語言與文化：論「信用(貸款)」(Crédit)一詞在西方社會之應用與擴張

Abstract

人類語言隨歷史演變乃是不可爭與不可避免的事實。然而，如果這變動是必然的，這其中的過程，似乎並非是全然是自然而成的。事實上，語言的演化，經常是因一些外在因素介入所產生的。這些因素可能來自於政治、經濟、社會或宗教生活的影響。語言演化的多元決定性由此可見。此外，我們可進而推論，不同的辭彙言語，其演變的過程所受的上述各項影響因素必然也有所不同。\\r本文所要分析研究的對象主要在於「信用(貸款)」這一詞彙，如何在西方文明社會中的跨領域運用。我們將從歷史的角度，也就是從縱的面向，考究其意義的演變。另外，從橫面向，要探討這個詞彙如何在不同範疇的論述(例如，政治、經濟、宗教與道德)中流(溜)轉。也就是要分析其意義如何不斷的被擴充、被轉借或者被扭曲變質。例如，此一詞彙原始的宗教意涵如何被資本主義意識所轉借甚至沒收。然而，「信用(貸款)」此一詞彙意義的擴展與跨領域現象當然並不全然來自於外在的因素。本文同時要分析的便是這一詞語內在意涵的幾個結構性特質。其中，特別要探討人類時間觀在這個詞彙裡的關鍵性影響。因而，這個研究雖旨在分析「信用(貸款)」一詞意義之分化、轉化與異化，但它更在突顯與揭露我們日常所看不見或意識不到的，人類的文化生活與心理結構如何透過語言的演化而展現。

The meaning of a word changes over time, but the whole process of transformation is not always natural. It is conditioned by various factors, including political, economic, religious, and moral ones. Furthermore, it is insufficient to say that the modification of the meaning of words is over-determined. It is also important to analyze how various factors influence the evolution of words in different ways. The changeable meanings of the word ‘credit’ are a good example of the close relationship between the development of language and culture, especially in Western society. This study aims to analyze the extended usage and the signification of this word. My approach is historical and multiple-disciplinal. I present the historical evolution of this word and the glide of its usage into others fields. In fact, by this study, I intend to analyze the extension, the metamorphosis and the mutation of the signification of the word “credit”. If the evolution of the word ‘credit’ , is tied closely to the socio-economic context, I try to further emphasize the psychology as another important factor. The concept of time is especially important for understanding the operation of the credit. The present study therefore looks into the political, sociological, economic, religious and psychological aspects of this historical development. As a result, I hope to demonstrate some cultural aspects and the psychological structure of human beings, which are usually invisible, but can be revealed through the demonstration of the evolution of language.