1、 Introduction

Polivanov is a renowned linguist in Russia who has made significant contributions to the development of sociolinguistics in Russia. He first proposed the concepts of sociolinguistics and sociolinguistics, participated in the construction of Soviet language and writing, explored the laws of language development, and formed his own theory of language evolution. His theory of language evolution is a concentrated embodiment of sociolinguistic thought, involving the reasons, mechanisms, characteristics of language evolution, as well as issues such as language inheritance, language policies, dialects, and standard languages. Polivanov's representative work "Theory of Language Evolution" has been lost, but it is often reflected in other works. At present, there is still room for improvement in the academic investigation of Polivanov's theory of language evolution. This article takes Polivanov's two representative works as the research object, elaborates on his ideas on language evolution, as well as his linguistic views and methodological characteristics, and reflects on their implications for contemporary language and linguistic research.

2、 The core content of Polivanov's language evolution thought

Polivanov's idea of language evolution holds that language development and change have characteristics such as gradual and abrupt changes, relative stability and absolute change, imbalance, unconsciousness and consciousness. He emphasized that the mutual opposition and connection between various elements within the language system are the intrinsic driving forces behind language development, such as the aggregation and splitting of phoneme systems. At the same time, he also pointed out that external factors such as collective psychology and socio-economic factors have an impact on language evolution, but internal laws are key elements. Polivanov also discussed the issue of language construction, believing that national policies and the formation of standard languages are conscious interventions in language development, but such interventions should respect objective facts.

3、 The Characteristics of Polivanov's Language Evolution Thought

Under the influence of Bodun de Kurdne and Marxism, Polivanov's ideas on language evolution broke through the limitations of structuralism and emphasized the influence of external factors such as society, history, and psychology on language evolution. He focuses on the constraints of society on language, believing that the relationship between language and society is complex, and that society has an uneven impact on language systems, usage, and variations. Social collective psychology plays a regulatory role in language inheritance and development, maintaining language stability. Language policy and planning are subject to state or human intervention, and users' language is constrained by social class. Polivanov also explored the origin of language, believing that language is a social product that emerged and developed with the needs of human labor communication. He emphasized that the communicative function of language is the purpose of development, and that language evolution, contact, and inheritance are all for this purpose. His theoretical system embodies a unique view of the essence of language. Polivanov's research has the characteristics of Marxist methodology, using a combination of synchronic and diachronic, dynamic and static, theoretical and practical perspectives to study language and seek dialectical laws in the history of language. He observed a dialectical unity relationship between phonetic evolution, language inheritance and development, labor-saving limitations and effectiveness, conscious and unconscious language intervention, and internal and external factors.

4、 The Contemporary Significance of Polivanov's Language Evolution Thought

Polivanov's ideas on language evolution have important guiding significance for contemporary language and linguistic research. Its theoretical innovation and historical value are reflected in the exploration of basic issues such as the nature, function, and relationship with social psychology of language, providing a theoretical basis and research perspective for language research. Polivanov inherited and developed the research tradition in Russia that focuses on the relationship between language and society, emphasizing the explanation of language generation, use, evolution, and extinction from a social perspective. His research methodology suggests that contemporary linguistic research should follow the principles of synchronic and diachronic, static and dynamic, descriptive and interpretive, micro and macro, and theoretical and practical integration, and adhere to a dialectical and systematic perspective. Polivanov advocates the concept of interdisciplinary research, emphasizing that linguistic research should be integrated with other disciplines to explore broader research areas. He also proposed that linguistic research should include tracing the history of language, grasping the current situation, and predicting future development trends. Linguists should be builders of language and writing, policy makers, language philosophers, and cultural historians. Polivanov advocates for the establishment of sociolinguistics based on the inheritance and development of the Russian linguistic tradition, attributing the phenomenon of language evolving with social forms to a rigorous scientific whole. These viewpoints have important reference significance for the formulation of contemporary linguistic research tasks, the cultivation of research teams, and the construction of disciplines.

5、 Conclusion

Polivanov's ideas on language evolution inherit and develop the Russian linguistic tradition, integrate Marxism, and emphasize the social constraints and dialectical unity of language. Despite the limitations of the times and disciplinary development, such as the excessive emphasis on the class nature of language and the impact of social change on language, its ideas have important historical and practical significance for modern linguistic research.