治理研究 ›› 2022, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (4): 51-65.

• 国家治理 • 上一篇    下一篇

以语塑心与国民治理:外语习得对政治认知能力的塑造机制研究

胡悦, 朱萌   

  • 收稿日期:2021-11-11 出版日期:2022-07-15 发布日期:2022-07-27
  • 通讯作者: 朱萌,清华大学政治学系硕士研究生。
  • 作者简介:胡悦,清华大学政治学系副教授。
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金委青年项目“新型城镇化进程中新老市民身份认同建构的社会心理机制与政策引导路径研究”(72004109);清华大学自主科研项目“新时代国民身份认同建构机制研究”(2019THZWJC47)

Foreign Language and Governance: How Second Language Acquisition Constructs Mass Cognitive Capability for Politics

Hu Yue, Zhu Meng   

  • Received:2021-11-11 Published:2022-07-15 Online:2022-07-27

摘要:

掌握外语的人口增加是现代化发展在个体层面的重要特征,也是一国站稳国际舞台、引领世界潮流的重要前提。 然而,现有研究多聚焦外语的对外功能和教育手段,对内功用尤其是社会政治功用和治理价值却不甚明了。“语言政策场域”理论结合语言治理和语言政治学逻辑填补此方面空白,指出外语习得对国民政治能力(特别是以政治效能感为代表的政治感知能力)的提升效果以及四种作用机制。 基于全国代表性样本的实证分析支持了该理论的效果和机制假设。 实证研究表明,中国国民外语(英语)水平对其政治认知能力具有显著促进作用。 在机制上,外语习得通过信息获取进路上提升内部政治效能感作用最明显,而语言竞争优势则是影响外部效能感的主导路径。 与此同时,价值西化路径并未对国民政治认知造成明显改变。 据此,外语习得对于国民政治能力塑造功能更偏向素质性,而非价值性。 对于语言政策场域理论的系统探讨和实证检验推进了对宏观语言政策微观治理逻辑的理解,为“语言-思维”关系这一经典议题提供新思路和新证据,同时对于像中国这样外语人口日益庞大的现代国家治理也具有重要现实意义,为我国改革语言政策和治理体系、提升国家能力、推动国家治理现代化提供理论借鉴和实证参考。

关键词: 国家治理能力, 政治能力, 语言治理, 外语习得, 政策场域, 政治效能感

Abstract:

Second language proficiency is a characteristic of modernization and a prerequisite for a state’s international influence.However, the mainstay of the existing research on second language acquisition (SLA) focuses on international communications and education, ignoring SLA’s sociopolitical functions and values for domestic governance.The novel “language policy field” theory fills this academic vacuum by specifying four paths SLA can affect individuals’ political capabilities, especially their cognitive capabilities.The findings of this study, which used data from a nationally representative survey in China, supports the hypotheses of this theory.The empirical analyses show that respondents’ English proficiency significantly modified their cognitive capabilities regarding politics as measured by political efficacy.SLA increases internal efficacy mainly through the information-collection mechanism while raising external efficacy through the relative-proficiency mechanism.There is no evidence that SLA affects political capacities through value changes.In this sense, the influence of SLA is more on literacy than on beliefs.The new theory and findings have far-reaching implications for language governance, national capacity, and the modernization of governance in general.

Key words: National capacity of governance, political capacity, language governance, second-language acquisition (SLA), policy field, political efficacy.

中图分类号: