研读西方语言学嬗变之启示:观察、描写和阐释

The Implications from a Diachronic Survey of Western Linguistic Research: Observation, Description and Explanation

纵观西方语言学研究,特别是欧美语言学研究历程,我们不难发现这样一个宏观运作态势:观察、描写和阐释。而这非常符合语言研究规律——观察、收集材料,描写、分析材料和材料的理据阐释。不过,它们之间也有共轨之时,交叉或综合运作,如19世纪的历史比较语言学和当前的认知语言学。与此同时,笔者反观中国的语言学研究,之所以无法与西方的研究相提并论,其中一个重要原因可能是不重视理论框架思考,即缺乏上面的第三个环节。

From the diachronic survey of Western linguistics, especially the evolution of Euro-American linguistic studies, we can find it no difficulty in drawing a macro-tendency： observation, description and explanation. Such ＂tendency＂ utterly conforms to the law of linguistic research -- observing and gathering data, describing and analyzing data, and finally explaining data. However, there are some cross or comprehensive performances among them, such as historical comparative linguistics in 19th century and cognitive linguistics for the present time. Meanwhile China＇s linguistic research may be another story when compared with studies in Western linguistics, probably resulting from the fact that our linguists have not paid sulticient attention to the theoretical framework concerned, i.e. lack of the above third step.