語(yǔ)法到底重不重要？ 來(lái)自TED英語(yǔ)演說(shuō)優(yōu)選 00:00 04:38

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You're telling a friend an amazing story, and you just get to the best part when suddenly he interrupts, 'The alien and I,' not 'Me and the alien.' 

你正在給朋友講一個(gè)精彩的故事，剛講到最精彩的部分時(shí)，他突然打斷了你說(shuō)： 應(yīng)該是“外星人和我” 而不是“我和外星人'。

Most of us would probably be annoyed, but aside from the rude interruption, does your friend have a point? Was your sentence actually grammatically incorrect? 

許多人都會(huì)對(duì)這種行為感到反感，先拋開(kāi)無(wú)禮的打斷不談，來(lái)想一下你朋友說(shuō)的有道理嗎？ 你說(shuō)的這句話(huà)從語(yǔ)法上講 真的是錯(cuò)的嗎？ 

And if he still understood it, why does it even matter? From the point of view of linguistics, grammar is a set of patterns for how words are put together to form phrases or clauses, whether spoken or in writing. 

要是他依舊能理解你的意思，那么這樣做又有什么意義呢？ 從語(yǔ)言學(xué)的角度來(lái)看，語(yǔ)法就是一系列規(guī)則，教你怎樣在口語(yǔ)和寫(xiě)作中用單詞構(gòu)成短語(yǔ)和句子。

Different languages have different patterns. In English, the subject normally comes first, followed by the verb, and then the object, while in Japanese and many other languages, the order is subject, object, verb. 

不同的語(yǔ)言有著不同的規(guī)則。比如在英語(yǔ)中，主語(yǔ)通常放在最前面，謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞跟在主語(yǔ)后面，賓語(yǔ)則放在最后，而在日語(yǔ)和其他許多語(yǔ)言中，順序卻變成了主語(yǔ)、賓語(yǔ)和謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞。

Some scholars have tried to identify patterns common to all languages, but apart from some basic features, like having nouns or verbs, few of these so-called linguistic universals have been found. 

一些學(xué)者嘗試找到適用于所有語(yǔ)言的規(guī)則，但是除了一些基本的屬性，比如所有語(yǔ)言都有名詞和動(dòng)詞，所謂的語(yǔ)言上的共性幾乎是不存在的。

And while any language needs consistent patterns to function, the study of these patterns opens up an ongoing debate between two positions known as prescriptivism and descriptivism. 

盡管所有語(yǔ)言都得按照一套固定的規(guī)則來(lái)，但有兩方觀點(diǎn)在這些規(guī)則的研究上始終爭(zhēng)論不休，即規(guī)定主義和描寫(xiě)主義 。

Grossly simplified, prescriptivists think a given language should follow consistent rules, while descriptivists see variation and adaptation as a natural and necessary part of language. For much of history, the vast majority of language was spoken. But as people became more interconnected and writing gained importance, written language was standardized to allow broader communication and ensure that people in different parts of a realm could understand each other. 

簡(jiǎn)單來(lái)說(shuō)，規(guī)定主義認(rèn)為一門(mén)既定的語(yǔ)言要遵循固定的規(guī)則，而描寫(xiě)主義則認(rèn)為變化和調(diào)整是語(yǔ)言正常且必要的一部分。絕大多數(shù)語(yǔ)言在其大部分歷史時(shí)期中都是用于口頭的交流，不過(guò)隨著人們相互之間聯(lián)系的增多，書(shū)寫(xiě)的地位開(kāi)始提升，于是書(shū)面語(yǔ)開(kāi)始規(guī)范化以適用于更為廣泛的交流，同時(shí)也確保了不同地方的人能夠理解這些語(yǔ)言所表達(dá)的意思。

In many languages, this standard form came to be considered the only proper one, despite being derived from just one of many spoken varieties, usually that of the people in power. Language purists worked to establish and propagate this standard by detailing a set of rules that reflected the established grammar of their times. And rules for written grammar were applied to spoken language, as well. 

對(duì)于大多數(shù)語(yǔ)言而言，這一標(biāo)準(zhǔn)形式被認(rèn)為是唯一合適的，但實(shí)際上它卻是從眾多不同的口語(yǔ)形式中脫穎而出且通常情況下來(lái)自掌權(quán)的一方。通過(guò)將那個(gè)時(shí)代已有的一系列語(yǔ)法規(guī)則詳盡記錄下來(lái)，語(yǔ)言純粹主義者們開(kāi)始建立并傳播這一標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。 

Speech patterns that deviated from the written rules were considered corruptions, or signs of low social status, and many people who had grown up speaking in these ways were forced to adopt the standardized form. 

書(shū)面語(yǔ)言所涉及的語(yǔ)法同樣也適用于口語(yǔ)，而那些偏離了書(shū)面語(yǔ)語(yǔ)法的口語(yǔ)則被認(rèn)為是錯(cuò)誤的，或者是社會(huì)地位低下的表現(xiàn)。于是許多從小就按照這一規(guī)則說(shuō)話(huà)的人，被迫開(kāi)始接受標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的語(yǔ)法規(guī)則。 

More recently, however, linguists have understood that speech is a separate phenomenon from writing with its own regularities and patterns. Most of us learn to speak at such an early age that we don't even remember it. 

直到最近，語(yǔ)言學(xué)家才意識(shí)到口語(yǔ)和書(shū)面語(yǔ)完全是兩碼事。口語(yǔ)有它自己的規(guī)律性和模式，在我們還不能記事的時(shí)候，就開(kāi)始學(xué)習(xí)說(shuō)話(huà)了，那個(gè)時(shí)候更多是通過(guò)下意識(shí)的行為來(lái)構(gòu)建說(shuō)話(huà)技能，而不是記住那些規(guī)則。

We form our spoken repertoire through unconscious habits, not memorized rules. And because speech also uses mood and intonation for meaning, its structure is often more flexible, adapting to the needs of speakers and listeners. 

由于口語(yǔ)也會(huì)用到語(yǔ)氣和語(yǔ)調(diào)來(lái)傳達(dá)意思，所以它的結(jié)構(gòu)更加地多樣化，會(huì)根據(jù)說(shuō)話(huà)者和聽(tīng)者的需求進(jìn)行調(diào)整。

This could mean avoiding complex clauses that are hard to parse in real time, making changes to avoid awkward pronounciation, or removing sounds to make speech faster. The linguistic approach that tries to understand and map such differences without dictating correct ones is known as descriptivism. Rather than deciding how language should be used, it describes how people actually use it, and tracks the innovations they come up with in the process. 

這就意味著在說(shuō)話(huà)時(shí)應(yīng)該避免一些難以理解的復(fù)雜句子，做出適當(dāng)調(diào)整避免一些尷尬的發(fā)音，或是通過(guò)略讀讓語(yǔ)速加快。嘗試去理解和比對(duì)語(yǔ)法上的這些差異，卻不定義對(duì)錯(cuò)的語(yǔ)言學(xué)方法被稱(chēng)為描寫(xiě)主義，相比于決定該如何使用語(yǔ)言，描寫(xiě)主義更傾向于敘述人們實(shí)際上是怎樣使用語(yǔ)言的，并追溯在這一過(guò)程中出現(xiàn)的一些新方法。

But while the debate between prescriptivism and descriptivism continues, the two are not mutually exclusive. At its best, prescriptivism is useful for informing people about the most common established patterns at a given point in time. 

 盡管描寫(xiě)主義和規(guī)定主義之間的爭(zhēng)論會(huì)一直持續(xù)下去，但它們二者之間并不是互相排斥的。規(guī)定主義可以在某個(gè)特定的時(shí)間點(diǎn)，告訴人們最為通用的確定模式 。

This is important, not only for formal contexts, but it also makes communication easier between non-native speakers from different backgrounds. 

這一點(diǎn)不僅在正式場(chǎng)合很重要，也使得來(lái)自不同國(guó)家、不同背景的非母語(yǔ)人士交流起來(lái)更加容易。 

Descriptivism, on the other hand, gives us insight into how our minds work and the instinctive ways in which we structure our view of the world. 

另一方面，描寫(xiě)主義會(huì)讓我們看到自己的想法如何運(yùn)作，以及如何本能地構(gòu)建自己的世界觀。 

Ultimately, grammar is best thought of as a set of linguistic habits that are constantly being negotiated and reinvented by the entire group of language users. 

從根本上說(shuō)，語(yǔ)法頂多被認(rèn)為是一系列不斷被所有的語(yǔ)言使用者爭(zhēng)論和改造的語(yǔ)言習(xí)慣。

Like language itself, it's a wonderful and complex fabric woven through the contributions of speakers and listeners, writers and readers, prescriptivists and descriptivists, from both near and far. 

就像語(yǔ)言本身，像一匹精美復(fù)雜的布，經(jīng)由從古至今的說(shuō)話(huà)者和聽(tīng)眾、作者和讀者、規(guī)定主義者和描寫(xiě)主義者們的共同努力編織而成 。