詞源探求與近代關鍵詞研究

Abstract

所謂「關鍵詞」即處於某一知識系統內結點位置上的重要詞語，而那些與中國社會的近代特徵密切相關者可稱為「近代關鍵詞」。本文指出：近代關鍵詞作為辭彙體系的一員，一方面蘊含著新詞譯詞創造、普及、定型等近代辭彙史研究的問題，另一方面作為近代觀念的承載者，又反映了東亞接受西方文明的進程，是近代觀念史研究的物件。因此近代關鍵詞的研究必然包括詞源考據和觀念史梳理的兩個方面。這是一項辭彙研究和其他人文科學研究相交匯的跨學科研究。本文對不同研究領域的分野，尤其是語言研究者在觀念史研究中應該起的作用進行了論述，並試圖從《觀念史辭典》編纂的視角出發，對撰寫原則、體例等給予探討。

So called ”keywords” are important terms that have secured a fixed position within a system of knowledge. Those that are closely related to the modern characteristics of Chinese society may be referred to as ”modern keywords.” This article asserts that as members of a system of vocabulary, keywords encapsulate such problems as the coining, dissemination and stabilization of new and translated words in research on the history of modern lexicon. As a vehicle for modern concepts, keywords reflect the process of East Asia`s reception of Western civilization and are the object of research in modern conceptual history. As a result, research on modern keywords must incorporate both textual research on the origin of words and a close treatment of conceptual history. Such research is a multidisciplinary endeavor in which lexicon research converges with research from other fields in the humanities. This article discusses the boundaries between different research fields focusing, in particular, on the role that linguistic research plays in research on conceptual history, while also attempting, from the perspective of its compilation, to investigate the principles and stylistic format behind the writing of the ”Dictionary of Conceptual History.”