机遇与挑战: 论当代汉语中的外来因素及其影响

摘要:当代汉语发生的巨变,主要表现在词汇的整体结构、具体单位以及意 义等方面。上述变化总体表现为对原有规范一定程度的偏离甚至突破, 反映了当代汉语的“趋新性”。对 1949 年前某些旧有形式的恢复与重新使用,则属“复旧性”变化。前者直接或间接与西方因素的影响 有关,为语言发展理论提供了大量活生生的具体事实,也给社会语言 学的“语言与社会共变”命题、语言变异与接触理论及语体理论等提 供了最新的材料、解释与补充。上述变化给当代汉语研究带来机遇与 挑战:既为观察当代语言发展变化提供了绝佳窗口,也推动当下的语 言研究进入“秒时代”;另一方面,它们对传统的语言文字观、知识 体系和一些具体问题的处理与认识提出挑战,需要积极应对。ABSTRACT:Great changes have taken place in contemporary Chinese, which are mainly reflected in the overall structure, specific units and meanings of vocabulary. The above-mentioned changes are generally manifested as a certain degree of deviation or even breakthrough from the original norms, reflecting the “new tendency” of contemporary Chinese; in addition, the restoration and reuse of some old forms before 1949 are “restorative” changes. The former is directly or indirectly related to the influence of western factors, providing a large number of concrete facts for the theory of language development, as well as the latest materials, explanations and supplements for the proposition of “language and social co-variation” by sociolinguistics, the theory of language variation and contact, and the theory of style, etc. The above changes have brought opportunities and challenges to contemporary Chinese research. They not only provide an excellent window for observing the development and changes of contemporary languages, but also promote the current language research into the “second era”; on the other hand, they challenge the traditional view of language and characters, knowledge system and the processing and understanding of some specific issues, which need to be actively addressed.