从“同志”看社会的变化——北京地区国家机关公务员称呼使用考察

A Study on the Form of Address “tongzhi” by Public Servants

本文就“同志”称呼在当今北京地区公务员中使用的情况进行实证性研究。研究结果表明,“同志”在非正式场合的口语称呼中已经基本消失,取而代之的是较为中性的或体现职位的称呼语;在书面称呼中“同志”仍然是最常用的称呼语,其中以处级以上具有领导职务的公务员使用最为普遍;在公务员个人信函中”同志”称呼仍占有一定的比例,但是它的使用一般具有标记性,与称呼者自身年龄、职业(包括过去以及现在从事的职业)有一定的关系。本文通过“同志”这个曾经具有较浓政治色彩的称呼语在历时应用中的交替演变现象分析社会语言的变化,探讨和解释公务员称呼由过去的政治动因为主,向政治中性和个性化称呼语转变这一社会语言现象。

This paper studies the form of address“tongzhi”(comrade)used by public servants in the Beijing district.Empirical data show that this address form,once the most popular address term a- mong public servants,has now been replaced by other terms in verbal addressing.However,it is still the most frequently used honorific term in written address forms.In personal letters,on the other hand,“tongzhi”is sometimes used,but it is marked in terms of the addressee's age,experience,and past and present occupation and position.The change in the use of“tongzhi”in recent history reflects social changes:this term has shifted from being politically charged to being politically neutral.This change is more radically reflected in verbal addressing on informal occasions than in written addressing forms.Tentative explanations for these changes are offered from a sociolinguistic perspective.