《尤利西斯》的词源释义

An Etymological Interpretation of Ulysses

乔伊斯在小说里经常按照最初的字面义或词源含义来使用某些词语,这使得词源学成为阅读《尤利西斯》的必备知识之一。乔伊斯终其一生都对词源学保持了浓厚的兴趣,这不仅是时代风气的影响——乔伊斯阅读过的《英语的词源辞典》便是这么一部顺应19世纪末词源学研究热潮而诞生的著作,也是个人兴趣使然——维科的《新科学》的语言观及其所使用的词源研究方法深深吸引了乔伊斯。这两部著作,特别是《新科学》,对乔伊斯的小说创作产生了深远的影响,直接导致《尤利西斯》词义的"返祖现象"的出现,小说里描述肢体动作的词汇对这一点体现得尤为明显。同时,维科的词源学观点还为乔伊斯提供了创作灵感和理论基础,对词源含义的联想往往能够帮助读者理解《尤利西斯》的隐含意味和互文游戏。因此,返回词源含义的书写方式成了乔伊斯小说实现语言前景化的重要方式之一。

James Joyce usually uses a certain vocabulary based on its original literal or etymological meaning in his novels,which makes etymological analysis essential in reading Ulysses.Joyce takes a keen interest in etymology in his whole life,which results not only from the ethos of the time but also from his personal preference.An Etymological Dictionary of the English Language by Walter W.Skeat,which young Joyce read is such a work born in the wave of etymological studies at the time.The view of language and the research method of etymology in Nova Scienza by Vico attracted Joyce deeply.These two works,especially Nova Scienza,had a great influence on Joyce’s composition and contributed to the appearance of atavism in word meaning in Ulysses,which is best represented by the vocabulary for body movements in the novel.The writing mode of returning to the origins of words achieves the foregrounding of language in Joyce’s novels.