英语发展之哲学思考和启示——兼论语言优劣观之错误

Philosophical Thinking & Revelation on the Development of English——Misconception on Language by Superiority and Inferiority

世界上的语言千姿百态,且其变体多种多样。无论是这些语言,还是其方言,无论大小、强弱,都没有优劣和贵贱之分。英语的发展和“遭遇”非同一般。她原是日尔曼语族的一个小语种,“出身”可谓“卑贱”。在其发展过程中,她又“饱受”了多种“磨难”,有两次差点儿被消灭,而如今却成了一种公认的“全球性”语言。原因何在?这给了我们以及汉语许多有益的启示。

For languages as well as their varietics, spoken by many or by few, strong or weak, there is no distinction between superiority and inferiority. The development of English and its “sufferings” are extraordinary. She originated as an “ugly duckling” from Germanic branch, thus its“origin” is said to be “humble”. After experiencing various “hardships and obstacles”, with twice nearly being wiped out, it has now turned out a recognized “global” language. Why？ All this has revealed many-sided instructive implications to us as well as to our mother tongue--Chinese !