一门新的语言学分支：复兴语言学——兼谈濒危语言和濒危方言复兴的普遍制约条件和机制

Abstract

本文旨在建立一门新的语言学学科和研究范式——复兴语言学(Revival Linguistics)。希伯来语复兴历时120多年,是迄今为止最成功的对已衰亡语言的复兴。相对而言,世界其他地区(如澳大利亚)的语言复兴运动仍处于起步阶段。毋庸置疑,在复兴某种语言的初期,语言专家必须长期观察、仔细倾听操这种语言的说话者的意愿,了解和界定这个特定的土著社群。只有这样,语言学家才能受到启发并协助语言复兴。希伯来语复兴的经验表明,语言复兴存在着语言学上的制约条件。一旦掌握了这些语言学上的制约条件,便能对全世界范围内的濒危语言和方言,尤其对将来中国的濒危语言复兴提供借鉴和帮助。= The revival of Hebrew is so far the most successful known reclamation of a sleeping tongue and is a language movement that has been in progress for more than 120 years. By comparison, language revival movements in other parts of the world such as Australia are in their infancy. This paper contributes towards the establishment of Revival Linguistics, a new linguistic discipline and paradigm. It provides comparative insights and makes information about the Hebrew revival accessible to Chinese linguists, language endangerment experts and potential revival activists. Needless to say, the first stage of any desire by professional linguists to assist in language reawakening must involve a long period of thoroughly observing, carefully listening to the people, learning, mapping and characterizing the specific indigenous or minority community. Only then can one inspire and assist. That said, this paper proposes that there are linguistic constraints applicable to all revival attempts. Mastering them would be useful to endangered languages and dialects in general and to future linguistic revival in China in particular.