试论拉波夫的社会语言学观及其方法论

On William Labov's sociolinguistic outlook and methodology

本文在宏观语言理论的背景下，以索绪尔结构主义语言学和乔姆斯基转换生成语法理论为参照，从元理论和方法论的角度对拉波夫的社会语言学思想作了初步考察分析。文章认为，拉波夫社会语言学是一种以社区层面的话语为主要研究对象,旨在通过研究语言的运用，特别是语言的变化和变异揭示语言结构的微观语言学。以定量研究为主要特征的“拉氏模式”，是本世纪语言研究方法论的重要突破之一，是对索绪尔结构主义语言学的重大发展。

With reference to Saussrian structuralism and Chomskyan T-G grammar,this paper presents from bothmetatheoretical and mathodological viewpoints a tentative examination of W. Labov's sociolinguistics ideas, Whichmainly. poeals two points: first Labovian sociolinguistics is a type of microlinguistics focused on the study oflanguage change and variation in social context with an aim to understand the nature of language system; second,Labovian paradigm characterized as quantitative analysis is one of the important methodological innovations of the20th century and a substantial development of Saussorian linguistics.