評(píng)論
打印
Speech patterns that deviated from the written rules were considered corruptions, or signs of low social status,
而那些偏離了書(shū)面語(yǔ)語(yǔ)法的口語(yǔ)則被認(rèn)為是錯(cuò)誤的，或者是社會(huì)地位低下的表現(xiàn)，
and many people who had grown up speaking in these ways were forced to adopt the standardized form.
于是許多從小就按照這一規(guī)則說(shuō)話的人被迫開(kāi)始接受標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的語(yǔ)法規(guī)則。
More recently, however, linguists have understood that speech is a separate phenomenon from writing with its own regularities and patterns.
直到最近，語(yǔ)言學(xué)家才意識(shí)到口語(yǔ)和書(shū)面語(yǔ)完全是兩碼事，口語(yǔ)有它自己的規(guī)律性和模式。
Most of us learn to speak at such an early age that we don't even remember it.
在我們還不能記事的時(shí)候就開(kāi)始學(xué)習(xí)說(shuō)話了。
We form our spoken repertoire through unconscious habits, not memorized rules.
那個(gè)時(shí)候更多是通過(guò)下意識(shí)的行為來(lái)構(gòu)建說(shuō)話技能，而不是記住那些規(guī)則。
And because speech also uses mood and intonation for meaning, its structure is often more flexible,
由于口語(yǔ)也會(huì)用到語(yǔ)氣和語(yǔ)調(diào)來(lái)傳達(dá)意思，所以它的結(jié)構(gòu)更加地多樣化，
adapting to the needs of speakers and listeners.
會(huì)根據(jù)說(shuō)話者和聽(tīng)者的需求進(jìn)行調(diào)整。
This could mean avoiding complex clauses that are hard to parse in real time,
這就意味著在說(shuō)話時(shí)應(yīng)該避免一些難以理解的復(fù)雜句子，
making changes to avoid awkward pronunciation, or removing sounds to make speech faster.
做出適當(dāng)調(diào)整避免一些尷尬的發(fā)音或是通過(guò)略讀讓語(yǔ)速加快。
The linguistic approach that tries to understand and map such differences without dictating correct ones is known as descriptivism.
嘗試去理解和比對(duì)語(yǔ)法上的這些差異卻不定義對(duì)錯(cuò)的語(yǔ)言學(xué)方法被稱(chēng)為描寫(xiě)主義。
Rather than deciding how language should be used, it describes how people actually use it,
相比于決定該如何使用語(yǔ)言，描寫(xiě)主義更傾向于敘述人們實(shí)際上是怎樣使用語(yǔ)言的，
and tracks the innovations they come up with in the process.
并追溯在這一過(guò)程中出現(xiàn)的一些新方法。
But while the debate between prescriptivism and descriptivism continues, the two are not mutually exclusive.
盡管描寫(xiě)主義和規(guī)定主義之間的爭(zhēng)論會(huì)一直持續(xù)下去，但它們二者之間并不是互相排斥的。
At its best, prescriptivism is useful for informing people about the most common established patterns at a given point in time.
規(guī)定主義可以在某個(gè)特定的時(shí)間點(diǎn)告訴人們最為通用的確定模式。
This is important, not only for formal contexts, but it also makes communication easier between non-native speakers from different backgrounds.
這一點(diǎn)不僅在正式場(chǎng)合很重要，也使得來(lái)自不同國(guó)家不同背景的非母語(yǔ)人士交流起來(lái)更加容易。
Descriptivism, on the other hand, gives us insight into how our minds work and the instinctive ways in which we structure our view of the world.
另一方面，描寫(xiě)主義會(huì)讓我們看到自己的想法如何運(yùn)作以及如何本能地構(gòu)建自己的世界觀。
Ultimately, grammar is best thought of as a set of linguistic habits that are constantly being negotiated and reinvented by the entire group of language users.
從根本上說(shuō)，語(yǔ)法頂多被認(rèn)為是一系列不斷被所有的語(yǔ)言使用者爭(zhēng)論和改造的語(yǔ)言習(xí)慣。
Like language itself, it's a wonderful and complex fabric woven through the contributions of speakers and listeners,
就像語(yǔ)言本身就像一匹精美復(fù)雜的布，經(jīng)由從古至今的說(shuō)話者，聽(tīng)眾，
writers and readers, prescriptivists and descriptivists, from both near and far.
作者，讀者，規(guī)定主義者和描寫(xiě)主義者們的共同努力編織而成。
