欧亚超级语系假说:格林伯格的论证

Eurasiatic:Greenberg's Evidence

作为20世纪最有影响的语言谱系分类学家,格林伯格应用多边比较法提出了"欧亚超级语系假说"。这一假说的争议,表面集中在形态证据是否实在、词汇证据是否可信,以及比较方法是否可靠,其深层原因却在于,传统历史比较和现代超级语系建构在观念、理论和方法上存在的一系列差别。无论是格林伯格还是其批评者都陷入了同样困境:就语言材料自身难以完全证明到底是同源相还是偶然相似。根据美洲原居民的来源研究成果,新大陆的居民来自旧大陆,新旧大陆语言上的远古同源是合情合理的,当然这并不意味着欧亚超级语系假说不需要再提供更可靠的语言比较证据。

As the most influential linguist of language family classification in 20th century, Joseph Green- berg proposed Eurasiatic by using multilateral comparison. The controversy of this hypothesis focused on the credibility of morphological evidence, lexical evidence and comparison mothodologyt in surface, but the deep reason is, the constructions between traditional historical comparison and modem maocrofamily exist a series of differences in senses,theores and methods. Both Greenberg and his critics are put in a tight spot,because it＇s difficult to prove whether it belongs to genectic relationship or occasional similarity only according to language materials. Based on the research findings of American aborigines, the residents in the New World came from the Old World, it＇s reasonable to say that they are genetically related in ancient times ,but that doesnt mean Eurasiatic hypothesis needn＇t be offered more reliable comparing evidence.