从“国文”到“国语”:一字之差背后的学科变革

From“Guo Wen”to“Guo Yu”:The Subject Revolution underneath the Difference in Wording

1920年,中华民国教育部通告规定将国民学校“国文”科改为“国语”科。这一转变是语文学科史上的一次重大变革,与近代社会变革密切相关。最初,“国文”作为语文学科的官方课名存在,“国语”则见于翻译文件、民间教材名称中。在当时内忧外患的背景下,救亡图存成为社会呼声,一批人倡导国语统一以开民智、强国家,又受教育救国思潮、新文化运动影响,民间陆续组织相关社团,推行白话教材、兴起国语运动、举办国语讲习所等,迫使教育部应时而变。更名后,白话文在此后的“国语”课程中得到全面的推广,“言文一致”的目标真正达成;语文学科从此前的精英教育走向大众化、实用化;“国语”课程教学内容的设置也更贴近儿童生活。

In 1920,the Ministry of Education of the Republic of China announced that“The Guo Wen course in national schools will be changed to Guo Yu...The first and second grades of national schools will be taught in Guo Yu from this autumn.”Starting from the difference between“Guo Wen”and“Guo Yu”,this paper traces the origin of the meaning of“Guo Wen”and“Guo Yu”and its application in modern times,exploring the reasons for the issuance of this decree in combination with the provisions of the school system and social background in different stages.Firstly,the study finds that the modern meanings of“Guo Wen”and“Guo Yu”are not divorced from the basic connotations of“Wen”and“Yu”in ancient China.Secondly,the study shows that after the Ministry of Education ordered the change of“Guo Wen”into“Guo Yu”,the mandarin was still comprehensively promoted in the“Guo Yu”course despite the obstruction of the old forces.The goal of consistence between language and text has been achieved;Chinese subject from the previous elite education to the public education,and it is also in line with the inevitable trend of social development.The teaching content of the“Guo Yu”course also attaches more importance to children’s literature.