信息传达的性质与语言的本质和语言的发展

The nature of communication and language, and their influence on language development

本文通过对信息传达的性质和语言的本质的探讨,来了解语言的发展。Ostension"显示信息传达意图的动作"(以下简称"动作")和inference"推测/推论"是信息传达过程中的两个重要环节。在信息传达的时候,信息传达者总希望信息接受者能又快又准确地对自己所传达的信息做出"推论/推测",因此,信息传达者会尽量地做出最适宜、最不费力、最能帮助对方进行推论/推测的"动作"。"动作"越具体,对"推论/推测"过程的制约程度就越高。语言在信息传达过程中的作用只是作为一种制约听话者进行"推论/推测"的工具,因此,语言是因为说话者要制约听话者的"推论/推测"过程而发展的。不同语言的说话者对不同语义领域进行相同或不同的制约,制约程度和手段亦有相同与不同之处。因此,每种语言有它的独特性,但不同语言之间也有共同性。

Through an analysis of the nature of language and communication, this paper explicates the phenomena which are involved in the development of language. Ostension and inference are the two main activities involved in any act of communication. When communicating, the speaker hopes the addressee quickly and easily infer the speaker' s communicative intention, and so the speaker will use an ostensive act that will most likely constrain the addressee's inferential process so that he or she can infer the intended communicative intention. The role of language in communication is to act as a tool which constrains the hearer's inferential process. Therefore, language develops in order to help the speaker constrain the addressee s inferential process. Speakers of different languages constrain different functional domains, and to different degrees and with different formal mechanisms, and so each language is unique, and reflects a particular society, but there may also be commonalities among languages due to common responses to common conditions .