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『パオの言語』は、アメリカの作家ジャック・ヴァンスによるSF小説で、1958年に初版が出版されました。この小説は、言語の構造と文法が話者の知覚と意識を構築するというサピア＝ウォーフ仮説に基づいています。 [ 1 ]この小説では、穏やかなパオ星の人々は、技術革新と工業製品を他の惑星に依存しており、侵略軍が土地を占領し重税を課しても抵抗しません。侵略者を追い出し、惑星の独立性を高めるために、3つの新しい言語が導入されます。科学的な言語は話者に革新を促し、秩序ある言語は話者に勤勉さを促し、好戦的な言語は競争心と攻撃性を促します。新しい言語は文化を変え、パオは支配者を追い出し、洗練された近代経済を発展させます。
短縮版は1957年後半にSatellite Science Fictionに掲載された。翌年Avalon Booksからハードカバー版が出版された後、1966年にAce Booksからペーパーバック版が再版され、1968年と1974年にも再発行された。その後もハードカバー版とペーパーバック版が再版され、イギリス版、フランス版、イタリア版も出版されている。[ 2 ]
惑星パオは、パナーチという絶対君主によって統治される、大規模で均質で頑固な住民が暮らす静かな辺境の地である。[ 3 ]パオの文化的均質性は、外部からの軍事的および経済的圧力に対する脆弱性の一因となっている。現在のパナーチは、パオを改革するために、ブレイクネスのブレイクネス研究所からパラフォックス卿という惑星外の科学者を顧問として雇おうとする。しかし、契約が成立する前に、パナーチは弟のブスタモンテによって暗殺される。ブスタモンテは、パナーチ自身の息子であるベラン・パナスパーを精神操作して暗殺を実行する。パラフォックス卿はベラン・パナスパーを救出し、パオとの交渉における交渉材料としてブレイクネスに連れて行く。
Somewhat later, the predatory Brumbo Clan from the planet Batmarsh raids the virtually defenseless Pao with impunity, and the Panarch Bustamonte is forced to pay heavy tribute. To rid himself of the Brumbos, he seeks the aid of Palafox, who has a plan to create warrior, technical and mercantile castes on Pao using customized languages (named Valiant, Technicant and Cogitant) and other means to shape the mindsets of each caste, isolating them from each other and the general populace of Pao. To achieve this, each caste gets a special training area where it is completely segregated from any outside influence; the necessary land is confiscated from families, some of which have held it for countless generations — which creates some disaffection in the conservative Paonese population and earns Bustamonte the name of a tyrant.
In order to return with them to Pao incognito, Beran Panasper infiltrates a corps of interpreters being trained on Breakness. Mostly to amuse themselves, some of the young people create a language they call "Pastiche", mixing words and grammatical forms, seemingly at random, from the three newly created languages and from the original Paonese language. Palafox looks upon this development with indulgence, failing to realize the tremendous long-term significance.
Beran returns to Pao under the name Ercolo Paraio and works for a few years as a translator at several locations. Once Beran Panasper reveals to the masses that he is still alive, his uncle Bustamonte's popular support melts virtually overnight and Panasper claims the title of Panarch that is rightfully his. The Brumbo Clan is repulsed by the warrior caste. For a few years, the castes of Pao are highly successful in their respective endeavors and the planet experiences a short golden age. However, Panasper is upset about the divisions in the populace of Pao caused by the Palafox program; the three new castes speak of the rest of the Paonese as "they" rather than "we" and regard them with contempt.
Beran attempts to return the planet to its previous state by re-integrating the castes into the general populace. Palafox opposes this move and is killed, but the warrior caste stages a coup and takes command of Pao. Panasper convinces them that they cannot rule the planet alone, since they share no common language with the rest of the population and cannot rely on the cooperation of the other segments of the people of Pao, and they allow him to keep his office.
One interpretation of the end of the novel is that Beran Panasper is only in nominal charge of the planet, on the sufferance of the warrior caste, and that it is uncertain what will become of him and his plans of re-uniting the populace of Pao. Another way of seeing the ending is that Beran has outfoxed the warriors by getting them to agree to his decree that "every child of Pao, of whatever caste, must learn Pastiche even in preference to the language of his father". In the end, Beran looks ahead twenty years, to a future when all inhabitants of Pao will be Pastiche-speakers — i.e., will speak a language which mixes some attributes and mindsets appropriate to peasant cultivators, proud warriors, skilled technicians and smart merchants — which will presumably shape a highly fluid and socially mobile society, composed of versatile and multi-skilled individuals.
Frederik Pohl reported that Vance had "pretty carefully" worked out his extrapolation, but that "it isn't terribly convincing as presented". Pohl also noted that "Vance writes well -- sometimes even brilliantly", but that his prose sometimes seemed uneven and artificial.[4]Floyd C. Gale called the novel "a good idea well handled".[5]David Langford cited Vance's "engaging speculation", but concluded that the protagonist "seems too weak a character for his leading role", while "the culture and landscape of Pao are grey and ill-defined, in strong contrast to the exotically colourful societies and ecologies which became Vance's trademark".[6]
In linguistics, the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis asserts that a language's structure and grammar construct the perception and consciousness of its speakers.[7]
This novel centers on a fictional experiment in molding a civilization by designing its language. As the mastermind behind this experiment, Lord Palafox, says in chapter 9: "We must alter the mental framework of the Paonese people, which is most easily achieved by altering the language." His son, Finisterle, says in chapter 11 to a class of linguists in training: "every language impresses a certain world-view upon the mind."
Vance uses some unusual euphemisms in this book.[8]