整合漫談：穌字說解 *
穌字的意思是死後復活，或是惛迷後再清醒，再活過來。
大家都知穌字的意思了，還有什麼可說呢？相信有些讀者見〔穌字說解〕的標題後，就把此葉翻過去不看，而且心中還罵道：“多事費時，小學文章！我想看的是那些高深意見，哪些少見的生字，哪些繁簡文字戰鬥的動情，哪些有實用建設性的語文。。。”也許還罵可愛的編輯們：“嘿！刊出這些文章，真是胡亂，單調，小田農的眼光！”且慢翻葉，請問：
－“為什麼不讀此〔穌〕字為禾he,ho,wo,wah,hoa呢？而卻要後代讀〔穌〕字音成〔騷〕呢？（古代，穌與騷字同音。今日廣州話二字還同音） ”
－“為什麼不把穌字寫成 人禾，su或 （一筆）呢？而一定要寫成這麼筆劃的〔穌〕字形呢？”
－“嘿！老祖宗不識拼音文字嘛！未到過英美留學嘛！未得洗禮開光嘛！所以不知用更簡單的符號來拼合，才把魚與禾二字拼合成穌字嘛！。。。”
－“且慢，且靜心一下！兩千二百年前，在秦朝，中國人已經知道拼音文字了。漢朝時，已經有不少羅馬及希臘文物傳到中國。唐朝時，已經有一個基督教派逃難到中國。而不是現代，中國人才知道拼音文字啊！如果秦始皇帝決定改用拼音文字，今日，中國人就沒法朗誦一兩千年的文章了！”
－“如何見得？”
－“且看英文歷史。今天的英國高中學生已經不甚了解四五百年前的英國詩文。英國老師們看到九百年前的英文時，還以為是外國文章啊(注1)！毛澤東是一位極聰明的領導者。年輕時，他曾主張用拼音文字，但是當他把握大權後，卻不施行。若毛澤東下令施行拉丁化，羅馬化文字，試問誰敢阻擋？不說幾位保守華文的教授專家，只說朱德，劉少奇的大強人也無法阻擋反對啦！？
有多少人有勇力認錯如袁曉園，徐德進等虛心學者呢？袁教授與徐教授曾經是積極提倡羅馬化文字的人士。若用拼音文字，中國將必分散成很多小國，只迎合英美殖民主義的分散統治手段。外蒙還未歸回祖國，中國人還想見一個新滿洲國嗎？想見有一個台灣國嗎？想見有一個新吳國，新粵國，新蜀，新秦，新燕，新東干國嗎？
近來，美國John de Francis教授(見香港語文建設通訊第50期)提起毛澤東年輕時說要廢除華文的未成熟見解主張，並鼓勵中國信徒進行拼音文字的謬論。筆者誠實不知他存有什麼居心。他無能力用中文寫作。他理解中文的程度就有限了。
新西蘭有一位舞孃言談很巧。她主張用abc寫漢語，並說中文難寫，難學，浪費時間。在實際上，她無能閱讀中文報章雜誌。可是，她能在英語學校教中文。
Albertine Gaur 說：“當 第 二次 世界大戰結束後，由二十七位美國教育家組成的一個特別任務代表團向麥瑟阿特將軍建議一個徹底修改日本教育系統．他們特別要求廢除 '由中國傳來的表意文字'，否則日本將永遠不可希望達到西方的科技程度．” After the end of the Second World War, a mission consisting of twenty-seven American educationists recommended to General MacArthur a drastic overhauling of the Japanee education system. They called especially for the abolition of the 'Chinese derived ideograms', since otherwise Japan could never hope to achieved technological parity with the West. Albertine Gaur, History of Writing, Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1984, p.34.
屬於超級強國的二十七位教育專家建議必非同小可，但實際上，歲月已證明他們的眼光和建議都錯了！相信John de Francis教授必知這件事情。目前，日本仍然使用華文，但是日本的電器通訊，汽車科技早已不下於西方．精微鐘錶技術，照相儀器還勝過西方呢！隨後兩節文章是西方學者Hugh Cortazzi與Stewart Ross的鋼鐵性見證：
“日本戰後的經濟'奇蹟' 曾使日本成為經濟超強並成為世界最富國之一．”Japan's post-war economic 'miracle' has turned Japan into an economic superpower and made her one of the richest nations in the world. Hugh Cortazzi, The Japanese Achievement, Sidgwick and Jackson, London, 1990, p.278
“日本經濟的驚人持續發展已經是世界大戰後的觸目特色．1955年，日本經濟相當於英國經濟的五份之二，但到1992年，日本經濟卻超過英國三倍．到1980年，日本已經生產鐵和汽車多過美國．到1990年代，日本經濟已佔世界總值的百份之十五，是世界經濟最大強國的第二位並且在很多（經濟技術）領域中卻是執牛耳．” The spectacular and sustained growth of the Japanese economy was one of the most remarkable features of the post-war world. Two-fifths the size of Britain's economy in 1955, by 1992 the Japanese economy was triple that of Britain. By 1980 it was turning out more steel and cars than the United Stated. In 1990s the Japanese economy---the second largest in the world and the leader in many important fields---was 15 per cent of the world total. Stewart Ross, Causes & Consequences Of The Rise Of Japan and The Pacific Rim, Evans, London, 1995, p.26
魯迅主張『漢字不滅，中國必亡』(？)， 主張『文字拉丁化』是出於愛國，愛民的丹心，可惜他看不到日本經濟技術的碩果，可惜他聽不到歐美學者對日本的驚佩。John de Francis還要勸告日本放棄華文才能製造得電腦原子彈嗎？美國還向日本訂購高度準確的飛彈部件。日本的電腦技術可能已擁有隨時隨刻癱瘓全美國資訊系統的能力啦！。
瑞典人Bernhard Karlgen說：（西歐）昔日論談把中國語列為低等語言，還未達到確定程度，是與事實相反．在實際上，中國語言也跟隨印歐語言的演變進化路線一樣....在這（演化）方面，英語可能是最高度發展的印歐語言，但是中國語更進步....中國的文章，如我們曾陳述，是一個世界語，且要注意的，尤其是書寫文字方面，是確實獨特無比....中國文字很奇妙適合中國語言的條件，即是中國文字不可廢除的． The old theory, which classified Chinese as a 'primitive' language, not yet raised to the inflectional status, is the opposite of the truth. Chinese, in fact, has followed exactly the same line of evolution as the Indo-European languages....English is perhaps in this respect the most highly developed Indo-European language, but Chinese has progressed much further....The literature of China is, as we have stated, an Esperanto, but be it observed, exclusively a written one, and in this respect it is surely unique....The Chinese script is so wonderfully well adapted to the linguistic conditions of China that it is indispensable. Bernhard Karlgen, Sound and Symbol in Chinese, London, Oxford University Press, Humphrey Milford, 1923, p.25-41 （Bernhard Karlgen的中文名是高本漢）
Umberto Eco說：中國語言可能是阿當的語言（筆者註：據天主基督教經典說，天主製造第一個人是阿當）....中國(語文)曾經獲得推薦為國際語言的模範....至今,華文曾獲考慮為完善理想的表意文字，因為每一個成份在表達方面都配合意義內容方面． Chinese might be the language of Adam.....Chinese was offered as a model for an international language....Chinese writing was considered perfect in so far as with ideograms every element on the expression-plane corresponded to a semantic unit on the content-plane. Umberto Eco, The Search For The Perfect Language, Fontana Press, 1995/1997, p.158-161
崇拜西方拼音文字的發燒友，且張開大眼看James W.Gair教授寫：“While the alphabet, as a writing system based on the sound of a language, has many advantages, this very feature is a source of trouble.譯：依據語音而書寫的拼音文字系統，雖然有很多方便之處，但這些特點卻是麻煩的根原． 1989, Collier's Encyclopedia, vol.1, p.603. James W. Gair.
英國詩人Edmund Waller吟：
PRIVATE But who can hope his line should long | 誰敢希望他的詩篇可長久 |
Last, in a daily changing tongue ? | 在這日日變遷的舌頭？ |
While they are new, Envy prevails ; | 當新鮮，大眾欣慕； |
Poets that Lasting Marble seek, | 若想恆久，金石化， |
Must carve in Latin or in Greek ; | 務必鑄成拉丁或希臘； |
We write in Sand... | 我們卻寫在沙... |
詩文若久傳,豈能靠舌端?日日皆有變,欣慕一時新.欲求芳百世,必尋金石間.拉丁希臘語,方鑄不朽篇.於今風騷賦,卻在沙中看.此篇五言譯詩是南開大學葉玉龍教授翻譯. Robert McCrum , William Cran, Robert Macneil, The story of English, Faber and Faber, 1986, p.129.
若說啦丁文是真金石，西歐大眾就應該繼續使用，歐洲就不分散啦！。啦丁文，除了極少數人使用之外，可說，啦丁文已經死啦！哪些人使用呢？哪些故弄玄虛的天主教士們。
英國語言學專家Jean Aitchison教授寫： 我們(英國)的語言是不是病了？....有位作者在日報上說：'英語的標準說話和發音已經衰落很多....讓外國人聽到，甚為羞恥．' 另一位坦白說：當世人踴躍要學習的(英國)語言，卻在它本國內生病了！又另一位哀傷說：’在廣播電台上和電視上的蠢才們言談英語如人類的滓渣，既困擾我們且傷害我們下一代．’....但為甚麼？語言時時變化是自然性的．這是生活的事....不過變化是一回事．腐化又是另一回事．是不是我們(英國)的語言變化向壞，如一些人的爭辯？ 當然不是！Is our language sick?.... 'The standard of speech and pronunciation in England has declined so much... that one is almost ashamed to let foreigners hear it', moaned a writer in a daily newspaper. 'The language the world is crying out to learn is diseased in it own country', ranted another. 'We are plagued with idiots on radio and television who speak English like the dregs of humanity, to the detriment of our children', lamented yet another....But why?....Naturally, language changes all the time. This is a fact of life....But change is one thing. Decay is another. Is our language really changing for the worse, as some people argue? Of course not. Jean Aitchison, The Language web, Cambridge University Press,1997, p.1-4.
下面是 N.Z. The Daily Post, Nov.13 1998 刊出的一段新聞．新西蘭的英語教師看了再看，也不懂．可證實英國高等人士的傷感是很有道理．
EDINBURGH.-Without a word of a pork pie, any stair dancer boffing a woodentop might find themselves doing a runner in their Claire Rayners as a jam sandwich gives chase.
It doesn't make sense but it's acceptable language, according to the Oxford Dictionary of Slang published today.
下面是普通英國人在報章上反對語言專家 Jean Aitchison 教授的語氣：
"太太，妳怎敢歪曲，褻瀆，和污損英語．”
"Madam, how dare you distort, desecrate and defile the English language..."
Aitchison 教授經過長篇大論後寫：
"....總之，我曾經講授語言學超過四份一世紀的時間，又寫了幾本書關於語言的問題，所以我應該了解語言的問題多過很多人．”....After all, I have lectured on linguistics for more than a quarter of a century, and written several books on the topic, so I much know more about it than many people. Jean Aitchison, The Language web, Cambridge University Press, 1997, p.98-103
Robert McCrum 教授說：“可能好象英國大眾社會的本身一樣，英語曾是猖獗和不文雅的．"事至今天，我們所談和所寫的，還是多麼粗野阿!" 詩人Dryden （1631-1700）感嘆說出大眾的觀感．這種語言（英語 ），曾被考慮，應該送到學校（受訓）．但是如何（修改）？”The English language, perhaps like the mass of English society itself, was unruly and unrefined. "How barbarously we yet write and speak," exclaimed the poet Dryden, voicing a common view. The language, it was thought, should to be send to school. But how ? Robert McCrum , The story of English, Faber and Faber, 1986, p.128.
James W. Gair 教授認為：如此的進行(修改或改革ABC字母)將會導至英文完全混亂的狀態. Such an approach (Alphabet reform) would bring written English to a state of total confusion. 1989, Collier's Encyclopedia, vol.1 p.605. James W. Gair.
還有…(注2) 周有光老先生也應該知道英文的歷史…英美老師(多數)不能理解一千年前的英文，但是中國學生能閱讀和理解兩千年前的詩詞…英美老師的閱讀能力遠比不及中國中學生的閱讀能力…
－“好啦！好啦！….這些都是西方語文教授專家認為華文比英文更穩定，更長壽，更先進。這麼多人說，John de Francis(美國教授) 應該知道的。但是為什麼John de Francis,他還鼓吹中國人廢除華文？ 是不是運用『分散，統治』中國的手段？
近來一項國際統計，在英國透露，五個澳洲大人中，就有一個不能讀寫或作簡單的計算。幾乎有四份之一的英國和愛爾蘭人都不能讀寫。44%的波瀾人對讀寫都有問題。22%的美國人都沒法通過簡單的讀寫測試。N.Z Daily Post, March 29, 1999.p.1. London.- Almost one in five adult Australians were incapable of reading, writing or doing simple mathematics, an international survey released in the United Kingdom said. A starting 17 per cent lacked basic literacy or numerically skills, such as those needed to find a tradesman’s phone number, calculate change when shopping or work out the area of a room, it said. However, they compared well to other Western countries. Almost a quarter of British and Irish adult were barely able to read or write, while 44 per cent of Poland's population had problem with literacy and 39 percent with maths. Australia also did better than the United States, where 22 per cent of the population failed simple literacy tests.-(AAP)
熱心為祖國掃盲的愛國同志，請看Robert Claiborne寫：“[為什麼 Johnny 不能讀] 的作者 Rudolf Flesch, 在 1981 年，估計四份一的美國人口是文盲－－清楚確實些說：他們不能讀一個湯（食物）罐或者一個藥瓶上的說明書． R. Flesch又估計，三份之一的美國人口是半文盲，即是他們可能讀說明書，但其它就不多了．把兩個數目加起來，就超過大半國家人口．這個數目，可能是過於悲觀．但若把這個數目減去一半，仍然是驚人的數字．...Flesch相信加拿大的情況也不太好．”Rudolf Flesch, author of Why Johnny Can't Read, has estimated that in 1981, a quarter of the U.S. population was illiterate-literaly: they couldn't read the label on a can of soup or a bottle medicine. Another third, he believes, was semiliterate, meaning that they could read the labels but not much else. These figures, which add up to more than half the nation, may be over-pessimistic, but even if we cut them in half they'd still be appalling...Flesch believes that in Canada the situation is not much better. Robert Claiborne, The life × of the English Language, Bloomsbury, 1983-1991, p. 275
下面是國際成人閱讀能力調查表：
(據新西蘭教育部公佈的1996年統計ISBN 0-477-05071-9)
第一組(Level 1)是不能閱讀報紙標題(或文盲)的成人百份比例。英國及美國文盲的百份比還多過新西欄。
可見，拼音文字是不能解決文盲問題。不過，請回頭說，為什麼祖宗如此的製造〔穌〕呢？為什麼不讀此〔穌〕字為禾he,ho,wo,wah,hoa呢？而卻要後代讀〔穌〕字音成〔騷〕呢？不是亂拼合，亂發音，無規矩嗎？
