上海话为例， 方言兴衰存废的社会语言学观

[ala]

来自：

www.eastling.org 东方语言学网

方言兴衰存废的社会语言学观

游汝杰

自改革开放以来，经济发展突飞猛进，不同地区的人们相互交往日渐频繁。作为人们

交际的最重要的工具——语言也突显其重要性。普通话是当之无愧的全民语言，方言区也

有越来越多的居民学会和使用普通话。在方言区普通话的地位日渐提高，方言的地位日趋

式微。在沿海地区的大中城市，以上海为例，由于大量外地人移入，这种现象尤其突出，

甚至许多小学生只说普通话，不说上海话。

面对语言生活的这种新现象，有两种截然不同的意见。一种意见认为使用方言会影响

交际和交流思想，以至影响工作效率和经济发展。因此主张大家都说普通话，方言尽快促

其消亡。有些本地人家长甚至在家庭生活中与孩子讲话，也使用普通话，其结果是使孩子

丧失或减弱上海话能力。另一种意见，完全相反，认为方言是一个人的母语，更能充分地

表达思想感情，何况方言还蕴涵着地方文化，因此主张极力维护方言的生存，甚至维护方

言的纯洁性，即正宗的读音和词汇。长住上海的外地人对上海话也有两种不同的态度，一

种是努力学习上海话，甚至参加上海学习班，希望早日融入上海社会；另一种是不愿意学

上海话，希望上海人在任何场合都能说普通话，甚至对上海话有反感情绪。

要正确认识这种现象，需要有社会语言学的基本知识。社会语言学有两个基本概念：

双重语言（bilingualism）和双层语言(diglossia)。“双重语言”是就语言的使用能力而

言的，即社会成员个人有能力运用两种或两种以上的语言或方言，例如在香港有许多人具

备英语和粤语两种语言的使用能力。有这种能力的人称为双重语言人(bilingual)。双层语

言现象是就语言的社会功能而言的，即在同一个社会的日常生活中，有两种或两种以上语

言并存的现象，在不同的场合使用不同的语言，在语言使用上有层级之别。双层语言现象

在中国是普遍存在的，方言区的居民大多也会说普通话，因场景不同选用普通话或本地方

言。

绝大多数上海人都是双重语言人，即兼备上海话和普通话的能力，而上海社会是一个

双层语言社会，即在某些场合通常使用普通话，如政府工作会议、电视新闻、机场播音

等，在另一些场合则流行上海话，如家庭生活、日常闲聊、小商店购物、地方戏曲或曲艺

等。这是目前上海社会语言生活的现实，而一个社区的语言生活现实不是行政命令或人为

的意志和愿望所能改变的。上海本地人和外来移民都必须面对现实，适应现实。换言之，

普通话和方言各有所用，“双重语言人”在上海生活和工作比“单语人”更适应、更自

如。有些青年人在学生时代说惯普通话，只是被动地听上海话，几乎不会说上海话。但是

在成年之后很快就拣回上海话，说起上海话来。这正说明方言自有它的社会功能，双语人

也不会很快消失。

语言不仅是社会的资源，也是个人的资源和权利。在社会竞争日趋激烈的现代社会，

一个人掌握的语言越多，竞争能力和适应能力也就越强。在方言区放弃使用方言的机会和

权利，不是明智之举。

“母语”对于大脑发育和培养一个人的语言能力有不可替代的作用，并且“母语”比第

二语言更能充分细致地表达个人的思想感情和地方文化。一般人的所谓“母语”即是某一

种方言，除非他是一个“无母语人”，从小在家庭生活中使用方言是绝对必要的。试图在

家庭生活中让小孩说普通话，不说上海，也不是明智之举。

在现代世界上活的语言有三四千种，而在古代世界曾经存在而在现代世界已经消失的

语言更多。语言或方言与世界上其他事物一样，有生也有死。同时与其他事物一样，变化

是绝对的，静止或标准是相对的。今上海话和一百年前西洋传教士记录的上海话已大不相

同，今后的上海话可能有更多普通话的成分，但它仍然是一种方言。方言如何变化，以至

是否消亡是由它的社会功能决定的，是人为的意志不能左右的，所以“语言，还是听其自

然吧”，这是一本美国语言学名著的书名，原文是“Leave your language alone”。

附注：曾有一小报约我写稿，寄此文去后，此报主管说拙作不合“说普通话，写规范

字”的要求，不宜发表。本文的主旨是说普通话和方言社会功能不同，各有所用，这本是

社会语言学的基本知识。我并不反对“说普通话，写规范字”。看起来即使是知识界，包

括推普工作者也要学一点社会语言学。

[Ian_Lee]

The bilingualism that exists in Hong Kong is way different from the bilingualism that the writer proposes in Shanghai.

Cantonese and English are both official languages in HK. In official occasion, i.e. court hearing, either language can be used with the court providing with instant interpreter.

The school uses both languages as medium of instruction. In soceity, both languages enjoy certain degree of popularity. In popular culture, TV,.......etc., both languages are not mutually exclusive.

And there exists a mentality in HK that Putonghua is "their" language and Cantonese and English are "our" languages.

But in Shanghai if Shanghaiese is revived, it will come into conflict with Putonghua definitely. Since Putonghua and Shanghaiese are mutually exclusive and can serve as a replacement for the other, I don't see how bilingualism can be sustained between these two languages.

[Altair]

有些青年人在学生时代说惯普通话，只是被动地听上海话，几乎不会说上海话。但是

在成年之后很快就拣回上海话，说起上海话来

Does this mean to say that some schoolkids in Shanghai speak to each other only in Putonghua? I must admit that I find this surprising.

在另一些场合则流行上海话，如家庭生活、日常闲聊、小商店购物、地方戏曲或曲艺

等

I think I once read that Cantonese was the only dialect with an extensive literary tradition. Is this not correct? Does "地方戏曲" mean that there is such a thing as traditional Shanghainese opera?

When everyone studies Classical Chinese nowadays is this done only with Putonghua pronunciations, or have local traditions been maintained outside of Cantonese speaking areas?

[ala]

I think I once read that Cantonese was the only dialect with an extensive literary tradition. Is this not correct? Does "地方戏曲" mean that there is such a thing as traditional Shanghainese opera?

Shanghainese is part of the Wu 江浙 Jiang-Zhe tradition which is arguably the most literary part of China (even most early 20th century pioneering Mandarin writers are from this area). Artforms such as 昆剧 (昆曲)，越剧，评弹，沪剧 are all in or based on the Wu dialect and today they are mainly found in Shanghai (with the exception of 昆剧). Traditionally in the Jiang-Zhe region, Chinese was educated in the Wu dialect, but today very few Shanghainese can give the correct readings to the characters in Shanghainese, much less Suzhou Wu. It's deteriorated to the point that most Shanghainese youths believe Shanghainese cannot be written in characters even though Shanghainese and Mandarin share considerable amounts of vocabulary (30% of Standard Mandarin vocabulary comes directly from Wu dialects) and Shanghainese stems from a highly literary tradition. I had one teacher who recited a work in Shanghainese to show us how it rhymed in SH but not in Mandarin, but that was the extent of using dialect to teach classical Chinese.

Perhaps the most popular amongst Shanghainese is 越剧 (Zhejiang is historically 越), but even its hold on the youth is very limited due to little attention covered in general education. 沪剧 is a new development and focuses solely on Shanghai and Shanghainese lifestyles. 昆曲 is the most reputed of Chinese operas, having a history longer than Beijing opera, first founded in 昆山 Kunshan 50 km between Suzhou and Shanghai, later gaining huge popularity and prestige in the Beijing court. Today 昆剧 troupes can be found everywhere in China and many writers from different parts of China have embellished it, making it a national opera, but its humble core is still based on pleasant melodies sung in 吴方言. (昆剧 is listed as an "Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" by UNESCO，and Cantonese Opera 粤剧 has its roots in 昆山腔 as well). 评弹 is a kind of traditional narrative where the storytellers often (though not necessary) play a traditional instrument as accompaniment. Plots involve war and romance, and often take 2-4 weeks to tell, 2 hrs per day. Set in special 评弹 houses, where patrons are served tea and refreshments; sometimes also on television.

For 越剧 you might want to check out here:

http://www.yueju.net/

http://www.yueju.net/

For 昆曲:

http://www.kunqu.net/

http://www.dialnsa.edu/ecp/peony/ohist.htm English

评弹:

http://www.pingtan.com.cn

Wu literature (incl. poetry) have always existed and many classical literary works incorporate Wu dialect words and sentence patterns, but the first major work to have full vernacular dialogue in Shanghainese was 《海上花列传》 by 韩邦庆 Han Bangqing during the late 19th century, it was later translated into Mandarin by 张爱玲 Zhang Ailing. Flowers of Shanghai (to which the Hou Hsiao-Hsien movie is also based on) was hugely popular and an immediate success, but the fall of the Qing Dynasty, and the subsequent movements in Shanghai for a national vernacular language based on Mandarin cut Shanghainese's own vernacular development short. But the potential is certainly still present. Works from the 19th century to mid-1920's have allowed for literary Shanghainese to be quite different from how Standard Mandarin ended up developing, there is substantial grammatical variation in the written vernacular forms, often with Shanghainese being more complex and nuanced than the Mandarin (such as SH's use of 4 aspect particles and a perfect tense particle).