從語言使用和心智系統探討台灣跨語世代

A Study of Taiwan’s Translingual Generation through Language Use and Mental Systems

台灣經歷過數次的語言轉換，在文學領域中最常被探討的是戰後從日語文轉換到華語文的「跨語世代」。本文將探討語言轉換對跨語世代的文學家造成心智結構上的塑造和影響。本文從「外語效應」談起，並擴展心智哲學中的「破碎心智」觀點，提供對跨語世代經驗一種新的理解。相較於使用母語，「外語效應」指在使用外語時，在決策上會展現不同的模式。本文論述不同語言的使用切割不同的（社會）環境互動脈絡，使得長期使用母語所習得的社會與環境互動方式、思考和行為習慣，保留在母語使用時的互動，不會完全轉移到外語使用時。此切割不只存在母語使用與外語使用之間，也存在不同外語使用之間。另一方面，心智哲學的「破碎心智」觀點主張，信念並非安置在單一沒有矛盾的信念系統中，而是存在多個信念系統。不同的信念系統用於回應不同的社會或環境脈絡。此觀點可擴展至其他心智狀態，例如記憶、情緒、想像。據此觀點，使用多種語言的人具備不同認知和行為模式。此可理解語言轉換對於台灣跨語世代的文學家帶來心智結構的影響；及他們當時處境。除了在文化、社會、政治上的轉變之外，語言轉換也帶來在認知上的另一層次轉化。

Taiwan has undergone several linguistic transitions. In the field of literature, the most frequently discussed is the postwar shift from Japanese to Mandarin Chinese, often referred to as the“translingual generation.”This paper examines how such linguistic transitions shaped and influenced the mental structures of writers from this generation. It begins by examining the phenomenon known as the“foreign language effect”, then expands the notion of the“fragmented mind”from the philosophy of mind to offer a new understanding of the translingual experience. The“foreign language effect”refers to the phenomenon in which people tend to exhibit different decision-making patterns when using a foreign language compared to their native language. We argue that the use of varying language segments interaction in distinct contexts within one’s (social) environment. Consequently, the social and behavioral habits, thought patterns, and interactional routines developed through long-term use of a native language tend to remain confined to contexts where that language is used. These patterns do not fully transfer to interactions conducted in a foreign language. Such segmentation occurs not only between native and foreign languages but also among different foreign languages. Meanwhile, the idea that individuals can hold incompatible behavioral patterns or even conflicting beliefs has recently given rise to the development of the view known as the“fragmented mind.”This view holds that our beliefs are not housed within a single, internally consistent belief system, but are instead distributed across multiple systems. The fragmented mind view can also be extended to other mental states, such as memory, emotion, and imagination. From this perspective, multilingual individuals exhibit distinct cognitive and behavioral patterns depending on the language they are using. Such a perspective offers valuable insights into how linguistic transitions have shaped the mental structures of Taiwan’s translingual generation, thereby enriching our understanding of their experiences. Beyond cultural, social, and political transformations, linguistic transition also effected a more profound shift at the mental level.