摘要
世界语言格局是整个世界格局的拼版之一。在一定程度上,它是世界政治—经济格局的附属产物。观察当代世界语言格局可以从两个层面入手:一是自然生态的,二是社会经济的。前一层面侧重世界语言的数量、使用人口、分布、濒危格局,后一层面侧重世界语言的社会—经济—文化影响力格局。在自然生态格局层面,当代人类语言呈现出语言连续统上少数大语种与大量濒危语言双向极化的状态:尽管当代语言数量有约七千多种,但是在语言连续统的一头,是被大多数人口使用着、数量却只有二三十种的大语种,而且它们还在不断增强;在另一头,则是大量语言都处在濒危状态,且濒危模式出现了从自然生态型向社会经济型转变的趋势。在社会经济格局层面,呈现出单极多元的状态:单极即英语;多元一方面指英语之外其他主要语言的多强格局以及处于语言连续统中间部分的各地通用语和地方语言活力的持续,另一方面指多语主义/语言多样性理念的增强趋势。上述格局的分析,有助于一些更基本论题的进一步阐释,比如"理性/利益/潮流"与"感性/尊严/乡愁"的较量与平衡、文化因素的重要作用、语言的全球治理等。尽管格局的形成与变化需要一个长时间段,但是越来越模糊的不确定性将会是未来世界语言格局的重要特征。
The world language order is a product of the world political and economic situation. We study the world language order at two levels:(1) the ecological level and(2) the socioeconomic level. The ecological level emphasizes the number of world languages, demographic features of language users, and the situation of language endangerment. The socioeconomic level focuses on the social, economic, and cultural factors. At the ecological level, two trends are observed: on the one hand, about twenty dominant languages are increasingly used more widely, and on the other hand, many languages rapidly become endangered. At the socioeconomic level, world languages are highly diversifi ed with English as a dominant language. In terms of linguistic diversity, a number of languages emerge as powerful regional languages in addition to English, and the notion of multilingualism becomes more popular. Analysis of this world language order is helpful in understanding the relationship between competing notions of 'rationality/benefi t/trend' and 'sensation/respect/nostalgia', the importance of cultural factors, and the global strategies in language management. This world language order is increasingly unstable and uncertain although the formation and change of this order takes a long period.
出处
《语言战略研究》
2016年第4期69-82,共14页
Chinese Journal of Language Policy and Planning
关键词
语言格局
语言濒危
英语
多语主义
全球治理
world language order
endangered languages
English
multilingualism
global governance
