“物”的符号身份及其意义的生成与阐释

The Symbolic Identity of “Objects” and Their Meaning Generation and Interpretation

物与文字、仪式等其他的符号形态一样,行使着保存、传递和创造文化意义的职能。多层次、多类别和多样式的物构成一个文化复合体,维系并促进着群体和民族的文化认同和传承。物既属于现实世界又属于意义世界,具有物性和符号性并拥有实用功能和象征功能。俄罗斯民俗学家阿·巴伊布林用物在符号标尺上的位置来确定其符号身份,符号身份的量值和符号性成正比,和物性成反比,其变化受到诸多因素的影响。物性与符号性之间的关系决定着物的意义建构。从物的实体与象征之间是理据的,还是约定俗成的来看物的意义建构是逻辑思维的产物。事实上,神话思维下建构起来的物的意义并未完全丢失,它们是物的文化记忆的重要组成部分。对物的意义阐释既可来自于证据确凿的考据,也可来自于符合逻辑的推测和判断,还可依靠联想获得超越物的制造者本意的含义。物的意义阐释也包含着想象、推测、曲解甚至破坏。

Objects, like words, rituals and other symbolic forms, perform the role of preserving, transmitting and generating cultural meaning. A cultural complex is formed by the diverse layers, categories and styles of objects, sustaining and fostering the cultural identity and inheritance of communities and ethnic groups. Objects belong to both the tangible and symbolic realms, possessing both materiality and signification, with practical and symbolic functions. Russian folklorist A. Bayburin uses an object's position on the symbolic scale to determine its symbolic identity, where the quantitative value of symbolic identity is directly proportional to symbolism and inversely proportional to materiality, influenced by various factors. The relationship between materiality and symbolism determines the construction of an object's meaning. Whether the meaning construction comes from ration basis or convention, it is a product of logical thinking. In fact, the meanings of objects constructed under the mythological thinking are not entirely lost;they remain a crucial component of the cultural memory of objects. The interpretation of objects' meaning can arise from well-founded evidence, logical speculation, and even associations that transcend the intended meaning by the objects' creator. The interpretation of objects' meaning encompasses imagination, speculation, misinterpretation, and even destruction.