语言影响思维——外语学习对中国人思维造成的(4)
2016-05-01 01:04
导读：...Itwasfoundthatthebackgroundlinguisticsystem(inotherwords,thegrammar)ofeachlanguageisnotmerelyareproducinginstrumentforvoicingideasbutratherisitselftheshaperofideas,theprogramandguidefortheindividua
...Itwasfoundthatthebackgroundlinguisticsystem(inotherwords,thegrammar)ofeachlanguageisnotmerelyareproducinginstrumentforvoicingideasbutratherisitselftheshaperofideas,theprogramandguidefortheindividual’smentalactivity,forhisanalysisofimpressions,forhissynthesisofhismentalstockintrade.Formulationofideasisnotanindependentprocess,strictlyrationalintheoldsense,butispartofaparticulargrammar,anddiffers,fromslightlytogreatly,betweendifferentgrammars...”[14]
Thedifferentgrammarscreatethedifferentideas,maybewecanfurtherunderstanditwiththefollowingwords:
“So,forexample,accordingtoWhorf,whereasEnglishspeakersconceiveoftimeasalinear,objectivesequenceofeventsencodedinasystemofpast,present,andfuturetenses(forexample,‘Heran’or‘Hewillrun’),oradiscretenumberofdaysasencodedincardinalnumerals(forexample,tendays),theHopiconceiveofitasintensityanddurationintheanalysisandreportingofexperience(forexample,wari=’Heran’orstatementoffact,warikni=’Heran’orstatementoffactfrommemory).Similarly‘Theystayedtenday’sbecomesinHopi‘Theystayeduntiltheeleventhday’or‘Theyleftafterthetenthday’.”[15]
“WhorfinsiststhattheEnglishlanguagebindsEnglishspeakerstoaNewtonianviewofobjectifiedtime,neatlyboundedandclassifiable,idealforrecord-keeping,time–saving,clock-punching,thatcutsuprealityinto‘afters’and‘untils’,butisincapableofexpressingtimeasacyclic,unitarywhole.Bycontrast,theHopilanguagedoesnotregardtimeasmeasurablelength,butasarelationbetweentwoeventsinlateness,akindof‘eventing’referredtoinanobjectiveway(asduration)andinasubjectiveway(asintensity).‘Nothingissuggestedabouttime[inHopi]excepttheperpetual“gettinglater”ofit’writesWhorf.Thusitwouldbeverydifficult,Whorfargues,foranEnglishandaHopiphysicisttounderstandeachother’sthinking,giventhemajordifferencesbetweentheirlanguages.Despitethegeneraltranslatabilityfromonelanguagetoanother,therewillalwaysbeanincommensurableresidueofuntranslatablecultureassociatedwiththelinguisticstructuresofanygivenlanguage.”[16]
WecanseethebestexampleintheabovetotheSapir-Whorfhypothesisandcouldbetterunderstandhowlanguageinfluencethought.But,wemaymakeanotherhypothesisthatiftheHopiwanttolearnortounderstandtheEnglishexpressionoftime(thetimeconceptions)firsttheymustlearntheEnglishlanguagestructuresandgrammar.Maybeitisacomplementforthemtobuildupthetimesystem,andfurthermoretheHopicouldviewthetimeinanewway.Throughstudyingtheforeignerlanguagetheycandeveloptheirowntheoryononlyintime.SodoesourChinesestudentslearningEnglishlanguage.
（科教作文网http://zw.ΝsΕac.cOM编辑） 3.LinguisticLogicsofChineseandEnglish
ThethinkingstylesoftheEastandtheWestaredifferent:EasternerstendtoseeksamenessfromdifferencewhileWesternersarelikelytofinddifferencefromsameness.Toacertaindegree,trueinthatthethinkingstylesandviewinganglesbetweentheEastandtheWestisdifferent.Asamatteroffact,asearlyasthe19thcentury,theGermanMaterialisticphilosopherFeuerbach(费尔巴哈)pointedoutthat“EasternerstendtoneglectdiscrepancyinconsistencywhileWesternerstendtoignoreconsistencyindiscrepancy.”[17]
ThenwhereonearthdoesEasternthinkingdifferfromWesternthinking?Fordecadespeoplehavebeentryingtodichotomizethethinkingstyles.Easternthinkingisdescribedas"holistic","dialectical","figurative","subjective"and"fuzzy".Bycontrast,Westernthinkingis"analytical","abstract","objective"and"precise".Chineselanguageisdevelopingtowardsfuzziness,obscurityandgeneralization,whereasWesternlanguageistowardsprecisionandconcretion.
