By Koji A.Dae

The other day I got caught up in one of those pointless debates in an expat2 forum. Pointless only because neither of us planned to budge from our deep-rooted stance， not because the material lacked importance.3

My sparring partner was an Englishman planning to move to a village in Bulgaria.4 From other posts I knew he had a fear of ticks， the Bulgarian sun， and plastic beverage containers.5 Like many English-speaking expats， he was concerned with how much Bulgarian he would have to

learn to get by in the country and wrote an offhand6 remark hoping that in a hundred years English would be the primary language throughout Europe.

After eight years of studying and practicing Bulgarian on a daily basis I can empathize7 with a newcomers fear of the language. Its a difficult language， and the Cyrillic alphabet increases the learning curve，8 making it especially difficult for older expats. It makes sense for them to wish that everything in the world was available in their native language. But at the same time， that entitlement， the brash confidence that English should be the common language， irks me.9 I had to step in and say something.

I explained how language shapes the way we think， feel， and express ourselves. It protects culture and develops varied perspectives. His response？ Well， maybe telepathy is best because then he wouldnt have to use a phrasebook and could understand everyone wherever he traveled.10

I left the debate at that point， because when telepathy becomes the solution you know youre not going to get anywhere. But I want to explore further： Is it really possible to understand someone without the filter of language？

The Beauty of Linguistic Influence

There is an old philosophical concept that language shapes the way we think and interact with the world. Taken to the extreme， the concept that language completely constrains our cognitive processes is called linguistic determination.11 The lighter， more accepted model that states language shapes but does not limit our cognition is called linguistic influence.12

The concept， which dates back to ancient Greek philosophy， was modernized and explored by German linguist Edward Sapir and American linguist Benjamin Lee Whorf. However， the idea was strongly debated until recent anthropological studies have shown rather conclusively that language does indeed shape the way we understand the world.13

But it goes beyond theory. In practice， lingual influence is intricate and， oftentimes， downright beautiful.14

Many of my Bulgarian friends speak both English and Bulgarian. However， we tend to interact in only one of the languages， usually the language we used when we first met. But on rare occasions， we will switch languages.

The other day， one of my friends asked if we could speak in English， as she wanted to brush up on15 her English for work. I was surprised， as I hadnt realized she knew English. But more surprising was the way her mannerisms16 changed when she began speaking it. Her voice grew deeper， her expressions more vibrant17. Our topics changed as well. We started to talk about more emotional aspects of our interactions， whereas in Buglarian we tended to speak about the superficial， mechanical aspects of our experiences. It was as if I was talking to a completely different person， not the friend I had known for four years. This new person noticed different things， had different interests， and even joked about different topics.

You might be thinking that this dissonance18 within my friend was caused by her individual experiences with English as opposed to the limitations of the language itself. You would be right. In many ways it was as if I was speaking to her twenty-year-old self， the woman she was when she more regularly used English. When we shifted back into Bulgarian she immediately took on the more mature mannerisms of the sophisticated， responsible “mother-type” that she was in her everyday life.19

But thats the beautiful part of linguistic influence.

Language comes from culture. It is built through the shared experiences of a group of people. Thats why English in the U.S. is vastly different than British English， and why small-town English is different than innercity English. It is built out of necessity， and then it takes its building blocks， the culture it is composed of， and pushes it forward to the next person.20 When we speak， we are not only sharing our experiences and ideas， but swimming in the culture of those who came before us.

My English is not your English， but an English that holds the experiences of my life. My Bulgarian is not your Bulgarian， but the Bulgarian that captures the pieces of this country I have been exposed to over the past eight years.

Imagining a World Without Language

Lets go back to this idea of telepathy， of full and immediate understanding without the complicated filter of language. At first it sounds amazing. Lets get straight to the source of thought and emotion. Lets truly share our experiences.

But then I start to wonder how much of our self is our lived experiences and how much is our ability to process and filter them. While our initial reactions are important， arent our secondary explanations， the way we make sense of our world， just as important to our definition of self？

The closest thing I have to telepathy is my relationship with my husband. No， I cant read his thoughts or even his emotions. But we do have a physical， unspoken language that is immediate and raw21. We can share a look from across the room and have a basic understanding of what the other one wants or needs. Its far from perfect， but it works for us when we have two yelling kids and have to make a snap decision in a shop.22

However， my favorite time with him， when I feel closest to him， is when were driving in the car and talking about our experiences. When we share our histories and the ideas they have built in us. And my favorite of these conversations？ When we discuss a new word or phrase and ask what it really means to us.

Maybe the telepathy this person was imagining had a way to filter thoughts through a lens23 of experience. But honestly， why fix a system that isnt broken？ Language already acts as an amazing cultural and personal filter that， when you take the time to listen and learn， will show you more about a person and yourself than you can imagine.

The next time you wish the world had a common language， stop and think about what youd be giving up. The ability to learn about yourself through foreign languages. The possibility of seeing your culture reflected back through the twisting of your language by a foreign speaker. The amazing effect of having two friends in one body， learning each of their personalities through their speech and blending them into a more coherent person. Youll start to see that a little stress and effort to learn a new language is worth it.

1. linguistic： 語言的，语言学的。

2. expat： 海外侨民，移居国外者（expatriate的缩写）。

3. 说这场辩论没有意义，只是因为我们双方都坚持自己的立场不打算让步，而不是指这个话题不重要。budge： 改变观点和立场；stance： 立场，位置。

4. sparring partner： 辩论对手；Bulgaria： 保加利亚，欧洲东南部国家。

5. 从他的其他帖子里，我得知他害怕钟表的滴答声、保加利亚的阳光和塑料的饮料容器。tick： 滴答声；beverage： 饮料，酒水。

6. offhand： 随便的，漫不经心的。

7. empathize： 理解，感同身受。

8. Cyrillic alphabet： 西里尔字母，据认为是9世纪时由圣西里尔和圣美多迪乌斯创制，系俄语、保加利亚语等斯拉夫语字母的本源；learning curve： 学习曲线。

9. entitlement： 权利，资格；brash：无礼的，傲慢的；irk： 使厌烦，使恼怒。

10. 也许心灵感应是最好的解决方法，那样他就用不着翻常用语手册，无论走到哪儿都能理解所有人的意思。telepathy： 传心术，心灵感应；phrasebook：（供游客到国外旅行时用的）外语常用语手册。

11. 这个概念的极端形式叫作语言决定论，即语言完全限制我们的认知过程。

12. 程度较轻、更被广泛接受的理论叫作语言影响论，认为语言影响和塑造我们的认知，但并未完全限制它。

13. 然而，这个理论一直处于激烈的争论之中，直到最近的人类学研究带来了决定性的结论，那就是语言的确影响着我们理解世界的方式。anthropological： 人类学的；conclusively： 最后地，决定性地。

14. intricate： 错综复杂的；downright： 非常，完全。

15. brush up on： 温习，复习。

16. mannerism： 言谈举止的习惯。

17. vibrant： 活泼的，充满生气的。

18. dissonance： 不一致。

19. 我们切换回保加利亚语之后，她的言谈举止立刻变得更加成熟，呈现出她日常生活中老成、负责、母亲般的一面。sophisticated： 成熟的，久经世故的。

20. 语言的构建是出于需要，构建完成之后，语言这个建筑的一砖一瓦中所蕴含的文化又随着交流传达给下一个人。

21. raw： 处于自然状态的，未加工的。

22. 这种交流远谈不上完美，但是它效果很好，尤其是当我们有两个吵吵闹闹的孩子并需要在商店里迅速作出决定时。yelling： 叫喊的；snap： 突然的，快速的。

23. lens： 透镜。

阅读感评

∷秋叶 评

对于“同一性”的追求确实是人类的特性。就中国来说，早在秦统一全国之时，就规定了“今天下车同轨，书同文”。与此相关，我国清末第一所官办外语专门学校命名为“[京师]同文馆”，旨在让学生通过多种外文的学习与翻译训练，将“西文、西学”纳入到中国人的理解视域之中。2008年的北京奥运会，我们提出了“同一个世界，同一个梦想”（One World， One Dream）的口号，这有些像我们的儒家经典《礼记》中所说的“大道之行也，天下为公……是谓大同”。在西方，仅就“世界语乌托邦”而言，早在《圣经·旧约》里就有巴别塔（Babel）的故事。传说在远古时代，人类讲同一种语言。后来人世间出现多种语言，造成沟通的障碍，这是上帝对人类犯罪的惩罚。按此逻辑，人们就设想若能回到原始的单语状态，那么类似于中国夏朝之前“三皇五帝”时期的那种理想化社会就能重现。从19世纪下半叶起，几乎涵盖了整个20世纪，世界大同理想的一个最乌托邦的方案——全人类应当说同一种语言——在欧洲风生水起，非常盛行。这一“世界语”方案大致可以分为两类：一是现用语方案，如“基本英语”（Basic English），即由簡化英语而成；二是人造语方案，其中最著名的是1887年波兰眼科医生柴门霍甫所创造的Esperanto（世界语）。然而，这“世界语”因为没有使用此语言的文化社群作依托，属昙花一现，不可能成功。笔者曾在十余年前学习世界语并加入北京世界语协会，发现还有人在坚持，但大多数都是老人了。英语倒果然成为了“世界语”，但是其功能充其量也不过是种通用语（lingua franca），对于各国本土语言（native languages）也几乎产生不了多大影响。

文中的那位英国人觉得其移居目的国保加利亚的语言难学，期望有朝一日其母语能成为整个欧洲的第一语言。的确，成年后要学一门外语不容易，更何况又是与自己的母语差异甚大的语言。英语是全球通用语（global language），因此英语国家的人士有此自信与愿景似乎也属正常。不过，这位英国人的“自信”与“傲慢”引发了原文作者的反感。暂且不论意识形态的因素，作者认为语言承载的是一种文化、观念，定义了一种特定的思维与表达方式。也就是说，如果你剥夺了他人使用自己语言的机会与权利，就等于摧毁了其心灵的家园、智慧的源泉。难怪，西谚称“A nation without a language is a nation without a heart.”“Every language is a temple， in which the soul of those who speak it is enshrined.”

语言会对人们的思维方式乃至世界观产生重大影响，这已被近几十年的人类学、心理学、语言学等学科的研究成果证实。对于那些失去了母语或者无法使用母语的人，往往还会有情感表达的障碍。美籍华人马大任先生早年赴美留学，当时中国留美学生的男女比例是20：1。由于男女比例严重失衡，有的留学生只好和美国人结婚。他回忆说：“不过，异族通婚并不是人人都能做到的解决婚姻问题的办法，许多人做起来有困难，首先是语言上的困难。应付博士口试的英语同谈恋爱的英语有相当大的差别。中国留学生学的是前一种，不是后一种。感情是通过语言建立起来的。不会用恋爱的语言，很难找到美国太太。”确实如此，感情沟通所需的语言非常微妙，用外语来表达总像是隔了一层。一位南非某部落的幸存者在回忆自己不再讲母语的感受时说：“我感觉我喝了一位陌生女人的奶，在他人身边长大。我有此感觉是因为我不讲自己的母语。”因此有人说，如果任由英语的强势地位发展下去，可能最终会像某些预言家所说的，“到了2200年，英语会把人类世界推回到‘巴别塔之前”，这将是这个星球迄今最大的文化灾难。不过在笔者看来，这种情况不大可能发生。

语言绝非是人们常说的“一种工具”，它蕴含着比工具要丰富得多的意义。我们呼吁它的多样性（diversity），不仅意味着我们生活的这个星球“语言库”（language pool）本身的丰富性，同时也意味着我们自己掌握多门语言的重要性。西方人常说：“With each newly learned language you acquire a new soul.”“A man who knows two languages is worth two men.”美国哲学家爱默生（Ralph W. Emerson）更是认为，若掌握了多种语言，就如同有了许多朋友，身怀多种技艺，活过多次人生。甚至还有人说，如果不懂外语，就不能很好地认识自己的母语，因为你缺乏一种与“他者”比较的维度和能力。这不无道理，因为人类的智慧并不仅仅蕴藏于像英文、中文等某一种语言中，而且没有任何一种语言能完美地表达人世间的一切。因此，学会更多种语言，哪怕只是通晓关于更多种语言的知识，也能让我们长见识，变得更睿智！