A Study Of Language Deviation From The Perspective Of Diversity In Eco-linguistics

Eco-linguistics considers language an indispensable part of the eco-system. Ittakes the interdependence between linguistic, cultural diversity and biologicaldiversity and ecological principles as its theoretical ground and analyzes a languageon the basis of the interrelationship between its external conditions and internalconstituents. Eco-linguistics holds that the linguistic system is an open eco-systemand shares a similar structure with the latter. It provides a new approach for theresearch of language deviation to study language dynamically from multi-perspective,multi-level and to apply languages to the eco-system without any doubt.Ecology is understood metaphorically in this thesis to compare language tospecies and to make an analogy between living environment of language to naturalecological environment, etc. The thesis focuses on language deviation in eco-systemand points out the change and development of language are closely associated withthe natural, social and cultural elements in linguistic ecological environment.However, language deviation is the result of interaction between language and diverseelements in the linguistic ecological environment. Linguistic variants relate to thecertain ecological condition, which are easily integrated with other changingecological elements randomly. Language violates the norms on the basis of keepingthe original linguistic characteristics in the evolutionary process. The geographicaldiversity and individual diversity in natural environment are also the vital factors toinfluence the language to deviate from the norms. Linguistic variants can reflect thedifference geographical conditions and individual characteristics on language andtheir interdependence with language. Language change and violate the norms with thechange and variation of culture. Language keeps on responding to the influencecultural elements including cultural conception and cultural custom and forms variants which develop continuously through constant innovation and change. Whenthe influencing cultural elements change, language will be influenced and the newvariants are formed to adapt the newest and strongest ones.Language has its vitality as the biology which is the symbol of a living language.Language competition is the result of coordination of relationship among languages toadapt the communicative and social need. Language maintains its vitality in theprocess of continuous change and the forming of variants. The thesis points out thatthe variability of language is the adjusting ability of human beings to adapt thechanging environment. Language deviation is influenced by diverse elements in theenvironment. The linguistic characteristics of a variant will be formed through theprocess of competition, individual selection, group selection, and adaptation in thespeech community. Language contact is one of the preconditions for languagedeviation. The psychology of language users is the contact field of language deviationwhich causes the linguistic characteristics of variant to be selected and accepted. Thismechanism can be applied to deviation in different levels of language system. Thethesis discusses the relationship between language deviation and linguistic diversityand points out different variants have different vitality which is decided by languageusers, social and cultural elements. Language and its variants exist mutually in thesame speech community which reduce the competition between the languages,enhance language vitality to some extent, sustain in the linguistic diversity andcontribute to the development of language.This thesis tries to apply the ecological principles in eco-linguistics to study theinterdependence between language deviation and diverse elements in the linguisticecological environment and to find out the deeper mechanism in the forming ofvariants for better understanding of the essence of language deviation.