文學觀念流通的現代化進程：以近代英華／華英辭典編纂＂literature＂詞條為中心

Abstract

本文擬透過近代英華／華英辭典的編纂與流通來描繪學科新名詞 朝向標準化、規範化的大致走向，並在此基礎上探索“literature”詞條的現代化進程。約在十九世紀下半葉，因上海等租界興起的學習英語熱，使得英華／華英辭典的編纂已從傳教士慢慢轉由知識分子主導的趨勢。藉由三類重要英華辭書的考察（編譯者分別為傳教士、日本知識分子及中國知識分子），我們可看到十九世紀以來馬禮遜（R. Morrison）、羅存德（W. Lobscheid）等傳教士的影響。至1908年由顏惠慶主編，轉譯自英國納韜耳善本（Nuttall`s Standard Dictionary of the English Language）的《英華大辭典》（An English-Chinese Standard Dictionary），則使英華辭書的編譯提升至專業辭典編纂家的視野。這本匯集英、美、日、中等辭書與教科書的群書總匯，堪稱清末民初最重要的「標準辭典」，不僅為中西「文學」觀念搭起了可匯通之橋樑，也使「文學」等學科新名詞朝向以西學「標準」進行解釋的根本依據。

This essay discusses how the 19th and the early 20th century English-Chinese dictionaries helped standardize and normalize new terminologies of diverse academic disciplines and focuses in particular on the modernization process of the entry word ”literature.” During the Shanghai Settlement in 1860s, the hunger to learn English began to spread, and as a result, the general public`s craving for English-Chinese dictionaries increased. Because of this, native Chinese literati gradually took over from foreign missionaries the work of compiling dictionaries to better meet Chinese users` needs. After examining three different kinds of English-Chinese dictionaries compiled by missionaries, Japan literati, and China literati, the influence of Morrison and Lobscheid`s dictionaries is obvious. In 1908, ”An English-Chinese Standard Dictionary” which was translated from ”Nuttall`s Standard Dictionary of the English Language”, and compiled by Yen Hui-ching was published. It wasn’t until the publication of this dictionary that the compilation of English-Chinese dictionaries reached a more professional standard. ”An English-Chinese Standard Dictionary”, which was compiled from English, American, Japanese, Chinese dictionaries, and textbooks, hence has given terminologies of diverse academic disciplines such as the word ”literature” a more western ”standard” definition.