語言不僅是一種工具（下）

∷林巍 文／譯

原 文

[1] 研究還表明，一個(gè)人的講話風(fēng)格并非固定不變，而是隨著社會(huì)環(huán)境和講話對(duì)象而變化的。一般來講，個(gè)人講話有一種趨同的傾向（即隨大流），但有時(shí)也會(huì)有趨異傾向（即顯示自己的特征）。譬如，回到北京時(shí)，我的“北京腔”不知不覺就濃了很多；而我的英國(guó)朋友在澳大利亞時(shí)，其“英國(guó)腔”保持得更為明顯，不知是否有意顯出其身份。

[2] 一個(gè)人對(duì)異國(guó)文化的適應(yīng)程度，與對(duì)其母語的關(guān)系，有著積極與消極的兩面性，這點(diǎn)因人而異。有的人，在積極投入其他主流文化的同時(shí)，有意削弱自己的母語能力；有的人，反而更加強(qiáng)、突出了這方面，認(rèn)為是一種優(yōu)勢(shì)。

[3] 一般來講，若某一社會(huì)群體所講、所用的語言是為社會(huì)所尊敬的那一種（如在英國(guó)，以女王為代表的貴族所講的語言），他們便會(huì)有更高的社會(huì)優(yōu)越感，其成員也會(huì)有意顯示出與眾不同，以保持其正面的群體特性。當(dāng)然，也難免會(huì)有他人向這一群體的講話方式靠攏。

[4] 一個(gè)人的語言還可成為他人對(duì)其進(jìn)行評(píng)判的對(duì)象。據(jù)研究，人們可以從一個(gè)人的語言中判斷出其社會(huì)地位、教育程度、善良與否、智力、能力、甚至財(cái)富等。

[5] 語言對(duì)個(gè)人之意義由此可見。如果說服裝是人的形體修飾，那么語言便是人的綜合價(jià)值的外在體現(xiàn)。所以，語言就不應(yīng)當(dāng)被視為僅僅是一種工具，而應(yīng)是一種素質(zhì)。

譯 文

[1] Research has also revealed that a person’s speech style is not merely composed of fixed elements of an individual’s language use;it varies depending on the social setting and the ways of speaker’s conversational partners. People’s speech styles generally tend to converge (becoming more like that of their partners), although sometimes they diverge (showing their prominence deliberately).I, myself, as a native Beijinger, whenever I return to Beijing, for instance, my Beijing accent just naturally restores. A friend of mine,native English, once he was in Australia, as I observed, he had an especially reserved speech manner prompting his Englishness,whether consciously or subconsciously.

[2] An individual’s acculturation may also have some impact on his or her native language shift both positively and negatively depending on the person who may take different approaches. While actively participating in the mainstream culture, some intentionally diminish their native language competence; others strengthen the ability as one of their advantages.

[3] Generally speaking, a social group has more prestigious social status if its members speak and use a respected language that has wide public appeal (such as the language used by the aristocrats in England, most notably by the Queen), and the members are so willing to display their divergence to maintain positive group distinctiveness. Surely,some others may also intend to associate themselves with the speaking style of this group as a privilege as well.

[4] A person’s language may also become an evaluative subject with which perceivers can infer his or her social status, educational level, benevolence, intelligence, ability even wealth and so on as certain research suggested.

[5] All in all, the implications of one’s language can be seen as the manifestation of an individual’s inner comprehensive values in the same way the clothes adorn the body. Language to a person, therefore, ought never to be seen as merely a tool as it has always been perceived,but more importantly, as a quality.

譯 注

在[1]中，對(duì)于（一個(gè)人的）“講話風(fēng)格”，不一定限于speech style一種，the way of speaking的含義更廣泛；“社會(huì)環(huán)境”也不一定譯為 social environment，因該詞在這里顯得過于宏觀和寬泛。這里主要體現(xiàn)的是一種語言在社會(huì)環(huán)境中的 context, background，故不妨選擇更具體的setting。

“一般來講，個(gè)人講話有一種趨同的傾向（即隨大流），但有時(shí)也會(huì)有趨異傾向（即顯示自己的特征）”，其中的“隨大流”并非一般意義上的 drift with the tide / current,follow the crowd, go with the stream 等，而是社會(huì)語言學(xué)上的一種“集中現(xiàn)象”，故用了專業(yè)詞語 converge，其主要含義為 to come from different directions and meet at the same point to become one thing；同時(shí)，與其相對(duì)應(yīng)的“趨異”則可譯為diverge，其義為 things develop in different ways and so are no longer similar；“顯示自己的特征”，似可譯為 to demonstrate their characteristics，然推敲起來，characteristics是人全面性格的一種體現(xiàn)，在某一具體語言現(xiàn)象中實(shí)難有此效果。其實(shí)，在這種語境下，當(dāng)事人的意圖是要顯出自己與周圍言語人的不同，是一種社會(huì)語言學(xué)中的“求異”現(xiàn)象，故不妨譯成showing their prominence deliberately，以為更加得體。

“譬如，回到北京時(shí)，我的‘北京腔’自覺就濃了很多”，似可譯為For example, when I come back Beijing, my Beijing accent will become heavier. 然而，細(xì)細(xì)體味，覺得首先應(yīng)有所鋪墊，故加上 I, myself, as a native Beijinger，之后將 come back 改為 return to更合宜；最后將（北京腔）“濃了很多”譯成just naturally restores, 以為更符合實(shí)際的發(fā)生過程。

“而我的英國(guó)朋友在澳大利亞時(shí)，其‘英國(guó)腔’保持得更外明顯，不知是否有意顯出其身份”，似可譯為When my English friend was in Australia, his English accent was very obvious, and I didn’t know whether that was his deliberation to show off his English status. 此譯文從語言學(xué)角度來看似無問題，但從社會(huì)語言學(xué)角度看還欠得體。首先，“我的朋友”在慣用表達(dá)中為a friend of mine，為體現(xiàn)母語為英語者，故加native English；其次，“英國(guó)腔”不一定是English accent，此處不妨為especially reserved speech manner，以顯示其有意的矜持方式；至于“更為明顯”，再?gòu)?qiáng)調(diào)為prompting his Englishness；此外，為了更加切題和通順，加上as I observed，以承前啟后，貫通語勢(shì)。

在[2]中的“對(duì)其母語的關(guān)系”，不宜理解為簡(jiǎn)單的 the relations between，而是社會(huì)語言學(xué)上講的native language shift；“因人而異”也不應(yīng)平鋪直敘為vary with each individual，而是指在具體社會(huì)環(huán)境下不同人（對(duì)異國(guó)文化的適應(yīng)程度）所采取的不同態(tài)度與方法，故應(yīng)完整地轉(zhuǎn)換為depending on the person who may take different approaches。

在[3]中，“如在英國(guó)，以女王為代表的貴族所講的語言”未譯成...represented by the Queen，因?yàn)槟菢硬坏贪澹也煌耆蠈?shí)際。實(shí)際上，這是社會(huì)上對(duì)此種語言現(xiàn)象的一種感受，故更貼切的譯法為...such as the language used by the aristocrats in England,most notably by the Queen.

“其成員也會(huì)有意顯示出與眾不同，以保持其正面的群體特性”，其中的“與眾不同”，不是一般意義上的out of the ordinary, different from the common run, unconventional,extraordinary等，而是接續(xù)上文的diverge，轉(zhuǎn)化為其名詞形式divergence；同時(shí)，如上所述，其（群體）“特性”亦不是characteristics 之含義，而是凸顯“有別于他人”，故譯為group distinctiveness。至于“也難免會(huì)有他人向這一群體的講話方式靠攏”之“靠攏”，不宜理解為一般語義上的draw close, close up等，而意為“與之產(chǎn)生某種關(guān)聯(lián)”，故可用associate一詞，同時(shí)輔之以as a privilege as well。

在[4]中，對(duì)于“一個(gè)人的語言……甚至財(cái)富等”，則可以充分發(fā)揮英文“形合”的優(yōu)勢(shì)，將其以 with which, as...等從句及介詞短語等“一以貫之”，進(jìn)行整合。

在[5]中，從語義層面來講，“外在體現(xiàn)”不一定依字面意思譯為the external display，不妨以“人的（內(nèi)在）綜合價(jià)值”—— an individual’s inner comprehensive values來反襯，即有“內(nèi)”便自然有“外”；而（形體）“修飾”，則有幾個(gè)可選取的相對(duì)應(yīng)詞語，如decorate, embellish, dress up, make up,modify, figure 等，然而與cloth相結(jié)合，最合適的搭配則為adorn；其次，從結(jié)構(gòu)來看，不妨將該段前后整合起來，通盤考慮，理解為“語言對(duì)個(gè)人之意義……就不應(yīng)當(dāng)被視為僅僅是一種工具……”，譯為L(zhǎng)anguage to a person, therefore, ought never to be seen as merely a tool...；最后，作為成分的補(bǔ)充，加上as it has always been perceived及 but more importantly，以使其意義更為明顯、完整與通順。