Why Literature in a Language Department?

本論文旨在說明語言學系為何要教授文學。文中指出三大理由：1.文學課也是實用課程，因為文學的語言並非真正有別於日常的語言；文學的虛構也不等於不實際，因為文學中的語言行為也雷同實際人生中的語言行為。2.文學既悅人也誨人，因此文學課透過作品的形式與內容也有娛悅與實用的效果。3.文學課比語言學課或語言訓練課都更有知識的全面性，因為文學作品裡有各種通盤的人生知識。其實，文本可當例子，可用以教語法、修辭、和語用規則。文學裡有真、善、美，可幫助學生發展語言智能、溝通智能、和文學智能。孔子早知文學對語言教育的重要性，現代的語言教師也應知道其重要性，而把文學作品當成良好的語言教材。

關鍵字

文學；語言教學；全面性；語言智能；文學智能；溝通智能

並列摘要

This paper aims to explain why literature is taught in a language department. Three strong reasons are given for it. First, a literature course is ”practical” in a language department, since the language used in literature is usually not quite different from the language used in our daily life. Literary fictionality is not equal to impracticality; the speech acts in literature resemble the speech acts in real life. Second, a literature course is pleasurable as well as practical, since literature is to delight and instruct at the same time. A literary work can indeed help teach a language through its delightful form and content. Third, a literature course can be more holistic than a linguistics course or a language-training course, since it provides us not only with literary knowledge but also with general knowledge in life and for life. A literary text can be used to teach grammar, rhetoric, and pragmatics at once. It contains truth, beauty and goodness. It can help develop the students' linguistic competence, literary competence, and communicative competence. Confucius knew the importance of literature to language education a long time ago. Modern language teachers are following Confucius if they stress the importance of literature and use literary texts as language-teaching material.