儿童语言研究与儿童发展研究的宝库--读李宇明教授《人生初年--一名中国女孩的语言日志》

A Treasure House for Studies on Child Language and Child Development: A Review of Early Years of Life: Language Diary of a Chinese Girl

《人生初年--一名中国女孩的语言日志》是目前世界上跟踪记录儿童语言发展与儿童成长时间最长的科学研究,也是个体语言发展与身心发展的百科全书。本文主要从目前儿童语言研究和儿童发展研究两个方面出发,探讨该书的学术价值和社会意义。该书是儿童语言研究的宝库,它带给读者的启示至少有3点:(1)详细的观察记录是儿童语言研究的基石;(2)在儿童成长的全景记录中观察儿童的语言发展;(3)为多学科研究儿童语言提供了空间。同时,该书也是儿童发展与儿童教育的宝库,是儿童个体身心发展的全景式记录,并为儿童早期教育树立了典范。该书有力地推动了我国儿童语言学的发展,必将引发社会对家庭教育的关注和反思。

This article reviews the Professor Li Yuming’s new book titled Early Years of Life: Language Diary of a Chinese Girl, which is believed to be the world’s longest documentation of the developmental trajectory of language acquisition and growth of a child from her birth to the age of six. The book is an encyclopedia of individual child language acquisition and cognitive development. This paper discusses the scholarly values and social significance of the book from two fields: the study of child language development and the study of child development. First, the book is a treasure house for child language studies and inspires readers in three aspects: 1. Detailed observation is the cornerstone for child language studies;2. Child language development should be conducted through longitudinal observations and holistic recording of child growth;3. The book provides space for multidisciplinary study of children’s language. Secondly, the book can serve as a database for child development and child education. As a holistic record of child cognitive development, it sets a model for the study of early child education. In conclusion, the book has great value in promoting the study of child language development in China. Its publication will inspire broad attention to and reflection on child education in China.