讲 Chinglish （中式英文）会很尴尬吗？

语言是一种交流媒介，只要它能使信息从一方传递到另一方，它就是有效的。

认为中式英语令人尴尬的人，很可能是因为他们对语言和身份之间关系的看法非常狭隘。例如，作为一个中文不流利的华裔美国人，我经常听到(不请自来的)说我应该说我祖国的语言。这种观点根植于标准语言意识形态，即由主导机构强加和维持的对同质语言的偏见。换句话说，持这种观点的人认为说一种语言只有一种“正确”的方式，而且这种方式应该被强制执行。

然而，通过强迫我们遵循统一的语言，这种偏见压制了历史上不同群体混合时自然产生的充满活力的语言多样性，剥夺了我们真实的自我表达手段。例如，说中式英语不仅能让我用汉语或英语都无法表达的方式表达思想，创造了一种既不完全是中国人也不适合美国人的独特身份,而这种身份一样是独特地存在。 相反，在标准语言意识形态的框架下，身份的多面性概念将丧失。

最终，我们不仅应该拒绝中式英语(或任何语言)令人尴尬或不如其他语言有效的观念，还应该对语言和身份有更广泛的理解和接受程度。

Language is a medium of communication, and as long as it enables a message to be conveyed from one party to another, it’s valid.

People who find Chinglish embarrassing most likely do so because they hold a very narrowly-defined view on the connection between language and identity. For instance, as a Chinese American who isn’t fluent in Chinese, I’ve frequently heard (unsolicited) remarks that I should speak the language of my home country. This view is rooted in standard language ideology, which is the bias towards a homogeneous language imposed and maintained by dominant institutions. In other words, people who hold this belief think there’s only one “correct” way to speak a language and that way should be enforced within an identity group.

However, by forcing us to conform to a uniform language, this bias suppresses the vibrant language diversity that naturally emerges from the intermingling of different groups throughout history, depriving us of a means of authentic self-expression. For example, speaking Chinglish enables me to not only convey ideas or frame them in certain ways that cannot be expressed in either Chinese or English, but also reinforce a unique identity that doesn’t fit neatly into either a Chinese or an American one. Under the framework of standard language ideology, multifaceted conceptions of identity would be forfeit.

Ultimately, we should not only reject the notion that Chinglish (or any language) is embarrassing or less valid than another, but also embrace a broader understanding of language and identity.

KK.akida 原创，转载需联系授权，侵权行为将进行法律追究

作者：K 常春藤达特茅斯大学，美国华裔

修译: Gemini K