白话、文言与方言:19世纪中期官话《圣经》译本的诞生

The Origins of the First Mandarin Version of the Bible in the Mid-19th Century

在晚清白话文书写中,由新教传教士所主持的官话《圣经》译本有着重要的意义:传教士对官话译本在实际传教工作中的定位与应用,不但可以反映出该时期他们对"白话"的认识,更可以折射出19世纪"白话"的实际使用范围、文化声誉与社会地位。本文以19世纪中期的第一个新教官话《圣经》译本--南京官话《新约》的历史背景为主要研究对象,试图借助大英圣书公会的原始档案,梳理其诞生过程,进而探索官话译本、文言译本和方言译本在当时的不同定位与相互关系;而其间所体现的"官话"在晚清《圣经》汉译史上被逐步确认为"通用语"的过程,则可以进一步帮助我们对清末民初语文变革获得更为深入和全面的理解。

In the vernacular writing in the late Qing dynasty,the Mandarin versions of the Bible,which was presided over by the Protestant missionaries,have important significance:the use of the Mandarin versions in their actual missionary work can not only reflect their understanding of the"vernacular"during this period,but also show the actual breadth of use,cultural reputation,and social status of the vernacular in the 19th century.This paper,whose main research object is the first Mandarin version of the New Testament in the late Qing dynasty,is based on the original archives of the British and Foreign Bible Society.It describes the origins of the Nanking Mandarin version,then explores the relationship among Mandarin,classical Chinese,and dialects at that time.Furthermore,the process of"Mandarin"being gradually recognized as"the common language"in the history of the Bible’s translation into Chinese in the 19th century can help us to have a full and more comprehensive understanding of the language reform in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.