We always hear that texting is a scourge.

傳簡訊代表一種能力的退化

The idea is that texting spells the decline and fall

不管是任何正常的識字能力，還是寫作能力

of any kind of serious literacy, or at least writing ability,

美國以至於全世界的年輕人

among young people in the United States

都有退化的現象

and now the whole world today.

事實上並非如此

The fact of the matter is that it just isn't true,

但很容易讓人信以為真

and it's easy to think that it is true,

為了要以另外一種角度來看這件事

but in order to see it in another way,

為了要證明傳簡訊是件神奇的事

in order to see that actually texting is a miraculous thing,

不僅充滿活力，而且非常神奇

not just energetic, but a miraculous thing,

這一種新興的複雜性

a kind of emergent complexity

就在我們眼前發生

that we're seeing happening right now,

我們必須回顧一下

we have to pull the camera back for a bit

看看語言到底是怎麼一回事

and look at what language really is,

在這種情況下，我們會知道

in which case, one thing that we see

傳簡訊跟寫作完全不同

is that texting is not writing at all.

這是什麼意思呢

What do I mean by that?

基本上，我們想一想

Basically, if we think about language,

語言已經出現了約15萬年

language has existed for perhaps 150,000 years,

至少也有八萬年

at least 80,000 years,

而它的起源是說話—人類開始交談

and what it arose as is speech. People talked.

那可能是我們與生俱來的能力

That's what we're probably genetically specified for.

說話是我們最常使用語言的方式

That's how we use language most.

寫作很晚才出現

Writing is something that came along much later,

而就像上次提到的

and as we saw in the last talk,

寫作到底何時出現仍有爭議

there's a little bit of controversy as to exactly when that happened,

但傳統估計

but according to traditional estimates,

如果人類存在了 24 小時

if humanity had existed for 24 hours,

那大概晚上11:07寫作才出現

then writing only came along at about 11:07 p.m.

由此可知寫作是很晚才有的

That's how much of a latterly thing writing is.

因此，先有談話才有寫作

So first there's speech, and then writing comes along

這樣的小把戲

as a kind of artifice.

別誤會，寫作有它的優點

Now don't get me wrong, writing has certain advantages.

寫作是一種處理意識的過程

When you write, because it's a conscious process,

而且之後可以再回顧

because you can look backwards,

比起談話，寫作對語言

you can do things with language that are much less likely

有更大的自由度

if you're just talking.

例如，愛德華 · 吉本

For example, imagine a passage from Edward Gibbon's

《羅馬帝國的衰亡》當中有一段：

"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:"

”兩軍相峙超過十二小時

"The whole engagement lasted above twelve hours,

直到波斯人的隊伍慢慢撤退，

till the graduate retreat of the Persians was changed

以可恥的眾首領和Surenas為首

into a disorderly flight, of which the shameful example

最終兵荒馬亂的逃跑。“

was given by the principal leaders and the Surenas himself."

寫得真美！但說真的，沒人這樣講話

That's beautiful, but let's face it, nobody talks that way.

或者至少，我們不該這麼講話

Or at least, they shouldn't if they're interested

如果我們對繁衍後代還有興趣的話

in reproducing. That --

（笑聲）

(Laughter)

沒有人平常會那樣講話

is not the way any human being speaks casually.

口語和書面語完全不同

Casual speech is something quite different.

語言學家實際上告訴我們

Linguists have actually shown

我們平常講話沒有注意的時候

that when we're speaking casually in an unmonitored way,

我們傾向於使用大概

we tend to speak in word packets of maybe

七到十個字的意群

seven to 10 words.

如果你們有機會錄下

You'll notice this if you ever have occasion to record

自己或一群人的談話

yourself or a group of people talking.

你們會注意到，這才是口語

That's what speech is like.

口語要寬鬆得多，也更簡潔

Speech is much looser. It's much more telegraphic.

它沒那麼多深思熟慮的痕跡—跟寫作截然不同

It's much less reflective -- very different from writing.

所以我們自然地會認為，因為常常看到書面語

So we naturally tend to think, because we see language

那麼這就是語言本身

written so often, that that's what language is,

但實際上語言是口語。它們是兩種東西

but actually what language is, is speech. They are two things.

現在當然，隨著時間流逝

Now of course, as history has gone by,

口語和寫作之間

it's been natural for there to be a certain amount of bleed

自然產生了一些「混血」

between speech and writing.

所以比方說，古時候

So, for example, in a distant era now,

人們講話像書面語

it was common when one gave a speech

是很常見的事

to basically talk like writing.

所以我的意思是，你們在舊電影裡面看過的演講

So I mean the kind of speech that you see someone giving

他們清清嗓子，然後說：

in an old movie where they clear their throat, and they go,

「嗯，女士們先生們」之後的演講

"Ahem, ladies and gentlemen," and then they speak

與口語已經八竿子打不著

in a certain way which has nothing to do with casual speech.

它很正式，它用很多像吉本那樣的長句

It's formal. It uses long sentences like this Gibbon one.

它基本上是講話像寫作一樣，所以，例如

It's basically talking like you write, and so, for example,

因為最近那部同名電影

we're thinking so much these days about Lincoln

我們時常想起林肯

because of the movie.

葛底斯堡的演講其實沒什麼大不了

The Gettysburg Address was not the main meal of that event.

在那之前兩個小時，愛德華‧艾維雷特

For two hours before that, Edward Everett spoke

發表了一篇演講，老實說，主題我們現在不會有興趣

on a topic that, frankly, cannot engage us today

當時的人也不感興趣

and barely did then.

重點是，聽他發表

The point of it was to listen to him

書面語般的演講

speaking like writing.

普通百姓站在那聽演講，長達兩個小時

Ordinary people stood and listened to that for two hours.

在當時卻是再自然不過的事了

It was perfectly natural.

古代人就是這樣，說話跟書面語一樣

That's what people did then, speaking like writing.

好吧，如果你們可以說話像寫作一樣

Well, if you can speak like writing,

那邏輯上，你們有時候

then logically it follows that you might want to also

可能也想像口語一般來寫作

sometimes write like you speak.

問題就在於，從材料、技術的角度來說

The problem was just that in the material,

當時這很難辦到

mechanical sense, that was harder back in the day

原因很簡單，當時的材料並不適合

for the simple reason that materials don't lend themselves to it.

手工記錄幾乎是不可能的

It's almost impossible to do that with your hand

除非速記，但溝通就變得有限

except in shorthand, and then communication is limited.

以手動打字機來記錄口語非常困難

On a manual typewriter it was very difficult,

即使我們有了電動打字機

and even when we had electric typewriters,

甚至電腦鍵盤，事實上

or then computer keyboards, the fact is

即使打字已經容易到能夠

that even if you can type easily enough to keep up

跟上口語的步伐，多多少少還是要

with the pace of speech, more or less, you have to have

有一個人可以迅速收到訊息

somebody who can receive your message quickly.

一旦口袋裡有可以接收訊息的東西

Once you have things in your pocket that can receive that message,

才有條件

then you have the conditions that allow

像口語一樣寫作

that we can write like we speak.

而那就是簡訊的由來

And that's where texting comes in.

所以，簡訊的結構非常鬆散

And so, texting is very loose in its structure.

傳簡訊的時候沒人關心大小寫跟標點符號

No one thinks about capital letters or punctuation when one texts,

但話又說回來，誰說話的時候會注意這些

but then again, do you think about those things when you talk?

沒有人會，所以為什麼傳簡訊的時候要注意呢

No, and so therefore why would you when you were texting?

雖然簡訊涉及到

What texting is, despite the fact that it involves

某項我們稱為寫作的野蠻技巧

the brute mechanics of something that we call writing,

簡訊事實上是手指的對話

is fingered speech. That's what texting is.

現在我們可以用說話的方式來寫作

Now we can write the way we talk.

而這非常有趣，但是

And it's a very interesting thing, but nevertheless

我們仍然會認為，它還是代表著某種墮落

easy to think that still it represents some sort of decline.

我們看到簡訊結構鬆散

We see this general bagginess of the structure,

忽視語法規則，那些我們曾經

the lack of concern with rules and the way that we're used to

在黑板上學到的語法規則，所以我們就覺得

learning on the blackboard, and so we think

一定哪裡出了差錯

that something has gone wrong.

這是很自然的反應

It's a very natural sense.

但事實上，這一切都是

But the fact of the matter is that what is going on

一種新興的複雜體

is a kind of emergent complexity.

這才是我們在手指對話中所觀察到的

That's what we're seeing in this fingered speech.

為了瞭解它，我們需要了解的是

And in order to understand it, what we want to see

以簡訊，以這種新的語言

is the way, in this new kind of language,

新的結構如何誕生

there is new structure coming up.

所以，例如，在簡訊界大家公認的—

And so, for example, there is in texting a convention,

LOL

which is LOL.

現在我們通常認為lol

Now LOL, we generally think of

意思是「放聲大笑」（laughing out loud）

as meaning "laughing out loud."

當然，理論上，確實是這麼回事

And of course, theoretically, it does,

如果你們看看舊的簡訊，那人們確實曾經用它

and if you look at older texts, then people used it

來表示「放聲大笑」

to actually indicate laughing out loud.

但如果你們現在有傳簡訊，或如果你是一個

But if you text now, or if you are someone who

意識到簡訊的基礎如何演進的人

is aware of the substrate of texting the way it's become,

你們會注意到 LOL

you'll notice that LOL

不再意味著「放聲大笑」

does not mean laughing out loud anymore.

它演變成一種更微妙的意思

It's evolved into something that is much subtler.

不久之前有一則簡訊

This is an actual text that was done

是兩位20 歲左右的女性互傳的

by a non-male person of about 20 years old

內容如下：

not too long ago.

蘇珊：「順便說一句，我喜歡你用的字體。」

"I love the font you're using, btw."

朱莉：「lol 謝謝， gmail 現在好卡。」

Julie: "lol thanks gmail is being slow right now"

現在你們想想，其實那並不是很有趣

Now if you think about it, that's not funny.

沒有人笑（笑聲）

No one's laughing. (Laughter)

但是大家就這麼用LOL，所以假如

And yet, there it is, so you assume

這裡有人打嗝

there's been some kind of hiccup.

然後蘇珊說：「LOL，我知道」

Then Susan says "lol, I know,"

這也比我們談到網路不順這種不方便的事時

again more guffawing than we're used to

顯得更好笑

when you're talking about these inconveniences.

所以朱莉說：「我剛寄給你一封電子郵件。」

So Julie says, "I just sent you an email."

蘇珊：「lol，我看到了。」

Susan: "lol, I see it."

如果這就是 LOL 的意思，那這些人真搞笑

Very funny people, if that's what LOL means.

這個朱莉又說：「那妳最近如何啊？」

This Julie says, "So what's up?"

蘇珊：「lol，我要寫 10 頁作文。」

Susan: "lol, I have to write a 10 page paper."

她並不覺得好笑。讓我們想想看

She's not amused. Let's think about it.

LOL的用法很奇特

LOL is being used in a very particular way.

它是移情作用的標記。也是調節的標記

It's a marker of empathy. It's a marker of accommodation.

我們語言學家稱這種東西叫做「實用顆粒」

We linguists call things like that pragmatic particles.

任何真人使用的口語當中都有

Any spoken language that's used by real people has them.

比方說如果你們會講日語，想一下

If you happen to speak Japanese, think about

那個「ね」字，很多句子的結尾都會使用

that little word "ne" that you use at the end of a lot of sentences.

如果你們聽現在的黑人青年如何說話

If you listen to the way black youth today speak,

想想「yo」這個字

think about the use of the word "yo."

關於它的用法可以寫一整篇論文

Whole dissertations could be written about it,

或可能已經有人寫過了。

and probably are being written about it.

LOL 已經逐漸成為這樣的「實用顆粒」

A pragmatic particle, that's what LOL has gradually become.

它是人與人之間使用語言的方式

It's a way of using the language between actual people.

另一個例子是「／」

Another example is "slash."

現在，我們可以繼續使用斜線本來的意義

Now, we can use slash in the way that we're used to,

比方說「我們要開一個

along the lines of, "We're going to have

派對 ／ 社交聚會。」

a party-slash-networking session."

這就很接近我要表達的了

That's kind of like what we're at.

年輕人現在傳的簡訊中

Slash is used in a very different way

斜線有了新的用法

in texting among young people today.

它用於轉換場景

It's used to change the scene.

例如，莎莉說：

So for example, this Sally person says,

「那我要找人一起玩」

"So I need to find people to chill with"

然後傑克說：「哈哈」

and Jake says, "Haha" --

你們也可以寫一篇關於「哈哈」的論文， 但是時間不夠了

you could write a dissertation about "Haha" too, but we don't have time for that —

「哈哈，那你要自己一個人去嗎？為什麼？」

"Haha so you're going by yourself? Why?"

莎莉：「因為今年紐約大學的暑期班。」

Sally: "For this summer program at NYU."

傑克：「哈哈／現在在看一個太陽球員

Jake: "Haha. Slash I'm watching this video with suns players

單眼投籃的影片。」

trying to shoot with one eye."

這個斜線很有意思

The slash is interesting.

我不知道傑克之後還說了什麼

I don't really even know what Jake is talking about after that,

但你們可以注意到他的話題改變了

but you notice that he's changing the topic.

這聽起來似乎沒什麼大不了

Now that seems kind of mundane,

但想想在現實生活中

but think about how in real life,

如果我們在談話中想要轉移話題

if we're having a conversation and we want to change the topic,

其中不乏許多優雅婉轉的方式

there are ways of doing it gracefully.

不會只是硬生生插入新的話題

You don't just zip right into it.

你們可能會拍拍大腿，意味深長地看著遠方

You'll pat your thighs and look wistfully off into the distance,

或者可能會說：「嗯，讓人想起 ...」

or you'll say something like, "Hmm, makes you think --"

其實根本沒有想起什麼，只是想要

when it really didn't, but what you're really --

（笑聲）

(Laughter) —

只不過是想要轉移話題

what you're really trying to do is change the topic.

傳簡訊就不能這樣

You can't do that while you're texting,

於是在這種媒介中，也發展出轉移話題的方式

and so ways are developing of doing it within this medium.

所有口語的語言都有語言學家稱之為

All spoken languages have what a linguist calls

「新資訊標記」的東西

a new information marker -- or two, or three.

它在簡訊中，由斜線衍生出來

Texting has developed one from this slash.

所以我們眼前有一整套新的結構

So we have a whole battery of new constructions

正在發展，而我們卻容易認為

that are developing, and yet it's easy to think,

嗯，這還是不對勁

well, something is still wrong.

還是缺乏某種結構

There's a lack of structure of some sort.

它跟華爾街日報的語言比起來

It's not as sophisticated

還是不夠華麗漂亮

as the language of The Wall Street Journal.

嗯，事實上

Well, the fact of the matter is,

看看此人，在1956年的時候

look at this person in 1956,

這時簡訊並不存在

and this is when texting doesn't exist,

電視上還在播「我愛露西」

"I Love Lucy" is still on the air.

「許多人不知道字母表或乘法表

"Many do not know the alphabet or multiplication table,

無法以語法來寫作

cannot write grammatically -- "

我們之前也聽說過類似的事情

We've heard that sort of thing before,

不只是在 1956 年。1917 年，康乃狄克州有一名教師

not just in 1956. 1917, Connecticut schoolteacher.

1917年，那是一個我們假設

1917. This is the time when we all assume

大家的寫作技巧都很完美的時代

that everything somehow in terms of writing was perfect

因為《唐頓莊園》的人都口齒伶俐

because the people on "Downton Abbey" are articulate,

講話就是那樣

or something like that.

他說：「國內每所大學都有這樣的呼聲

So, "From every college in the country goes up the cry,

『新生不會拼寫，不會用標點符號。』

'Our freshmen can't spell, can't punctuate.'"

等等。我們甚至可以再倒帶

And so on. You can go even further back than this.

哈佛大學校長，1871年

It's the President of Harvard. It's 1871.

那時沒有電，每個人還有三個名字

There's no electricity. People have three names.

「拼字不佳

"Bad spelling,

錯誤百出，而且寫作的表達不夠優雅。」

incorrectness as well as inelegance of expression in writing."

他所說的正是任何

And he's talking about people who are otherwise

有大學學歷水準的人

well prepared for college studies.

我們甚至可以再倒帶

You can go even further back.

1841 年，學校某位不知名的院長感到很不安

1841, some long-lost superintendent of schools is upset

因為他長久以來「遺憾地發現

because of what he has for a long time "noted with regret

幾乎整個忽視原來的⋯」等等之類的

the almost entire neglect of the original" blah blah blah blah blah.

我們還可以一路追溯到西元 63 年 （笑聲）

Or you can go all the way back to 63 A.D. -- (Laughter) --

有個可憐人並不太喜歡