语言变化与年龄差异

21Vol.21No.Suppl.()JournalofGuangxiUniversity(PhilosophyandSocialScience)19995May1999(第一作者,讲师,广西民族学院外语系,南宁市,530006)决定语言变化的因素颇多,如性别受教育程度社会地位等本文试图通过一次小型的社会调查,探讨语言是如何随着年龄而发生改变以及不同年龄段的人语言的不同特征语言变化年龄声音话语假设调查数据Ineverydaylifeweperceivealotofphenomenasuchasmakingoutapersonsroughagewhiletelephoningorlisteningtoradio.Thoughweadmitthatsuchguessesarenotalwaysright,onthewholepeopletendtobelievetheirsense.Whatleadsustobeabletodothisisarathercomplicatedmatter,foroneschangeoflanguagemaybeaffectedbymanyfactorslikesex,education,occupation,socialclass,ect.Andageisapermanentfactorwhichcausesthechange.InthisbriefresearchworkIintendtotouchontheproblemsofHOWageinfluenceslanguage;whatchangesmayoccurtolanguageasapersongrowsfromachildtoanadult,andwhyitisso,withtheheplofstatisticsofmyinvestigation,andthereforedrawsomegeneralconclusionsofpeoplesattitudestowardlanguagechangethroughage.Myhypothesesoflanguagechangethroughagearesomehowonthebasisoftheresearchdoneinthisfield,Theyare:No.ItemVoicetraitsofdifferentcharacterABCD(60)(12)(26)(35)1formalinformal2284482442792experienednaive1844812002583smoothbroken2563801802754friendlyindifferent3602912603295highpitchedlowpitched3162623322676steadychangeable1604412282757seriouscasual1964142842638gentletough3042622483089moderateboastful29426228832510patientimpatient24035028433311introvertextravert24834830833312calmnoisy21234824833013slowfast24430634033814quietloud26028628035015politeimpolite26428626427916considerateinconsiderate30432927226317reliableunreliable22440029230418confidentnervous22041026024219bookishcolloquial20840033230420powerfulpowerless26441925224621clearvague2303712162541111.Peoplebecomeconservativewhentheygetoldandtheirspeechtendstobesteadyandseriouswhileyoungpeoplesspeechiscomparativelymoreflexibleandmoreuptodate.2.Thespeechofelderpeopleismoreauthoritativeandmorereliablethanyoungerpeople.3.Owingtotheirexperienceoflife,theoldpeoplesspeechismorelikelytobepolite,gentle,friendly,slowandpatientthanthatofyoungpeoplewhichseemsratherboastful,impatient,fastandinconsiderate.4.Childrensspeechisoftenbrokenwhileadultsspeechismorefluentandnatural,andthereforethechildrensspeechsoundmorelikereadingatextthantheadultsdo.Therecordscontainedfourvoices.Thespeakerswereallmale,andallhadreceiveduniversityeducationandallwereteachersexceptB,whowasaprimaryschoolboyof12.TheageoftheotherthreearerespectivelyA60,C26,D35.Ichosethemofthesamesex,education,occupationtoavoidunfavourablesideeffectsandconcentratemyinvestigationonlyonage.MysubjectsweresecondyearstudentsofhistorydepartmentofBeijingNormalUniversity.Therewerealtoghther25students,amongwhich14aremaleand11,female,andallagedfrom18to21.Theaveragedataofthestudentsinallindoingthe21questionsrespectively.Fromtheresultsofmyinvestigation,Ifoundthatmostdataofthecharactertraitssupportmyhypotheses,thoughforsomefeatures,thedataarenotasdistinctiveasIhaveexpected.ButseveralresultsareagainstwhatIhaveassumedbeforehand.Amongthem,someduetothepoorconditionofmyrecorder,andsomecansuggestsomethingnew.Thefollowingarethedetailedanalysisofeachtable.a.TheaveragescorestoQ6(steady/changeable),Q7(serious/casual),Q11(introvert/extravert)suggestthatAsvoiceisthemoststeady,seriousandintrovertoneamongthefour,whileBsistheleast,andC,Dareinbetween.Thisresultagreestomyhypothesis1.b.TheanswerstoQ1(formal/informal),Q17(reliable/unreliable),Q18(confident/nervous)showthatAsvoicetendtobemostformal,reliableandconfident,andBsisjusttheopposite,whichsupportsmyhypothesis2.c.ForQ20(powerful/powerless),Dgetsthehighestmarkofpowerness,yetthescoresofA.C.D.aresimilar,butBismuchlowerthantheotherthree.Fromtheresultwecansay,firstly,adultsspeechismorepowerfulthanchildrenspeech,andsecondly,thevoicesofmiddleagedandyoungarewithmorestrength.Althoughthisresultdoesntsupportmyhypothesis2,Iholditisquitelogicaltoourcommonsense,fortheyoungandthemiddleagedpeoplearemostpowerfulinmostaspects,andtheresultssuggestthateventheirlanguagerepresentstheirpowerfulness.d.Ontheonehand,Q2(experienced/inexperienced),Q10(patient/impatient),Q12(calm/noisy),Q13(slow/fast),Q15(polite/impolite)areinagreementwithmyhypothesis3.Thatistosay,oldpeoplesspeechsoundsthemostexperienced,patient,calm,politeandslow.ButforQ10andQ15,thescoresofthefouraremoreorlessthesame,soarenotveryrepresentative.Thereasonmaybethatreadingatextissomethingveryneutral,andthereforepolitenessandpatiencedonotshow.e.ThedataofQ3(smooth/broken)showtheyoungmansspeechisthemostfluentoneandtheboys,theleast.Thisisquitethesameasmyhypothesis4.WhereastheresultofQ19(bookish/colloquial)suggeststhattheboysspeechismorecolloquialthantheadults,whichisagainstmyhypothesis4.Thereasonmightbethatthestudentsdonthaveaclearideaofwhatbookishandcolloquialmean,buttothetrainedear,Bsvoiceisreallybookish(therecordofhisvoicecanbeusedasanevidenceifinneed).Fromtheresults,wecangeneralizeseveralfactsforChinaasawhole.Firstly,aspeoplegetold,theirspeechtendtobeconservative,steadyandslow,andontheotherhand,theirspeechgivepeopleanimpressionofrespectfulnessandseriousness.Secondly,womentendtobemoresensitivetolanguagechangethr