论语言地位的界定方法

通常用来界定语言国际地位的标准有语言的使用范围、国际声望、经济实力和人口数量等;参照不同标准,各语言的排名不尽相同.依据所拥有的文学资本,可区分四种弱势语言.语言地位也可按译出的作品在全球市场上所占份额来确定,强势语言译出的数量和种类多,常用作转译的中介语,并对译入弱势语言起示范作用.语言地位是相对的和动态的,由非语言因素决定,与语言本身的特点无关.

How to Define the International Status of a Language

The status of a language is usually determined by the scope of language use, its international reputation, economic power and population. The result is not always the same when a different criterion is used. By the yardstick of literary capital, four types of peripheral languages can be distinguished. Language status can also be judged by its share in the total number of translated works worldwide. A greater quantity and variety are translated out of central languages, which may function as intermediary languages for relay translation and models for translation into peripheral languages. Language status is relative and dynamic, having more to do with non-linguistic factors rather than language features .