By Koji A.Dae

The other day I got caught up in one of those pointless debates in an expat2 forum. Pointless only because neither of us planned to budge from our deep-rooted stance， not because the material lacked importance.3

My sparring partner was an Englishman planning to move to a village in Bulgaria.4 From other posts I knew he had a fear of ticks， the Bulgarian sun， and plastic beverage containers.5 Like many English-speaking expats， he was concerned with how much Bulgarian he would have to

learn to get by in the country and wrote an offhand6 remark hoping that in a hundred years English would be the primary language throughout Europe.

After eight years of studying and practicing Bulgarian on a daily basis I can empathize7 with a newcomers fear of the language. Its a difficult language， and the Cyrillic alphabet increases the learning curve，8 making it especially difficult for older expats. It makes sense for them to wish that everything in the world was available in their native language. But at the same time， that entitlement， the brash confidence that English should be the common language， irks me.9 I had to step in and say something.

I explained how language shapes the way we think， feel， and express ourselves. It protects culture and develops varied perspectives. His response？ Well， maybe telepathy is best because then he wouldnt have to use a phrasebook and could understand everyone wherever he traveled.10

I left the debate at that point， because when telepathy becomes the solution you know youre not going to get anywhere. But I want to explore further： Is it really possible to understand someone without the filter of language？

The Beauty of Linguistic Influence

There is an old philosophical concept that language shapes the way we think and interact with the world. Taken to the extreme， the concept that language completely constrains our cognitive processes is called linguistic determination.11 The lighter， more accepted model that states language shapes but does not limit our cognition is called linguistic influence.12

The concept， which dates back to ancient Greek philosophy， was modernized and explored by German linguist Edward Sapir and American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf. However， the idea was strongly debated until recent anthropological studies have shown rather conclusively that language does indeed shape the way we understand the world.13

But it goes beyond theory. In practice， lingual influence is intricate and， oftentimes， downright beautiful.14

Many of my Bulgarian friends speak both English and Bulgarian. However， we tend to interact in only one of the languages， usually the language we used when we first met. But on rare occasions， we will switch languages.

The other day， one of my friends asked if we could speak in English， as she wanted to brush up on15 her English for work. I was surprised， as I hadnt realized she knew English. But more surprising was the way her mannerisms16 changed when she began speaking it. Her voice grew deeper， her expressions more vibrant17. Our topics changed as well. We started to talk about more emotional aspects of our interactions， whereas in Buglarian we tended to speak about the superficial， mechanical aspects of our experiences. It was as if I was talking to a completely different person， not the friend I had known for four years. This new person noticed different things， had different interests， and even joked about different topics.

You might be thinking that this dissonance18 within my friend was caused by her individual experiences with English as opposed to the limitations of the language itself. You would be right. In many ways it was as if I was speaking to her twenty-year-old self， the woman she was when she more regularly used English. When we shifted back into Bulgarian she immediately took on the more mature mannerisms of the sophisticated， responsible “mother-type” that she was in her everyday life.19

But thats the beautiful part of linguistic influence.

Language comes from culture. It is built through the shared experiences of a group of people. Thats why English in the U.S. is vastly different than British English， and why small-town English is different than innercity English. It is built out of necessity， and then it takes its building blocks， the culture it is composed of， and pushes it forward to the next person.20 When we speak， we are not only sharing our experiences and ideas， but swimming in the culture of those who came before us.

My English is not your English， but an English that holds the experiences of my life. My Bulgarian is not your Bulgarian， but the Bulgarian that captures the pieces of this country I have been exposed to over the past eight years.

Imagining a World Without Language

Lets go back to this idea of telepathy， of full and immediate understanding without the complicated filter of language. At first it sounds amazing. Lets get straight to the source of thought and emotion. Lets truly share our experiences.

But then I start to wonder how much of our self is our lived experiences and how much is our ability to process and filter them. While our initial reactions are important， arent our secondary explanations， the way we make sense of our world， just as important to our definition of self？

The closest thing I have to telepathy is my relationship with my husband. No， I cant read his thoughts or even his emotions. But we do have a physical， unspoken language that is immediate and raw21. We can share a look from across the room and have a basic understanding of what the other one wants or needs. Its far from perfect， but it works for us when we have two yelling kids and have to make a snap decision in a shop.22

However， my favorite time with him， when I feel closest to him， is when were driving in the car and talking about our experiences. When we share our histories and the ideas they have built in us. And my favorite of these conversations？ When we discuss a new word or phrase and ask what it really means to us.

Maybe the telepathy this person was imagining had a way to filter thoughts through a lens23 of experience. But honestly， why fix a system that isnt broken？ Language already acts as an amazing cultural and personal filter that， when you take the time to listen and learn， will show you more about a person and yourself than you can imagine.

The next time you wish the world had a common language， stop and think about what youd be giving up. The ability to learn about yourself through foreign languages. The possibility of seeing your culture reflected back through the twisting of your language by a foreign speaker. The amazing effect of having two friends in one body， learning each of their personalities through their speech and blending them into a more coherent person. Youll start to see that a little stress and effort to learn a new language is worth it.

1. linguistic： 語(yǔ)言的，語(yǔ)言學(xué)的。

2. expat： 海外僑民，移居國(guó)外者（expatriate的縮寫）。

3. 說這場(chǎng)辯論沒有意義，只是因?yàn)槲覀冸p方都堅(jiān)持自己的立場(chǎng)不打算讓步，而不是指這個(gè)話題不重要。budge： 改變觀點(diǎn)和立場(chǎng)；stance： 立場(chǎng)，位置。

4. sparring partner： 辯論對(duì)手；Bulgaria： 保加利亞，歐洲東南部國(guó)家。

5. 從他的其他帖子里，我得知他害怕鐘表的滴答聲、保加利亞的陽(yáng)光和塑料的飲料容器。tick： 滴答聲；beverage： 飲料，酒水。

6. offhand： 隨便的，漫不經(jīng)心的。

7. empathize： 理解，感同身受。

8. Cyrillic alphabet： 西里爾字母，據(jù)認(rèn)為是9世紀(jì)時(shí)由圣西里爾和圣美多迪烏斯創(chuàng)制，系俄語(yǔ)、保加利亞語(yǔ)等斯拉夫語(yǔ)字母的本源；learning curve： 學(xué)習(xí)曲線。

9. entitlement： 權(quán)利，資格；brash：無(wú)禮的，傲慢的；irk： 使厭煩，使惱怒。

10. 也許心靈感應(yīng)是最好的解決方法，那樣他就用不著翻常用語(yǔ)手冊(cè)，無(wú)論走到哪兒都能理解所有人的意思。telepathy： 傳心術(shù)，心靈感應(yīng)；phrasebook：（供游客到國(guó)外旅行時(shí)用的）外語(yǔ)常用語(yǔ)手冊(cè)。

11. 這個(gè)概念的極端形式叫作語(yǔ)言決定論，即語(yǔ)言完全限制我們的認(rèn)知過程。

12. 程度較輕、更被廣泛接受的理論叫作語(yǔ)言影響論，認(rèn)為語(yǔ)言影響和塑造我們的認(rèn)知，但并未完全限制它。

13. 然而，這個(gè)理論一直處于激烈的爭(zhēng)論之中，直到最近的人類學(xué)研究帶來了決定性的結(jié)論，那就是語(yǔ)言的確影響著我們理解世界的方式。anthropological： 人類學(xué)的；conclusively： 最后地，決定性地。

14. intricate： 錯(cuò)綜復(fù)雜的；downright： 非常，完全。

15. brush up on： 溫習(xí)，復(fù)習(xí)。

16. mannerism： 言談舉止的習(xí)慣。

17. vibrant： 活潑的，充滿生氣的。

18. dissonance： 不一致。

19. 我們切換回保加利亞語(yǔ)之后，她的言談舉止立刻變得更加成熟，呈現(xiàn)出她日常生活中老成、負(fù)責(zé)、母親般的一面。sophisticated： 成熟的，久經(jīng)世故的。

20. 語(yǔ)言的構(gòu)建是出于需要，構(gòu)建完成之后，語(yǔ)言這個(gè)建筑的一磚一瓦中所蘊(yùn)含的文化又隨著交流傳達(dá)給下一個(gè)人。

21. raw： 處于自然狀態(tài)的，未加工的。

22. 這種交流遠(yuǎn)談不上完美，但是它效果很好，尤其是當(dāng)我們有兩個(gè)吵吵鬧鬧的孩子并需要在商店里迅速作出決定時(shí)。yelling： 叫喊的；snap： 突然的，快速的。

23. lens： 透鏡。

閱讀感評(píng)

∷秋葉 評(píng)

對(duì)于“同一性”的追求確實(shí)是人類的特性。就中國(guó)來說，早在秦統(tǒng)一全國(guó)之時(shí)，就規(guī)定了“今天下車同軌，書同文”。與此相關(guān)，我國(guó)清末第一所官辦外語(yǔ)專門學(xué)校命名為“[京師]同文館”，旨在讓學(xué)生通過多種外文的學(xué)習(xí)與翻譯訓(xùn)練，將“西文、西學(xué)”納入到中國(guó)人的理解視域之中。2008年的北京奧運(yùn)會(huì)，我們提出了“同一個(gè)世界，同一個(gè)夢(mèng)想”（One World， One Dream）的口號(hào)，這有些像我們的儒家經(jīng)典《禮記》中所說的“大道之行也，天下為公……是謂大同”。在西方，僅就“世界語(yǔ)烏托邦”而言，早在《圣經(jīng)·舊約》里就有巴別塔（Babel）的故事。傳說在遠(yuǎn)古時(shí)代，人類講同一種語(yǔ)言。后來人世間出現(xiàn)多種語(yǔ)言，造成溝通的障礙，這是上帝對(duì)人類犯罪的懲罰。按此邏輯，人們就設(shè)想若能回到原始的單語(yǔ)狀態(tài)，那么類似于中國(guó)夏朝之前“三皇五帝”時(shí)期的那種理想化社會(huì)就能重現(xiàn)。從19世紀(jì)下半葉起，幾乎涵蓋了整個(gè)20世紀(jì)，世界大同理想的一個(gè)最烏托邦的方案——全人類應(yīng)當(dāng)說同一種語(yǔ)言——在歐洲風(fēng)生水起，非常盛行。這一“世界語(yǔ)”方案大致可以分為兩類：一是現(xiàn)用語(yǔ)方案，如“基本英語(yǔ)”（Basic English），即由簡(jiǎn)化英語(yǔ)而成；二是人造語(yǔ)方案，其中最著名的是1887年波蘭眼科醫(yī)生柴門霍甫所創(chuàng)造的Esperanto（世界語(yǔ)）。然而，這“世界語(yǔ)”因?yàn)闆]有使用此語(yǔ)言的文化社群作依托，屬曇花一現(xiàn)，不可能成功。筆者曾在十余年前學(xué)習(xí)世界語(yǔ)并加入北京世界語(yǔ)協(xié)會(huì)，發(fā)現(xiàn)還有人在堅(jiān)持，但大多數(shù)都是老人了。英語(yǔ)倒果然成為了“世界語(yǔ)”，但是其功能充其量也不過是種通用語(yǔ)（lingua franca），對(duì)于各國(guó)本土語(yǔ)言（native languages）也幾乎產(chǎn)生不了多大影響。

文中的那位英國(guó)人覺得其移居目的國(guó)保加利亞的語(yǔ)言難學(xué)，期望有朝一日其母語(yǔ)能成為整個(gè)歐洲的第一語(yǔ)言。的確，成年后要學(xué)一門外語(yǔ)不容易，更何況又是與自己的母語(yǔ)差異甚大的語(yǔ)言。英語(yǔ)是全球通用語(yǔ)（global language），因此英語(yǔ)國(guó)家的人士有此自信與愿景似乎也屬正常。不過，這位英國(guó)人的“自信”與“傲慢”引發(fā)了原文作者的反感。暫且不論意識(shí)形態(tài)的因素，作者認(rèn)為語(yǔ)言承載的是一種文化、觀念，定義了一種特定的思維與表達(dá)方式。也就是說，如果你剝奪了他人使用自己語(yǔ)言的機(jī)會(huì)與權(quán)利，就等于摧毀了其心靈的家園、智慧的源泉。難怪，西諺稱“A nation without a language is a nation without a heart.”“Every language is a temple， in which the soul of those who speak it is enshrined.”

語(yǔ)言會(huì)對(duì)人們的思維方式乃至世界觀產(chǎn)生重大影響，這已被近幾十年的人類學(xué)、心理學(xué)、語(yǔ)言學(xué)等學(xué)科的研究成果證實(shí)。對(duì)于那些失去了母語(yǔ)或者無(wú)法使用母語(yǔ)的人，往往還會(huì)有情感表達(dá)的障礙。美籍華人馬大任先生早年赴美留學(xué)，當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)留美學(xué)生的男女比例是20：1。由于男女比例嚴(yán)重失衡，有的留學(xué)生只好和美國(guó)人結(jié)婚。他回憶說：“不過，異族通婚并不是人人都能做到的解決婚姻問題的辦法，許多人做起來有困難，首先是語(yǔ)言上的困難。應(yīng)付博士口試的英語(yǔ)同談戀愛的英語(yǔ)有相當(dāng)大的差別。中國(guó)留學(xué)生學(xué)的是前一種，不是后一種。感情是通過語(yǔ)言建立起來的。不會(huì)用戀愛的語(yǔ)言，很難找到美國(guó)太太。”確實(shí)如此，感情溝通所需的語(yǔ)言非常微妙，用外語(yǔ)來表達(dá)總像是隔了一層。一位南非某部落的幸存者在回憶自己不再講母語(yǔ)的感受時(shí)說：“我感覺我喝了一位陌生女人的奶，在他人身邊長(zhǎng)大。我有此感覺是因?yàn)槲也恢v自己的母語(yǔ)。”因此有人說，如果任由英語(yǔ)的強(qiáng)勢(shì)地位發(fā)展下去，可能最終會(huì)像某些預(yù)言家所說的，“到了2200年，英語(yǔ)會(huì)把人類世界推回到‘巴別塔之前”，這將是這個(gè)星球迄今最大的文化災(zāi)難。不過在筆者看來，這種情況不大可能發(fā)生。

語(yǔ)言絕非是人們常說的“一種工具”，它蘊(yùn)含著比工具要豐富得多的意義。我們呼吁它的多樣性（diversity），不僅意味著我們生活的這個(gè)星球“語(yǔ)言庫(kù)”（language pool）本身的豐富性，同時(shí)也意味著我們自己掌握多門語(yǔ)言的重要性。西方人常說：“With each newly learned language you acquire a new soul.”“A man who knows two languages is worth two men.”美國(guó)哲學(xué)家愛默生（Ralph W. Emerson）更是認(rèn)為，若掌握了多種語(yǔ)言，就如同有了許多朋友，身懷多種技藝，活過多次人生。甚至還有人說，如果不懂外語(yǔ)，就不能很好地認(rèn)識(shí)自己的母語(yǔ)，因?yàn)槟闳狈σ环N與“他者”比較的維度和能力。這不無(wú)道理，因?yàn)槿祟惖闹腔鄄⒉粌H僅蘊(yùn)藏于像英文、中文等某一種語(yǔ)言中，而且沒有任何一種語(yǔ)言能完美地表達(dá)人世間的一切。因此，學(xué)會(huì)更多種語(yǔ)言，哪怕只是通曉關(guān)于更多種語(yǔ)言的知識(shí)，也能讓我們長(zhǎng)見識(shí)，變得更睿智！