关于语言的一些事情

　　许多关于语言方面的事情还是一个谜，而且有些将永远是一个谜。但是有些事情我们是知道的。首先，我们知道所有人类都有某种语言。历史上也没有哪个种族无自己的语言。

　　其次，没有原始语言这种东西。许多人的文化不发达，按照我们的说法，他们是不文明的。但是他们说的语言则不是原始的。在我们所知道的语言中，我们都可以看到它们的复杂性经历了几万年的发展历程。

　　这并不总是那么易于理解。的确人们常常提出完全相反的观点。人们对美印第安人语言的普遍看法就很能说明问题。许多人都认为印第安人用非常原始的声音系统进行交流。研究结果已经证明那全是瞎说。美印第安人语言有几百种，且所有这些语言都被证明是很复杂和古老的。它们虽然不同于我们大多数所熟悉的观点，但是它们同美语和希腊语一样不是原始的语言。

　　关于语言我们知道的第三件事是所有的语言都是完全能够满足需要的，也就是说，每一种语言都能满足说这种语言的人们表达其文化的需要的。

　　最后，我们知道语言是变化的。语言变化是很自然和正常的、一成不变的语言是死语言。只要我们看一看过去就会发现这是很好理解的。语言在各方面都在发生变化。语法特点就像语言一样变化。词汇方面的变化有时是非常广泛的和迅速的。词汇是任何语言中最不稳定的部分。

　　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.

　　关于语言的一些事情

　　许多关于语言方面的事情还是一个谜，而且有些将永远是一个谜。但是有些事情我们是知道的。首先，我们知道所有人类都有某种语言。历史上也没有哪个种族无自己的语言。

　　其次，没有原始语言这种东西。许多人的文化不发达，按照我们的说法，他们是不文明的。但是他们说的语言则不是原始的。在我们所知道的语言中，我们都可以看到它们的复杂性经历了几万年的发展历程。

　　这并不总是那么易于理解。的确人们常常提出完全相反的观点。人们对美印第安人语言的普遍看法就很能说明问题。许多人都认为印第安人用非常原始的声音系统进行交流。研究结果已经证明那全是瞎说。美印第安人语言有几百种，且所有这些语言都被证明是很复杂和古老的。它们虽然不同于我们大多数所熟悉的观点，但是它们同美语和希腊语一样不是原始的语言。

　　关于语言我们知道的第三件事是所有的语言都是完全能够满足需要的，也就是说，每一种语言都能满足说这种语言的人们表达其文化的需要的。

　　最后，我们知道语言是变化的。语言变化是很自然和正常的、一成不变的语言是死语言。只要我们看一看过去就会发现这是很好理解的。语言在各方面都在发生变化。语法特点就像语言一样变化。词汇方面的变化有时是非常广泛的和迅速的。词汇是任何语言中最不稳定的部分。

　　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.