MarkPagel_2011G[马克.佩格尔][语言如何改变人类].pdf

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1、www.XiYuS锡育软件Each of you possesses the most powerful,dangerous andsubversive trait that natural selection has ever devised.每一个人都拥有 一个最强大,危险并具有颠覆性的特性 这一特性是自然选择前所未有的设计00:12Its a piece of neural audio technology for rewiring otherpeoples minds.它是一个神经声频技术 用于与他人交流思想00:20Im talking about your language,of

2、course,because it allowsyou to implant a thought from your mind directly intosomeone elses mind,and they can attempt to do the sameto you,without either of you having to perform surgery.我说的当然就是语言 因为通过语言你可以将自己的想法 直接灌输进别人脑子里 而他们亦可这样对你 双方都不用动手术00:25Instead,when you speak,youre actually using a form oft

3、elemetry not so different from the remote control device foryour television.实际上,当你讲话的时候 使用的是一种遥测技术 这跟遥控器 遥控电视的差别并不大00:39Its just that,whereas that device relies on pulses of infraredlight,your language relies on pulses,discrete pulses,ofsound.差别仅是遥控器 借助红外光 而你依靠的是脉冲 声音的不连续脉冲00:47possesses:拥有/掌握/占据(po

4、ssess的第三人称单数)subversive:adj.破坏性的;从事颠覆的/n.危险分子;颠覆分子 trait:n.特性,特点;品质;少许 devised:v.设计(devise的过去式和过去分词);计划;发明 neural:adj.神经的;神经系统的;背的;神经中枢的rewiring:v.重新布线;重新接线(rewire的ing形式)implant:vt.种植;灌输;嵌入/n.医植入物;植入管/vi.被移植 telemetry:n.自遥测技术;遥感勘测;自动测量记录传导 relies:信任 pulses:n.电子脉冲(pulse的复数);干豆,豆类/v.使跳动;使以脉冲(pulse的三单形

5、式)infrared:n.红外线/adj.红外线的 discrete:adj.离散的，不连续的/n.分立元件；独立部件And just as you use the remote control device to alter theinternal settings of your television to suit your mood,you useyour language to alter the settings inside someone elsesbrain to suit your interests.就如同使用遥控器 去修改电视机内部设定 迎合自己口味一样 你使用语言 来

6、转变别人大脑内部的设定 以满足你的需要00:56Languages are genes talking,getting things that they want.语言是用来表达的基因 得到它们想要的表述01:09And just imagine the sense of wonder in a baby when it firstdiscovers that,merely by uttering a sound,it can get objectsto move across a room as if by magic,and maybe even intoits mouth.试想从婴儿不可

7、思议的视角来看 当婴儿发现仅仅通过发出声音 他/她就能使音频穿过房间 如魔法一样 甚至从他/她嘴里蹦出。01:13Now languages subversive power has been recognizedthroughout the ages in censorship,in books you cant read,phrases you cant use and words you cant say.如今,语言的颠覆性能力 已经在那些舆论审查的年代 以及你无法读到的书籍 你不能使用的敏感词 和字眼中得到了印证01:26In fact,the Tower of Babel story

8、 in the Bible is a fable andwarning about the power of language.事实上,圣经里巴别塔的故事 就是关于语言能力的一个寓言和警示01:36According to that story,early humans developed the conceitthat,by using their language to work together,they couldbuild a tower that would take them all the way to heaven.这个故事说,远古的人类变得自以为是 他们以为通过同一种语言一

9、起合作 可以建起一座 带他们通往天堂的塔01:43uttering:v.发出;作声;使用伪币(utter的ing形式)/n.故意提供或传递伪造文件罪 censorship:n.审查制度;审查机构 Babel:n.巴别塔;巴比伦式的城市 fable:n.寓言;无稽之谈/vi.编寓言;虚构/vt.煞有介事地讲述;虚构 conceit:n.自负;狂妄;幻想/vt.幻想Now God,angered at this attempt to usurp his power,destroyed the tower,and then to ensure that it would neverbe rebuil

10、t,he scattered the people by giving them differentlanguages-confused them by giving them differentlanguages.上帝为此大逆不道的篡夺行为震怒 因此毁了这座通天塔 并为了确保 人类无法再建 他通过赋予人们不同的语言将之拆散-用不同的语言使他们迷惑01:52And this leads to the wonderful irony that our languagesexist to prevent us from communicating.所以这导致一个奇妙而讽刺的结果 正是语言阻碍我们的

11、交流02:08Even today,we know that there are words we cannot use,phrases we cannot say,because if we do so,we might beaccosted,jailed,or even killed.甚至在今天 仍有些字词我们不能用 有些短语不能说 因为这样做 我们也许会锒铛入狱 甚至招来杀身之祸02:13And all of this from a puff of air emanating from our mouths.这一切只因为 口吐一口气而已02:26Now all this fuss abo

12、ut a single one of our traits tells ustheres something worth explaining.我们刚刚这番关于语言这一特性的长篇大论 无非是要说有些东西值得去解释02:30And that is how and why did this remarkable trait evolve,andwhy did it evolve only in our species?那就是语言这一奇妙特性 是如何演变的及其原因并且为什么 只在人类中演变？02:35angered:生气 usurp:vt.篡夺;夺取;侵占/vi.篡夺;篡权 scattered:ad

13、j.分散的;散乱的 irony:n.讽刺；反语；具有讽刺意味的TED演讲者：Mark Pagel|马克.佩格尔演讲标题：Mark Pagel:How language transformed humanity|语言如何改变人类内容概要：Using biological evolution as a template,Mark Pagel wonders how languages evolve.生物学家马克.佩格尔与我们分享了一个关于人类如何发展复杂的语言系统的有趣理论。他认为，语言是一种社会技术，它帮助人类早期部落获得了一个强有力的新工具:合作。事/adj.铁的；似铁的 accosted:v

14、t.勾引;引诱;对说话;搭讪 jailed:adj.监禁的/vt.监禁,拘留(jail的过去分词)puff:vt.喷出,张开;使膨胀;夸张;使骄傲自满/vi.膨胀;张开;鼓吹;夸张/n.粉扑;泡芙;蓬松;一阵喷烟;肿块;吹嘘,宣传广告 emanating:从.处传出,传出(emanate的现在分词)fuss about:大惊小怪;忙乱 traits:n.特性,特质,性格(trait的复数)Now its a little bit of a surprise that to get an answer to thatquestion,we have to go to tool use in th

15、e chimpanzees.为获得以上问题的答案 先要做点意料外的工作 我们必须先研究 黑猩猩使用工具的能力02:43Now these chimpanzees are using tools,and we take that asa sign of their intelligence.这些黑猩猩正在利用工具 这被认为是它们智力的一个表现02:51But if they really were intelligent,why would they use a stickto extract termites from the ground rather than a shovel?但是如果它

16、们真的聪明的话 为什么它们要用根棍子把白蚁从地面里取出 而不是用铲子挖呢？02:56And if they really were intelligent,why would they crackopen nuts with a rock?如果它们真的聪明 为什么自己要用石头砸开坚果呢？03:03Why wouldnt they just go to a shop and buy a bag of nutsthat somebody else had already cracked open for them?为什么它们不去商店买上一袋坚果 在那里已经有砸好的坚果为它们准备好了？03:08Wh

17、y not?I mean,thats what we do.为什么呢？因为那些是人类才能做的03:14Now the reason the chimpanzees dont do that is that theylack what psychologists and anthropologists call sociallearning.黑猩猩不那么做的原因 是它们缺乏心理学家和人类学家所谓的 社会学习能力03:16They seem to lack the ability to learn from others by copyingor imitating or simply watch

18、ing.它们似乎缺乏 向别人学习的能力 通过照搬或模仿或者仅仅观察03:23chimpanzees:n.脊椎黑猩猩(chimpanzee的复数)extract:vt.提取;取出;摘录;榨取/n.汁;摘录;榨出物;选粹 shovel:n.铁铲;一铲的量;铲车/vt.铲除;用铲挖;把胡乱塞入/vi.铲 psychologists:n.心理心理学家(psychologist的复数形式)anthropologists:人类人类学家 copying:n.复制;誊写;仿形切削/v.复制;抄写(copy的现在分词)imitating:n.模仿,效法;冒充/v.模仿(imitate的现在分词);仿效As a

19、result,they cant improve on others ideas or learn fromothers mistakes-benefit from others wisdom.理所当然 它们无法改进他人的想法 或者从别人错误中吸取教训 汲取别人的智慧03:31And so they just do the same thing over and over and overagain.所以它们只是单纯做同一件事 重复一遍又一遍03:39In fact,we could go away for a million years and come backand these chim

20、panzees would be doing the same thing withthe same sticks for the termites and the same rocks to crackopen the nuts.事实上,如果我们能跨越一百万年,然后再追溯回来这些黑猩猩肯定还在做着同样的事 用同样的棍子抓着白蚁 用同样的石头砸着坚果03:43Now this may sound arrogant,or even full of hubris.也许这听上去有些傲慢,甚至狂妄自大03:55How do we know this?我们怎么知道这些的？03:58Because thi

21、s is exactly what our ancestors,the Homo erectus,did.因为我们的祖先-直立人就是这样04:00These upright apes evolved on the African savanna abouttwo million years ago,and they made these splendid handaxes that fit wonderfully into your hands.约二百万年前 这些直立猿人 在非洲的热带稀树草原进化 他们造出了精巧的手斧 能完全贴合手形04:03improve on:改进;对加以改良 benef

22、it from:得益于;得利于;因而得到好处 over and over again:adv.一再地;反复不断地 sticks:n.棍;树枝;麻骨(stick复数形式)/v.用杆支撑;刺死;插入(stick的第三人称单数)arrogant:adj.自大的，傲慢的hubris:n.傲慢;狂妄自大 Homo:n.人,人类;同性恋者 apes:n.脊椎猿;猩猩;类人猿(ape的复数)/v.模仿;仿效(ape的三单形式)savanna:n.生态热带草原;热带的稀树大草原 axes:n.轴线;轴心;坐标轴;斧头(axe的复数)wonderfully:adv.精彩地;惊人地;极好地But if we lo

23、ok at the fossil record,we see that they made thesame hand axe over and over and over again for one millionyears.但如果我们查看化石 会发现他们造着同样的手斧重复着 持续了一百万年04:13You can follow it through the fossil record.你可以通过各年代的化石看到04:22Now if we make some guesses about how long Homoerectus lived,what their generation time

24、 was,thats about40,000 generations of parents to offspring,and otherindividuals watching,in which that hand axe didnt change.现在我们可以做几个关于猿人生存时间 和他们的世代的猜想 在约四万代的时间里 从父辈到子辈,以及周围人的观察中 手斧没有任何改进04:24Its not even clear that our very close genetic relatives,theNeanderthals,had social learning.我们甚至不太清楚 我们的近亲

25、-尼安德特人是否具备社会学习能力04:36Sure enough,their tools were more complicated than thoseof Homo erectus,but they too showed very little change overthe 300,000 years or so that those species,the Neanderthals,lived in Eurasia.当然他们的工具 比猿人要复杂得多 但在30万年时间里 他们也只表现出很少变化 那些尼安德特人 生活在欧亚大陆04:42Okay,so what this tells us i

26、s that,contrary to the old adage,monkey see,monkey do,这与我们所知的“有样学样”（猴子见什么学什么）的谚语 完全相反04:56axe:n.斧/vt.削减;用斧砍 over and over:反复;再三 guesses:n.猜测(guess的复数)/v.猜测(guess的第三人称单数)offspring:n.后代，子孙；产物 relatives:n.亲属;语关系词(relative的复数)Neanderthals:n.穴居人(Neanderthal的复数);尼安德塔人 contrary to:与相反,违反 adage:n.格言,谚语;箴言th

27、e surprise really is that all of the other animals reallycannot do that-at least not very much.令人惊讶的事实是 其他的所有动物 都无法做到有样学样,至少做到很少05:04And even this picture has the suspicious taint of beingrigged about it-something from a Barnum&Bailey circus.甚至这张图片 虽然它有人为操纵之嫌-“不会是来自巴纳姆贝利马戏团吧”05:11But by comparison,w

28、e can learn.但是相比之下 我们有学习能力05:18We can learn by watching other people and copying orimitating what they can do.我们可以通过观察别人 以及照搬或模仿 别人所做的来学习05:22We can then choose,from among a range of options,thebest one.然后我们可以在一系列选择中挑选 最好的选择05:29We can benefit from others ideas.我们可以汲取别人的想法05:34We can build on their

29、wisdom.可以发展他人的智慧05:36And as a result,our ideas do accumulate,and our technologyprogresses.所以我们的智慧可以累积 技术得以进步05:38And this cumulative cultural adaptation,as anthropologistscall this accumulation of ideas,is responsible for everythingaround you in your bustling and teeming everyday lives.这种人类学家所称 累积性的

30、文化适应 这种想法的积累 是你周围所有一切的根源 并存在于你繁忙和与人合作的日常生活中05:45taint:vt.污染;腐蚀;使感染/n.污点;感染/vi.败坏;被污染 Bailey:n.城壁,外栅;城堡外庭 by comparison:相比之下,比较起来build on:依赖,依靠;建立于;把建立于;以为基础 accumulate:vi.累积;积聚/vt.积攒 cumulative:adj.累积的adaptation:n.适应;改编;改编本,改写本 accumulation:n.积聚,累积;堆积物 bustling:adj.熙熙攘攘的;忙乱的 teeming:adj.多产的,丰富的;热闹的/

31、v.充满(teem的现在分词)I mean the world has changed out of all proportion to whatwe would recognize even 1,000 or 2,000 years ago.这个世界 跟一千或者两千年前相比 已经发生了翻天覆地的变化05:58www.XiYuS锡育软件And all of this because of cumulative cultural adaptation.这一切都归因于累积性文化适应06:05The chairs youre sitting in,the lights in this auditor

32、ium,mymicrophone,the iPads and iPods that you carry around withyou-all are a result of cumulative cultural adaptation.你们坐着的椅子,礼堂里的灯 我的手机,你们携带的iPad和iPod 这些都是 累积性文化适应的结果06:08Now to many commentators,cumulative culturaladaptation,or social learning,is job done,end of story.对许多评论者来说 累积性文化适应,或者说社会学习 已经大功

33、告成06:17Our species can make stuff,therefore we prospered in a waythat no other species has.人类这一物种可以创造事物 所以我们比任何其他物种都要繁荣先进06:27In fact,we can even make the stuff of life-as I just said,allthe stuff around us.事实上我们甚至可以创造“生命本身的东西”-如我所说,我们周围的一切06:33But in fact,it turns out that some time around 200,000

34、yearsago,when our species first arose and acquired sociallearning,that this was really the beginning of our story,notthe end of our story.实际上 大约二十万年前 当我们的祖先开始直立行走 并获得社会学习的能力 这的确是故事的开始,但不是结尾06:38auditorium:n.礼堂,会堂;观众席 commentators:n.评论员;注释者(commentator的复数)prospered:vi.繁荣,昌盛;成功/vt.使成功;使昌盛;使繁荣 in a way

35、:在某种程度上;有点儿;十分激动 arose:vi.出现(arise的过去式);引发Because our acquisition of social learning would create asocial and evolutionary dilemma,the resolution of which,itsfair to say,would determine not only the future course of ourpsychology,but the future course of the entire world.因为社会学习能力的获得 会令社会和进化陷入一个进退两难的

36、地步 其解决方法 不但决定了未来人类心理的轨迹 也决定了整个世界的未来走向06:51And most importantly for this,itll tell us why we havelanguage.最重要的是 它告诉我们为什么我们有语言07:06And the reason that dilemma arose is,it turns out,that sociallearning is visual theft.两难局面的出现是因为 社会学习实际是一种观察性窃取07:12If I can learn by watching you,I can steal your best id

37、eas,andI can benefit from your efforts,without having to put in thetime and energy that you did into developing them.如果我可以通过观察你而学习 我就可以窃取你最好的想法 从你的努力中坐收渔利 而不用像你一样投入时间和精力 去开发想法07:17If I can watch which lure you use to catch a fish,or I canwatch how you flake your hand axe to make it better,or if Ifol

38、low you secretly to your mushroom patch,如果我可以观察你用什么饵钓鱼 如何削薄手斧 改进它 或者偷偷跟踪你去你的蘑菇地07:29I can benefit from your knowledge and wisdom and skills,and maybe even catch that fish before you do.我就可以从你的知识,智慧和技能中获益 甚至在你之前 就抓走鱼07:39acquisition:n.获得物,获得 evolutionary:adj.进化的;发展的;渐进的 dilemma:n.困境;进退两难;两刀论法 psychol

39、ogy:n.心理学;心理状态 And most importantly:最主要的是 lure:n.诱惑;饵;诱惑物/vt.诱惑;引诱 flake:vi.剥落;成片状剥落/vt.使成薄片;将剥落/n.小薄片;火花Social learning really is visual theft.社会学习确实是种观察性窃取07:46And in any species that acquired it,it would behoove you tohide your best ideas,lest somebody steal them from you.任何具备该能力的物种 必然都会 隐藏自己最好的点

40、子 以防别人偷走07:49And so some time around 200,000 years ago,our species大约二十万年前 人类遇到了这一困境07:59And so some time around 200,000 years ago,our speciesconfronted this crisis.And we really had only two options for dealing with theconflicts that visual theft would bring.我们只有两种选择 来解决 观察性窃取导致的冲突08:05One of those

41、options was that we could have retreated intosmall family groups.一个选择是 我们可以退回到 小的家庭单位08:12Because then the benefits of our ideas and knowledge wouldflow just to our relatives.如此一来我们的想法和知识 仅仅在亲属间交流08:19Had we chosen this option,sometime around 200,000 yearsago,we would probably still be living like t

42、he Neanderthalswere when we first entered Europe 40,000 years ago.假如我们在大约二十万年前的时候 选择了这个方法 那也许4万年前我们进入欧洲的时候 还过着尼安德特人一样的生活08:24And this is because in small groups there are fewer ideas,there are fewer innovations.这是因为小团体 只能产生很少的想法和发明08:35And small groups are more prone to accidents and bad luck.却更有发生事

43、故和厄运的倾向08:40behoove:vt.理应;对有此必要/vi.有必要;理所当然/n.适宜 confronted:面对 conflicts:n.冲突;矛盾(conflict的复数形式);斗争/v.抵触;战斗;有分歧(conflict的第三人称单数形式)retreated:v.撤退;隐退(retreat的过去式及过去分词)innovations:n.创新(innovation的复数);改革 prone:adj.俯卧的；有倾向的，易于的/So if wed chosen that path,our evolutionary path wouldhave led into the forest

44、-and been a short one indeed.所以如果我们选择了那条路 我们的进化之路就会通向森林 并且是短命之路08:43The other option we could choose was to develop thesystems of communication that would allow us to share ideasand to cooperate amongst others.另一个选择 就是发展交流的系统 从而分享想法 和相互合作08:50Choosing this option would mean that a vastly greater fun

45、dof accumulated knowledge and wisdom would becomeavailable to any one individual than would ever arise fromwithin an individual family or an individual person on theirown.选择这条路意味着 积累起来的海量知识和智慧 向每一个个体开放 而不仅仅是单个家庭的 或者个人的积累09:00Well,we chose the second option,and language is the result.我们选了第二条路 语言就是产物0

46、9:15Language evolved to solve the crisis of visual theft.语言的进化解决了 观察性窃取的危机09:21Language is a piece of social technology for enhancing thebenefits of cooperation-for reaching agreements,forstriking deals and for coordinating our activities.语言是社会技术 用于加强合作的益处 达成共识,买卖交易 以及协调活动09:25And you can see that,i

47、n a developing society that wasbeginning to acquire language,not having language wouldbe a like a bird without wings.你可以看到,处于发展中形态的社会 刚刚开始习得语言 还没有完全掌握 就像一个没有翅膀的鸟儿09:38vastly:adv.极大地;广大地;深远地 accumulated:adj.累积的;累计的;达到/v.累积(accumulate的过去分词)enhancing:n.优化,增强;暖色加重效果/v.增强(enhance的现在分词)agreements:n.法协议;同意

48、;法契约(agreement的复数形式)coordinating:adj.协调的/v.协调(coordinate的ing形式);整合Just as wings open up this sphere of air for birds to exploit,language opened up the sphere of cooperation for humansto exploit.就像翅膀之于鸟儿 扇动空气去探索天空 语言之于人类 开启合作来探索未来09:46And we take this utterly for granted,because were a speciesthat is

49、 so at home with language,but you have to realize thateven the simplest acts of exchange that we engage in areutterly dependent upon language.我们以为这是理所当然 因为我们是纯熟掌握语言的物种 但是你应当意识到 甚至我们最简单的交换行为 也完全依赖于语言09:55And to see why,consider two scenarios from early in ourevolution.为了弄清为什么 请假想进化早期的两个场景10:08Lets im

50、agine that you are really good at makingarrowheads,but youre hopeless at making the woodenshafts with the flight feathers attached.假设 你擅长制造箭头 但是完全不会 制造嵌着飞羽的箭杆10:12Two other people you know are very good at making thewooden shafts,but theyre hopeless at making thearrowheads.你知道另外两人擅长制箭杆 但他们不会造箭头10:22