语言不仅是一种工具（下）

∷林巍 文／译

原 文

[1] 研究还表明，一个人的讲话风格并非固定不变，而是随着社会环境和讲话对象而变化的。一般来讲，个人讲话有一种趋同的倾向（即随大流），但有时也会有趋异倾向（即显示自己的特征）。譬如，回到北京时，我的“北京腔”不知不觉就浓了很多；而我的英国朋友在澳大利亚时，其“英国腔”保持得更为明显，不知是否有意显出其身份。

[2] 一个人对异国文化的适应程度，与对其母语的关系，有着积极与消极的两面性，这点因人而异。有的人，在积极投入其他主流文化的同时，有意削弱自己的母语能力；有的人，反而更加强、突出了这方面，认为是一种优势。

[3] 一般来讲，若某一社会群体所讲、所用的语言是为社会所尊敬的那一种（如在英国，以女王为代表的贵族所讲的语言），他们便会有更高的社会优越感，其成员也会有意显示出与众不同，以保持其正面的群体特性。当然，也难免会有他人向这一群体的讲话方式靠拢。

[4] 一个人的语言还可成为他人对其进行评判的对象。据研究，人们可以从一个人的语言中判断出其社会地位、教育程度、善良与否、智力、能力、甚至财富等。

[5] 语言对个人之意义由此可见。如果说服装是人的形体修饰，那么语言便是人的综合价值的外在体现。所以，语言就不应当被视为仅仅是一种工具，而应是一种素质。

译 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.

译 注

在[1]中，对于（一个人的）“讲话风格”，不一定限于speech style一种，the way of speaking的含义更广泛；“社会环境”也不一定译为 social environment，因该词在这里显得过于宏观和宽泛。这里主要体现的是一种语言在社会环境中的 context, background，故不妨选择更具体的setting。

“一般来讲，个人讲话有一种趋同的倾向（即随大流），但有时也会有趋异倾向（即显示自己的特征）”，其中的“随大流”并非一般意义上的 drift with the tide / current,follow the crowd, go with the stream 等，而是社会语言学上的一种“集中现象”，故用了专业词语 converge，其主要含义为 to come from different directions and meet at the same point to become one thing；同时，与其相对应的“趋异”则可译为diverge，其义为 things develop in different ways and so are no longer similar；“显示自己的特征”，似可译为 to demonstrate their characteristics，然推敲起来，characteristics是人全面性格的一种体现，在某一具体语言现象中实难有此效果。其实，在这种语境下，当事人的意图是要显出自己与周围言语人的不同，是一种社会语言学中的“求异”现象，故不妨译成showing their prominence deliberately，以为更加得体。

“譬如，回到北京时，我的‘北京腔’自觉就浓了很多”，似可译为For example, when I come back Beijing, my Beijing accent will become heavier. 然而，细细体味，觉得首先应有所铺垫，故加上 I, myself, as a native Beijinger，之后将 come back 改为 return to更合宜；最后将（北京腔）“浓了很多”译成just naturally restores, 以为更符合实际的发生过程。

“而我的英国朋友在澳大利亚时，其‘英国腔’保持得更外明显，不知是否有意显出其身份”，似可译为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. 此译文从语言学角度来看似无问题，但从社会语言学角度看还欠得体。首先，“我的朋友”在惯用表达中为a friend of mine，为体现母语为英语者，故加native English；其次，“英国腔”不一定是English accent，此处不妨为especially reserved speech manner，以显示其有意的矜持方式；至于“更为明显”，再强调为prompting his Englishness；此外，为了更加切题和通顺，加上as I observed，以承前启后，贯通语势。

在[2]中的“对其母语的关系”，不宜理解为简单的 the relations between，而是社会语言学上讲的native language shift；“因人而异”也不应平铺直叙为vary with each individual，而是指在具体社会环境下不同人（对异国文化的适应程度）所采取的不同态度与方法，故应完整地转换为depending on the person who may take different approaches。

在[3]中，“如在英国，以女王为代表的贵族所讲的语言”未译成...represented by the Queen，因为那样不但刻板，而且不完全符合实际。实际上，这是社会上对此种语言现象的一种感受，故更贴切的译法为...such as the language used by the aristocrats in England,most notably by the Queen.

“其成员也会有意显示出与众不同，以保持其正面的群体特性”，其中的“与众不同”，不是一般意义上的out of the ordinary, different from the common run, unconventional,extraordinary等，而是接续上文的diverge，转化为其名词形式divergence；同时，如上所述，其（群体）“特性”亦不是characteristics 之含义，而是凸显“有别于他人”，故译为group distinctiveness。至于“也难免会有他人向这一群体的讲话方式靠拢”之“靠拢”，不宜理解为一般语义上的draw close, close up等，而意为“与之产生某种关联”，故可用associate一词，同时辅之以as a privilege as well。

在[4]中，对于“一个人的语言……甚至财富等”，则可以充分发挥英文“形合”的优势，将其以 with which, as...等从句及介词短语等“一以贯之”，进行整合。

在[5]中，从语义层面来讲，“外在体现”不一定依字面意思译为the external display，不妨以“人的（内在）综合价值”—— an individual’s inner comprehensive values来反衬，即有“内”便自然有“外”；而（形体）“修饰”，则有几个可选取的相对应词语，如decorate, embellish, dress up, make up,modify, figure 等，然而与cloth相结合，最合适的搭配则为adorn；其次，从结构来看，不妨将该段前后整合起来，通盘考虑，理解为“语言对个人之意义……就不应当被视为仅仅是一种工具……”，译为Language to a person, therefore, ought never to be seen as merely a tool...；最后，作为成分的补充，加上as it has always been perceived及 but more importantly，以使其意义更为明显、完整与通顺。