谈沃尔夫语言学中的“意义”研究

Whorf's Theory of Meaning and Its Theoretical Value

沃尔夫在对印第安语,尤其是霍皮语等语言长期、细致研究的基础上,在积极探求语言结构在人的心理层面的反映过程中,逐渐形成了"语言学本质上是对意义的探寻"的语义观,并先后提出了一系列跟语言和心理相关联的隐性概念。揭示不同语言表达意义的方式,尤其是对语言中隐型或隐性范畴的深入挖掘,是沃尔夫具体语言研究的主要手段,也是他进一步探求不同语言使用者思维方式的重要途径。"意义"在沃尔夫的语言研究中占有举足轻重的地位。

In the process of studying Indian Languages, esp. Hopi, and pursuing for languages structures reflected on Psychological level, Benjamin Lee Whorf formed his semantic opinion-Linguistics is essentially the quest of meaning. He used a series of covert and overt concepts related with language and psychology. It was his main means of language studying to find out the different ways that different languages express their meanings. Meaning took quite an important role in Whorf s language studying.