評論
打印
Listen to part of a lecture in a linguistics class.
請聽下面語言學課的一部分。
The professor has been discussing Animal communication systems.
教授一直在討論動物交流體系。
OK, so last time, we covered the dances honey bees do to indicate where food can be found and the calls and sounds of different types of birds.
好的，上次我們講到蜜蜂的舞蹈是為了指出食物在什么地方，我們還談到不同種鳥的相互呼喚及發出的各種聲音。
Today, I'd like to look at some communication systems found in mammals,
今天，我想探討一下哺乳動物身上的某些交流體系，
particularly in primates, such as orangutans, chimpanzees, gorillas... Yes, Thomas?
特別是像猩猩，黑猩猩和大猩猩的靈長類動物…好的,托馬斯,有問題嗎?
Excuse me, Professor.
不好意思老師，
But when you talk about gorilla language, do you mean like, those experiments where humans taught them sign language or a language like...
當你講到大猩猩的語言時，你是說像人類進行的教大猩猩手語或其他語言的實驗嗎？
OK, wait just a minute.
嗯，你先等一下，
Now, who in this class heard me use the word language? No one I hope.
在座的同學聽到我用了語言這個詞嗎？我想沒有。
What we're talking about here, are systems of communication, all right?
我們這里講的是交流的體系，是吧？
Oh, sorry, communication, right. But could you maybe, like, clarify with the differences?
哦，對不起，交流，對。但您能否，將兩者區分一下？
Of course, that's a fair question.
當然，這個問題提的不錯。
OK, well, to start with, let's make it clear that language is a type of communication, not the other way around.
好的，嗯，首先，我們需要明確語言是一種交流方式，而不能顛倒過來。
OK, so all communication systems, language included, have certain features in common.
那么包括語言在內的所有交流體系都有共同的特征。
For example, the signals used to communicate from the bee's dance movements, to the word and sentences found in human languages.
比如說，從蜜蜂做出的跳舞動作的信號，到人類語言中的單詞和句子。
All these signals convey meaning.
所有這些信號都傳遞出某些信息。
And all communication systems serve a purpose, a pragmatic function of some sort.
而所有的交流體系都是有目的的，某種實用主義的功能。
Warning of danger perhaps or offering other needed information.
也許是對出現危險的警告或提供其他需要的信息。
But there're several features peculiar to human language that have, for the most part, never been found in the communication system of any other species.
但是在人類語言中有幾種特征，在其他任何物種的交流體系中從來沒有發現過。
For one thing, learn ability.
首先是學習能力。
Animals have instinctive communication systems.
動物有本能的交流體系。
When a dog, a puppy gets to certain age, it's able to bark.
當一只小狗長到一定歲數的時候它便能吠叫。
It barks without having to learn how from other dogs, it just barks.
它不用從其他狗身上學什么就會吠了。
But much of human language has to be learned from other humans.
然而，人類語言很多都需要從他人那里習得。
What else makes human language unique?
還有什么其他特征讓人類語言獨一無二呢？
What makes it different from animal communication? Debber?
什么讓人類與動物交流產生明顯差異呢？黛博有什么看法嗎？
How about grammar? Like having verbs, nouns, adjectives?
語法？比如有動詞名詞形容詞之分？
OK, that's another feature. And it's a good example...
好的，這是另一種特征。是個好例子…
I mean I mention this cause like in my biology class last year, I kind of remember talking about a study on prairie dogs, where, I think the researchers claimed that the warning cries of prairie dogs constitute language, because they have this, different parts of speech.
就像我去年在生物課上說到的，我記得當時講到一次關于草原犬鼠的研究。我想研究人員宣稱草原犬鼠發出的警告聲構成了語言，因為它們這種不同的說話的能力。
You know, like nouns, to name the type of predator they spotted, adjectives to describe its size and shape, verbs...but now it seems like...
你知道，像說出它們發現的捕獵者類型的名詞，描述大小和外形的形容詞，動詞等，但現在看起來…
All right, hold on a moment.
好的,等等,
I'm familiar with the study you're talking about.
我對你說的研究很是熟悉,
And for those of you who don't know, prairie dogs are not actually dogs.
而你們中可能有人不知道,草原犬鼠實際上不是狗,
They're type of rodent who burrows in the ground and the grasslands of the west United States and Mexico.
它們是藏在美國西部和墨西哥洞穴和草原中的嚙齒類動物。
And in this study, the researchers looked at the high-pitched barks a prairie dog makes when it spots predator.
而在研究中,研究人員研究的是當它們發現捕獵者時,發出的高亢的吠叫聲。
And from this they made some pretty, well, they made some claims about these calls qualifying as an actual language, with its own primitive grammar.
而從中他們會發出一些很…呃,他們發出的呼喚宣稱了這是一種真實的語言，運用他們自己原始的語法。
But actually, these warning calls are no different from those found among certain types of monkeys.
但事實上，這些警告聲與在某一種類猴子上發現的別無他樣。
Well, let's not even get into the question whether concepts like noun and verb can be meaningfully applied to animal communication.
嗯，我們不要卷入這樣的問題：像名詞或動詞的概念是否會被有意義地運用在動物的交流中。
Another thing that distinguishes a real language is a property we call discreteness.
另一種我們將真正的語言區分開來的因素是一種我們稱為間斷性的特質。
In other words, messages are built up out of smaller parts, sentences out of words, words out of individual sounds, etc.
換句話說，信息是由各種小部分信息組成的，句子是由各種單詞組成的，單詞是來自于各個音素組成的，等等。
Now maybe you could say that the prairie dog's message is built from smaller parts, like say for example, our prairie dogs spot a predator, a big coyote approaching rapidly.
而也許你會說草原犬鼠發出的信息是來自更小部分的信息，比如，草原犬鼠發現捕獵者，一只草原狼正在迅速靠近。
So the prairie dog makes a call that means coyote, then one that means large, and then another one to indicate its speed.
因此一只草原犬鼠會發出表示草原狼和大只的信號，而還有另一個信號，表示其靠近速度有多快。
But you really suppose it makes any difference what order these calls come in? No.
但你會真的認為這些呼喚信號的次序不同意義也不同？不，
But the discrete units that make up language can be put together in different ways.
然而這種組成語言的間斷的單元不能以不同的方式組合起來。
Those smaller parts can be used to form an infinite number of messages, including messages that are completely novel, that have never been expressed before.
單位小的信息能夠用來組成無限數量的信號，包括那些全新的信號抑或那些以前表達過的。
For example, we can differentiate between:
比如，我們可以區分兩者：
A large coyote moves fast. and say Move the large coyote fast. or Move fast, large coyote., and I truly doubt whether anyone has ever uttered either of these sentences before.
一只草原狼快速移動和將草原狼移動得快點或者動作快點，大只草原狼。而我真的懷疑是否有人曾經說過以上這些句子。
Human language is productive and open-ended communication system, whereas no other communication system has this property.
人類語言是一種多產而自由開放的交流體系，而其他語言交流體系沒有這種特質。
And another feature of language that's not displayed by any form of animal communication is what we call displacement.
另一種任何動物交流都沒有顯示過的語言特征叫做位移。
That is, language is abstract enough that we can talk about things that aren't present here and now.
那就是，語言是抽象的，我們所講的東西可以此時此刻此地并不在場。
Things like my friend Joe is not in the room. or It will probably rain next Thursday.
比如我的朋友喬不在房間里或下周四很可能下雨。
Prairie dogs may be able to tell you about a hawk at circling over head right now, but they never show any inclination to describe the one they saw last week.
草原犬鼠也許能夠跟你說你的上空有一只老鷹正在盤旋，但是他們從來沒有能夠描述上周看到的東西。
