近年來，多語主義(multilingualism)已經成為國際性的關鍵課題，因為它被視為搶救眾多瀕臨絕跡語言的解決方案。在國際社會十餘年來的大聲疾呼下，各國學者開始深入研究多語現象，尤其是在神經語言學領域，自二○○○年以來，多語者腦部研究已成為一個新興學門。不過，到目前為止，唯一探討多語現象與寫作、創造力之間關係的領域是文學。然而，由於以具有多語能力作家為主題的當代文學批評研究幾乎都只限於印刷出版的作品，我們不能從中領略一個作家精通的數種語言對其創作的深刻影響，以及這種影響的演變邏輯。如果不深入研究作家的工作資料，如何能夠了解他慣常使用的數種語言與其日常創作之間的關係？著重文本生成(genetic approach)的文學研究可以避免傳統批評分析憑空臆測的弊端，透過作家的手稿，鉅細靡遺地觀察其創作的痕跡，就像神經語言學或心理語言學家所進行的科學實驗一樣。研讀納博可夫的手稿和書信，讓我們了解到他使用其他語言並非純粹出於一種風格學的寫作技巧。這種寫法反映了他個人的語言及認知現實，即一個通曉多種語言的人很自然地在這些語言之間切換。他完全能夠駕馭不同的語碼，只是不願意被侷限在單一語言的狹窄框架內。

In recent years, multilingualism has emerged as one of the key international scholarly pursuits. This is because the subject is looked upon as a solution to the problem of the imminent extinction of many endengered languages. After repeated appeals from the international community, scholars from various countries have begun to devote efforts to the study of multilingualism. This is especially the case in the field of neurolinguistics where the study of the brain activities of multilingual users are being pored over. Since 2000, the study of multilingual user’s cerebral activities has become an emergent discipline. Until now, literary study is the only field of study where the correlation among multilingualism, writing, and creativity is under examination. Nonetheless, contemporary literary criticism which concentrates on multilingual authors for the most part limits its focus on published works. Because of this, we cannot glean from the study how a multilingual author’s familiarity with several languages deeply affects the creative process of the author in question. Importatnt too is the genetic logic of this creative process. How can we come to grips with relationship between the use of multiple languages and the everyday creative activities unless we examine author’s draft materials ? Genetic approach will be able to avoid the speculative pitfalls of traditional study by means of a scrupulous analysis of the creative material traces, just as the way in which a neurolinguist or a psycholinguist conducts a scientific experiment. The study of Nabokov’s correspondence and manuscript materials enables us to understand the way in which the author uses the many languges he has matered is not so much just a matter of style. The multilingual processes in Nabokov’s creative writing that can be observed in his drafts reflect the author’s perception of reality as multilingual and multicultural world. In short, a multilingual user habitually and naturally migrates among languages. He is in full control of different language codes and is unwilling to be confined to the narrow constraints of a single language.