關于語言的一些事情

　　許多關于語言方面的事情還是一個謎，而且有些將永遠是一個謎。但是有些事情我們是知道的。首先，我們知道所有人類都有某種語言。歷史上也沒有哪個種族無自己的語言。

　　其次，沒有原始語言這種東西。許多人的文化不發達，按照我們的說法，他們是不文明的。但是他們說的語言則不是原始的。在我們所知道的語言中，我們都可以看到它們的復雜性經歷了幾萬年的發展歷程。

　　這并不總是那么易于理解。的確人們常常提出完全相反的觀點。人們對美印第安人語言的普遍看法就很能說明問題。許多人都認為印第安人用非常原始的聲音系統進行交流。研究結果已經證明那全是瞎說。美印第安人語言有幾百種，且所有這些語言都被證明是很復雜和古老的。它們雖然不同于我們大多數所熟悉的觀點，但是它們同美語和希臘語一樣不是原始的語言。

　　關于語言我們知道的第三件事是所有的語言都是完全能夠滿足需要的，也就是說，每一種語言都能滿足說這種語言的人們表達其文化的需要的。

　　最后，我們知道語言是變化的。語言變化是很自然和正常的、一成不變的語言是死語言。只要我們看一看過去就會發現這是很好理解的。語言在各方面都在發生變化。語法特點就像語言一樣變化。詞匯方面的變化有時是非常廣泛的和迅速的。詞匯是任何語言中最不穩定的部分。

　　Some Things We Know about Language

　　Many things about language are a mystery, and many will always remain so. But some things we do know.

　　First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort. There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one another. Furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language.

　　Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language. There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped, who are, as we say, uncivilized, but the languages they speak are not primitive. In all known languages we can see complexities that must have been tens of thousands of years in developing.

　　This has not always been well understood; indeed, the direct contrary has often been stated. Popular ideas of the language of the American Indians will illustrate. Many people have supposed that the Indians communicated in a very primitive system of noises. Study has proved this to be nonsense. There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, and all of them turn out to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek.

　　Finally, we know that language changes. It is natural and normal for language to change; the only languages which do not change are the dead ones. This is easy to understand if we look backward in time. Change goes on in all aspects of language. Grammatical features change as do speech sounds, and changes in vocabulary are sometimes very extensive and may occur very rapidly. Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language.

　　關于語言的一些事情

　　許多關于語言方面的事情還是一個謎，而且有些將永遠是一個謎。但是有些事情我們是知道的。首先，我們知道所有人類都有某種語言。歷史上也沒有哪個種族無自己的語言。

　　其次，沒有原始語言這種東西。許多人的文化不發達，按照我們的說法，他們是不文明的。但是他們說的語言則不是原始的。在我們所知道的語言中，我們都可以看到它們的復雜性經歷了幾萬年的發展歷程。

　　這并不總是那么易于理解。的確人們常常提出完全相反的觀點。人們對美印第安人語言的普遍看法就很能說明問題。許多人都認為印第安人用非常原始的聲音系統進行交流。研究結果已經證明那全是瞎說。美印第安人語言有幾百種，且所有這些語言都被證明是很復雜和古老的。它們雖然不同于我們大多數所熟悉的觀點，但是它們同美語和希臘語一樣不是原始的語言。

　　關于語言我們知道的第三件事是所有的語言都是完全能夠滿足需要的，也就是說，每一種語言都能滿足說這種語言的人們表達其文化的需要的。

　　最后，我們知道語言是變化的。語言變化是很自然和正常的、一成不變的語言是死語言。只要我們看一看過去就會發現這是很好理解的。語言在各方面都在發生變化。語法特點就像語言一樣變化。詞匯方面的變化有時是非常廣泛的和迅速的。詞匯是任何語言中最不穩定的部分。

　　Some Things We Know about Language

　　Many things about language are a mystery, and many will always remain so. But some things we do know.

　　First, we know that all human beings have a language of some sort. There is no race of men anywhere on earth so backward that it has no language, no set of speech sounds by which the people communicate with one another. Furthermore, in historical times, there has never been a race of men without a language.

　　Second, there is no such thing as a primitive language. There are many people whose cultures are undeveloped, who are, as we say, uncivilized, but the languages they speak are not primitive. In all known languages we can see complexities that must have been tens of thousands of years in developing.

　　This has not always been well understood; indeed, the direct contrary has often been stated. Popular ideas of the language of the American Indians will illustrate. Many people have supposed that the Indians communicated in a very primitive system of noises. Study has proved this to be nonsense. There are, or were, hundreds of American Indian languages, and all of them turn out to be very complicated and very old. They are certainly different from the languages that most of us are familiar with, but they are no more primitive than English and Greek.

　　Finally, we know that language changes. It is natural and normal for language to change; the only languages which do not change are the dead ones. This is easy to understand if we look backward in time. Change goes on in all aspects of language. Grammatical features change as do speech sounds, and changes in vocabulary are sometimes very extensive and may occur very rapidly. Vocabulary is the least stable part of any language.