阐释“旅行的意义”——现象学的视角

Interpreting the Meaning of Travel:A Phenomenological Perspective

流行文化中有关"旅行的意义"的说法并不少见,但如何对"旅行的意义"进行阐释却很少有人研究。该研究从"意义"的3种常见用法——价值与目的、含义与语义、语境与范畴——入手,主要借鉴现象学的分析方法,得到了如下主要观点:1存在两种阐释"旅行的意义"的可能方式,即可以将其理解为旅行行为本身在语境、含义、价值之间的一种整体性关联,也可理解为嵌套于人们的整个生命时空或生活世界之中的一种基于"旅行-意义"的关联,因此未来的相关研究需要从旅行这个相对封闭的小世界跨入日常生活这个开放的大世界;2人们是先行在前语言的层面上获得了原初的"旅行-意义",然后才有可能在一定的语境中用语言来获得派生的"旅行的意义";3对"旅行的意义"这个命题来说,更合理的提问方式应该不是问旅行的意义"是什么",而是问旅行的意义"如何(发生)"。

Studying the meaning of travel is of great importance to understand people＇s travelling behavior,experiences,relationship between individuals and spatiotemporal aspects,and linkages between people and places.＂The meaning of travel＂is a popular expression both in modern pop culture and in academic inquiry.However,researchers have not paid enough attention to interpreting this expression.This study begins with a discussion of the three common usages of＂meaning＂-value/purpose,signification/semanteme,and context/category,and probes related subjects mainly from a phenomenological perspective.Traditionally,it is convenient for researchers to think about the link between＂travel＂and＂meaning＂in two opposite,alternative ways： is the meaning of travel an inherent and individual component of travel,or is it an external and accessorial component of travel？ However,interpretative phenomenological analysis shows the possibility of a third kind of interpretation,＂travelmeaning＂,which basically implies that the meaning is derived from the entire travel event,and can never exist independently.Based on this new notion,this paper summarizes the following three viewpoints： ① There are two possible ways to interpret the meaning of travel： to understand it as an integrated relationship between context,signification and value,or as an integral structure of＂travelmeaning＂,related to and embedded in people＇s complete spatiotemporal aspect of life（life-world）.Thus,future research needs to change from the limited world of travel,to the wide-open world of everyday life,if it aims to more profoundly and comprehensively understand people＇s travel behavior.② People practically and through sensorial medium understand the original＂travel-meaning＂in a prelingual manner at first,then cognitively and expressively obtain the translated＂meaning of travel＂in a certain context.In other words,when travel happens as travel,it exists in the very extensive background of life-world with endless multiplicity,and presents a rich,primitive,and pre-lingual meaning for existentialism and practicality,though,when travel does not happen as travel,but enters the lingual world of human beings,its context shrinks relatively and only reveals a rigid,derivative,and suppressed meaning of cognitive expression,which may be better defined as＂signification＂.③ As for the popular topic,＂the meaning of travel＂,a better line of questioning is not to ask＂what is the meaning of travel？＂,but to ask＂how is the meaning of travel（happening）？＂Finally,the essence of this study is to argue the possibility of a phenomenological perspective to interpret＂the meaning of travel,＂but not to offer an absolutely clear definition of＂the meaning of travel＂concept,or lead to an ultimate conclusion for some type of meaning.A core opinion in this study is that it is impossible to provide a standard answer for＂the meaning of travel＂.