先验与本质的缺失——认知语言学学理反思之一

The Deficiency of a Priori and Essence——Rethinking Cognitive Linguistics(1)

认知语言学的立论基础是经验主义,其理论假设涉及到一系列的变革,尤其是认识论和方法论的变革。它从外因寻求语言的答案,从而偏向心理因素,并与语用研究相融合——它着眼于动态的外在的识解而忽略静态的内在的规律。本文以语言理论的共时与历时为坐标,对CL的渊源、兴起、内涵与学科取向进行尽可能全面的考察,发现其根本误区在于对先验的否定和对本质的瓦解,由此而崩解了先验与经验、本质与现象之间的张力。相应地,它阉割了亚里士多德、洛克等人的思想,同时由于张力的缺失也使其研究泛化乃至神秘化,比如对隐喻的研究——似乎一切都是隐喻,似乎隐喻就是语言。

The theoretic assumptions of cognitive linguistics （CL）, based on empiricism, involve a series of innovations, especially in terms of epistemology and methodology. It tries to find solutions to language from external factors, hence having resort to psychology and pragmatics-focusing on dynamic external constructual modes but ignoring static internal rules. This paper attempts to survey the origin, rise, contents, and orientation of CL on a synchronic -diachronic coordinate. It is found that the fundamental inadequacies of CL lie in its denial of apriority and destruction of essence. As a result, the tension between apriority and empiri- cism, and that between essence and phenomena are broken. In addition, it has castrated the ideas of Aristotle and Locke, and due to the loss of tension it has sprawled and even mystified its research, metaphor for example-as if everything is metaphor and metaphor is language.