语言及其力量:从本能到规范

Language and Its Power:From Instinct to Norms

人类之所以独特,就在于人有语言会说话。语言不仅是我们表征世界、表达思想的符号系统,也是一种强大的力量。如果这样一种力量不受约束和规范,也会带来很多不良的后果。然而,在史蒂芬·平克看来,语言无需规范。他的主要理由是这样的:首先,说话或表达是人的天赋能力,人们学习语言是通过其自身的“语言本能”或者依赖人与生俱来的某种“先天机制”;其次,语言的发展和演化有其自身的规律,语言的规范并不能杜绝人们不规范地使用语言,也无法消除语言的超常态发展;最后,“语言的不规范使用”并不会导致语言的衰败和没落,反而可以成为不同文化群体进行群体识别和身份认同的重要因素。因此,对语言施加的各种规范实则毫无必要。不过,从哲学的层面来看,作为理性的言说者,我们对语言的规范固然无法给出语言的所有恰当使用方式,也无法确保每个人的语言都合乎规范,更无法保证语言按照某种既有的形式进行演化,但这并不意味着规范没有必要,在个体思维层面和社会团结层面,语言的规范和规范的语言都有着积极和重要的意义。由于具有群体性和社会性特征,人类语言的习得和使用关涉人类的历史、文化、制度和习俗,只有将语言置于一种更大的理性空间来进行立体审视,我们才能真正理解语言的力量及其规范的必要性,进而理解人类自身。

According to Steven Pinker,language is an ability unique to human beings and people learn language through their instinct,the development and evolution of language also have their own process.In addition,since the normalization of language cannot eliminate the non-standard use and the abnormal development of language,the improper use of language might not decay the language.Therefore,the normalization of language is unnecessary.However,the specification of language does not guarantee the proper use of all cases and ensure all the people conform with the norms,but this does not follow from that the normalization is not necessary.From the perspective of individual and social solidarity,the normalization of language is very important and necessary,in the sense that we are creatures of rationality.