriage, protects both families against the bitterness that a broken bond could easily provoke.

● 排列為比較容易閱讀的方式

Although many modern readers

have criticized,

and sometimes ridiculed,

the custom of a man

marrying his dead wife's sister,

those lineages

in many tribal societies

that long observed the sororate,

the practice of

a widower's taking his late wife's sister as a new bride,

did so

not merely because custom demanded it,

but because they believed

that an alliance

which is carefully maintained,

once sealed by marriage,

protects both families

against the bitterness

that a broken bond could easily provoke.

● 分解為原初的短小句

Many modern readers have criticized the custom.

（現在完成式，表歷來累積的看法。）

They sometimes ridiculed it.

（criticized 與 ridiculed 以 and 並列、共用 have；sometimes 修飾 ridiculed。）

A man marries his dead wife's sister.

（the custom of a man marrying... 中，a man 是 marrying 的意義主詞，修飾 custom。）

Some lineages lived in many tribal societies.

（in many tribal societies 為地點修飾語，限定 those lineages。）

Those lineages long observed the sororate.

（long 為副詞，「長期地」；observe 指「奉行」。）

The sororate is the practice of a widower's taking his late wife's sister as a new bride.

（同位語；a widower's 是動名詞 taking 的所有格意義主詞。）

Those lineages did so.

（did so 代替 long observed the sororate。）

Custom did not merely demand it.

（not merely... but... 的前半；it 指奉行此制。）

They believed something.

（主句骨架，believed 後接 that 名詞子句。）

An alliance is carefully maintained.

（which is carefully maintained 為關係子句，修飾 alliance。）

The alliance is sealed by marriage.

（once sealed by marriage 為省略的時間子句，完整為 once it is sealed by marriage。）

The alliance protects both families against bitterness.

（protect A against B：保護 A 免受 B 之害。）

A broken bond could easily provoke that bitterness.

（provoke 的受詞是 bitterness，原句以 that 作關係代名詞置於其後。）

● 文法解析

Although 讓步子句 + 長主詞 those lineages... did so：

Although 子句交代「外界評價」。主句主詞 those lineages 後接地點片語、that 關係子句、同位語三層修飾，要追到 did so 才找到謂語。

同位語 the practice of a widower's taking...：

the sororate 與 the practice of... 以逗號隔開，是同位語，不是另一個名詞。「所有格 + 動名詞」中，意義主詞是 widower。

not merely... but...：

兩個 because 子句平行。because custom demanded it 是表面原因，but because they believed... 才是真正動機，重點從「習俗要求」轉向「信念」。

that 名詞子句 + 關係子句 + 插入語：

believed 後的 that 子句主詞是 an alliance，其後 which is carefully maintained 與 once sealed by marriage 兩層修飾，把主詞和動詞 protects 隔開。要確認 protects 的主詞是 alliance，不是 marriage。

protect... against... + 末端關係子句：

the bitterness that a broken bond could easily provoke 中，that 是 provoke 的受詞；a broken bond 是該子句的主詞。

時態安排：

have criticized（現在完成）談歷來評價；observed / did / demanded / believed（過去式）敘述社群的奉行與動機；protects（現在式）是其信念所主張的通則。

● 參考譯文

雖然許多現代讀者曾批評、有時甚至嘲弄一名男子娶亡妻姊妹的習俗；但在許多部落社會中，那些長期奉行續娶亡妻姐妹婚（即鰥夫娶已故妻子的姊妹為新婦的作法）的宗系，這麼做並不只是因為習俗要求，而是因為他們相信：一個被細心維繫、又經婚姻締結的聯盟，能保護兩個家族，免於破裂的關係極易引發的怨恨。

● 補充說明

貼合主題：

sororate 的常見理由包括維繫兩家聯盟、讓亡妻的子女由姨母照顧、避免聘禮退還。《創世記》中雅各娶拉結之姊利亞（先娶姊、後娶妹）常被拿來討論，但那是同時娶姊妹，與喪偶後續娶不同，引用時宜區分。句中 alliance 與 broken bond 正好對照「聯盟 vs. 斷裂」的邏輯。

句型亮點：

not merely... but... 凸顯真正動機

did so 代動詞避免重複

once sealed by marriage 的省略插入

that a broken bond could easily provoke 的關係子句收尾

核心字彙：

criticize（批評）、ridicule（嘲弄）、lineage（宗系）、observe（奉行）、widower（鰥夫）、alliance（聯盟）、seal（締結）、bitterness（怨恨）、provoke（引發）。

提醒：

此制度多見於歷史與部分傳統社會，今日許多地區已不再實行，也常因當事女性自主權問題受批評。寫作時宜用 lineages that long observed 這類過去式，避免描述成普遍現況。

另外，我逐字計數，全句剛好 80 字（所有格 wife's、widower's 各算一字）。