hellog〜英語史ブログ / 2013-06-28

■ #1523. Abstand language と Ausbau language [terminology][sociolinguistics][language_or_dialect]

　昨日の記事「#1522. autonomy と heteronomy」 ([2013-06-27-1]) で，言語と方言の区別という問題に迫るための新しい概念と用語を導入した．今日は関連して，ある言語変種が方言 (heteronomous) ではなく言語 (autonomous) と認定されるために，2つの異なる基準があるということを議論したい．
　ドイツの社会言語学者 Heinz Kloss の導入した対概念に，標題の Abstand language と Ausbau language がある．Trudgill の用語集によれば，それぞれ次のように説明される．

Ausbau language (German /ˈausbau/) A concept due to the German sociolinguist Heinz Kloss. A variety which derives its status as a language, rather than a dialect, not so much from its linguistic characteristics, like an Abstand language, but from its social, cultural and political characteristics. These characteristics will normally involve autonomy and standardisation. Norwegian and Swedish are regarded as distinct languages, not because they are linguistically very different from one another --- there is clear mutual intelligibility --- but because they are associated with two separate, independent nation states, and because they have traditions involving different writing systems, grammar books and dictionaries. Ausbau is the German word for 'extension' or 'building up'. Note that when new Ausbau languages are being developed through language planning, planners will often make the most of what Abstand is available. For example, Ivar Aasen, the developer of the form of Standard Norwegian now known as Nynorsk deliberately modelled it on those (western) dialects which were least like Danish, which had hitherto been the standard language of Norway. There is no widely used English equivalent for this term, but 'language by extension' is sometimes employed. (11--12)

Abstand language (German /ˈapʃtant/) A concept developed by the German sociolinguist Heinz Kloss. A variety of language which is regarded as a language in its own right, rather than a dialect, by virtue of being very different in its linguistic characteristics from all other languages. The degree of linguistic distance (German 'Abstand') between this variety and other languages is such that, unlike Ausbau languages, there can be no dispute as to its language status. Basque, the language spoken in northern Spain and southwestern France, is a good example of an Abstand language. It is clearly a single language, because its dialects are similar. And it is clearly a language rather than a dialect because, since it is not related historically to any other European language, it is completely different in its grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation from the neighbouring languages, French and Spanish . . . . There is no widely used English equivalent for this term, but 'language by distance' is sometimes employed. (1--2)

　この対概念を英語史に応用できそうな例を考えると，例えば中世イングランドにおいてラテン語やフランス語が権威をもっていた社会言語学的状況にあって，英語は，社会的な立場こそ弱かったものの，誰もが認める1つの独立した (autonomous) 言語ではあった．なぜならば，単純に英語はラテン語やフランス語とはまるで似つかない Abstand language だからだ．ところが，フランス語はイングランドにおいてこそ英語よりも地位が高かったが，フランスにおいてはラテン語の影にあってむしろ英語の状況に比べれば独立性は危うかった．フランス語は権威あるラテン語とあまりに似すぎており，それに従属する (heteronomous) 方言へと降格しかねない．フランス語は，ラテン語によって自らの autonomy を侵されかねず，Ausbau language として独立した地位を守る必要があったのである．「#653. 中英語におけるフランス借用語とラテン借用語の区別」 ([2011-02-09-1]) で触れたように，ラテン語とフランス語の言語的な近さがかえってあだとなり，綴字の混用や etymological_respelling が英語における以上に頻繁に起こっていたことは，ラテン語に対する両言語の関係が異なっていたからに相違ない．この議論に Abstand と Ausbau の対概念を持ち込むことができるのではないか．

　・ Trudgill, Peter. A Glossary of Sociolinguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2003.

[ 固定リンク | 印刷用ページ ]