论肯尼斯·伯克语言观中的术语视界  

On Terministic Screen in Kenneth Burke's View of Language

作　　者：姚喜明[1] 王惠敏[1] 

机构地区：[1]上海大学外国语学院,上海200444

出　　处：《上海大学学报（社会科学版）》2009年第6期122-130,共9页Journal of Shanghai University(Social Sciences Edition)

基　　金：国家社科基金项目(09BYY068);上海大学研究生创新基金(SHUCX092008)

摘　　要：伯克把语言看作人的象征行为。正是由于象征行为所构筑的象征系统,人类才得以构建一个复杂的语言信息传递系统,从而折射出自然、人类、社会等种种存在和关系。在语言这种象征行为中,每个词语都无不浸透着人类对自然、社会或自身的认识,包含着一个言语社团的价值观。位于语言边疆地带的术语,在不断地延展人类知识的同时也框定了人类的知识界限。伯克以戏剧主义语言观为基础提出的术语视界,从某种程度上揭示了语言、思维和现实之间的复杂关系。任何术语都是对现实某个方面的反映,在反映现实的同时也是对现实的背离,即在反映一个方面的同时也必然忽略另一个方面,在突出某种特征的同时也必然会隐去其他特征。从这个意义上说,人们通过语言活动构建的从来都是部分现实而不可能是全部的现实。但是,无论是对一个言语社团而言,还是对言语社团中的单一个体而言,术语视界不是一成不变的。随着术语视界在越来越多的个体那里不断地变形———扩大、缩小、扭曲或者规整,整个言语社团的术语视界随之进行调整,又反过来影响到更多的个体。这个彼此孤立又联合的过程,维持了整个术语视界的相对稳定。在运用语言这个象征系统的时候,我们既不能像某些国家的媒体那样本末倒置,总是用他们标签式的语言来试图改造别人,也不能固步自封,一成不变,而是要在实践检验下,不断地丰富术语的内涵,多方位地反映客观世界和人类社会,从而使人类的语言系统更清澈、更博大。Burke views language as a symbolic action. Only by virtue of this symbolic system that is constructed by the symbolic actions, can human beings create the complicated language system to convey messages, thus reflecting the beings of nature, human, society and the relations among them. In the symbolic actions of language, each word is permeated with man＇s knowledge to nature, society or human himself and soaked with the values of the speech community. Terms, the pioneers of language territory, are framing man＇s knowledge limit as well as continuously extending human knowledge. Based on the linguistic view of dramatism, Burke proposes terministic view, which, to a certain extent, discloses the intricate relations between language, mind and reality. Any term only reflects a certain aspect of the reality and while reflecting the reality, deviation occurs as well. For instance, while reflecting an aspect, it ignores the other and while focusing on a certain feature, it obscures other features. In this sense, what people construct with language is always partial reality instead of the whole. However, either to a speech community or an individual, the terministic screen is not always the same, but rather changes with individuals-expanding, shrinking, twisting or standardizing. So it does for the community. Once this takes place, the terministic screen of the community begins to influence more individuals. In this process, sometimes in isolation and sometimes in association, stability is maintained. While using the symbolic system, we can neither do as some media in some countries to put things upside down, to label others with their stereotyped terms, nor stay where we are, but rather, under the examination of practice, we should continually enrich the connotations of terms, to make a multi-perspective reflection of the world and human society so that human language can be clearer and more inclusive.

关 键 词：戏剧主义 术语视界 语言观 

分 类 号：H312[语言文字—英语]