英漢語用語序比較研究與翻譯

1、英漢語用語序比較研究與翻譯 摘要語序是一種重要的語法手段,是語言研究和翻譯研究的熱點(diǎn)課題之一。本文以三個(gè)平面的語法觀為指導(dǎo),借鑒國內(nèi)外各種語序研究的理論和方法,認(rèn)為英漢兩種語言,都可從語用層面研究語序。語用語序在句子中不僅起著重要的語法作用,而且還涉及說話人的主觀選擇,信息重點(diǎn)的轉(zhuǎn)移等。同一語義內(nèi)容用句法語序還是語用語序表達(dá),其功能和主題意義是不一樣的。因此,在英漢互譯中,我們必須特別注意這種意義以及傳達(dá)這種意義的語用語序結(jié)構(gòu),以便在翻譯中獲得對應(yīng)信息并忠實(shí)于原文。 英漢語用語序的結(jié)構(gòu)很多,本文主要對比分析了以下四種結(jié)構(gòu)在英漢兩種語言中傳達(dá)特定主題意義時(shí)的異同點(diǎn):1)主題化結(jié)構(gòu)(topical

2、ization)。英語是典型的 SVO語言,從相對意義上來說,英語語序中較晚出現(xiàn)的成分都可以出現(xiàn)在主題位置上,形成主題化結(jié)構(gòu),以凸顯說話人的視點(diǎn),參與者的興趣中心,上下文已知信息未知信息的區(qū)分等。漢語是偏重主題的語言,主題化前置在漢語中引起的語序變化更為常見。因此,在實(shí)際翻譯中,同序轉(zhuǎn)換的情況較多,但由于兩種語言中具體的表現(xiàn)形式并不完全相同,部分結(jié)構(gòu)仍需進(jìn)行語序調(diào)整,原語語序所體現(xiàn)的主題意義一般可借助詞匯手段加以體現(xiàn)。 2)左移位結(jié)構(gòu)left-dislocation。左移位結(jié)構(gòu)是指句中一個(gè)帶有名詞核心成分的句子成分被移至句首,原來的位置通過一個(gè)代詞成分標(biāo)出。左移位往往具有標(biāo)示主題,為說話人表露

3、情感提供澄清和強(qiáng)調(diào)的意義。在英漢互譯時(shí),我們應(yīng)盡量保持原語語序結(jié)構(gòu),將原語語序結(jié)構(gòu)所傳達(dá)的特定主題意義在譯文中通過對應(yīng)結(jié)構(gòu)體現(xiàn)出來。3)倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)(inversion)。英語語言中,倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)非常普遍,既有結(jié)構(gòu)性倒裝又有功能性倒裝。功能性倒裝突出句子的主題,更強(qiáng)調(diào)了句尾成分,是典型的語用語序。漢語語言中,倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)較少,且多為功能性倒裝。因此,翻譯中結(jié)構(gòu)重組和語序調(diào)整的情況較多。4)分裂句(clefts)。英語分裂句是一種起強(qiáng)調(diào)作用的特殊語用語序結(jié)構(gòu),通?？煞譃?It-clefts 和 Wh-clefts 兩種。從傳達(dá)主題意義的角度來看,英語分裂句能明確的區(qū)分新舊信息,同時(shí)含有強(qiáng)調(diào)意義。 It-cl

4、efts 和 Wh-clefts中被強(qiáng)調(diào)的成分在句中的位置不同,所強(qiáng)調(diào)的句子成分也有所不同。漢語語言中,ii“是”字結(jié)構(gòu)十分自由,用得相當(dāng)廣泛,常常被看作是漢語的分裂句。在實(shí)際翻譯中,對應(yīng)轉(zhuǎn)換較為常見,但有時(shí)為更好的傳達(dá)原文的主題意義,漢語中的“是”字結(jié)構(gòu)也可轉(zhuǎn)換為英語的倒裝句或用詞匯手段強(qiáng)調(diào)的句子。 本論文共由七部分組成。第一章為引言。簡單介紹了本文研究的背景、目的、方法和理論依據(jù),探討了英漢語用語序研究的可行性及本文研究的范圍,隨后對語用語序、主題意義、主題化、左移位、倒裝和分裂句這六個(gè)重要術(shù)語進(jìn)行了界定。 第二章為文獻(xiàn)回顧,從三個(gè)方面回顧了與本文相關(guān)的理論研究。本章首先總結(jié)了英語語序研究

5、的特點(diǎn)及還需解決的問題,然后綜述了語序在中國學(xué)術(shù)界的研究狀況,最后回顧了英漢語序比較研究及其在翻譯實(shí)踐中的應(yīng)用。對這些相關(guān)理論的回顧與分析不僅為本文的研究提供了寶貴的借鑒意義,更進(jìn)一步肯定了語用語序比較研究的必要性和可行性。 第三、四、五、六章是本文的核心部分,分別比較分析了語用語序較為典型的四種結(jié)構(gòu)模式:主題化結(jié)構(gòu),左移位結(jié)構(gòu),倒裝結(jié)構(gòu)和分裂句。探討了這四種結(jié)構(gòu)在英漢語言中各自的特點(diǎn)及其所要傳達(dá)的特定主題意義,并著重分析了跨語言研究中,這些結(jié)構(gòu)的異同點(diǎn)及其對具體翻譯實(shí)踐的指導(dǎo)作用。 最后一章為結(jié)論,總結(jié)概括了全文的內(nèi)容,在進(jìn)一步重申語用語序比較研究的重要性及其對翻譯實(shí)踐起重要指導(dǎo)作用的同時(shí),

6、指出了論文的局限性及不足之處。 總之,英漢語用語序的比較研究具有重要的理論意義和實(shí)踐意義,它反映了英漢兩種語言語用層面語序結(jié)構(gòu)的共性和個(gè)性,顯示了語用語序研究對翻譯實(shí)踐潛在的指導(dǎo)作用,這不僅有利于我們語法研究的進(jìn)一步深入,更有助于翻譯活動的促進(jìn)和譯文質(zhì)量的提高。關(guān)鍵詞:語用語序;主題化;左移位;倒裝;分裂句;主題意義;對比;翻譯iii AbstractWord order, as a kind of important grammatical means, has long been studied in linguistics and translation studies. This th

7、esis,based on the Three-dimension theory and other linguistic theories worldwide, attempts to make a contrastive study on pragmatic word order between English and Chinese to seek their differences and similarities and discuss some possible solutions to the realization of the thematic meanings carrie

8、d by pragmatic word order constructions in the process of mutual translation. Pragmatic word order is of great significance in translation studies, which not only carries the propositional meanings of the sentence but also involves in assisting speakers or writers to communicate pragmatically import

9、ant information, such as focus, emphasis and so on. “Meaning is at the very heart of the translators heart”. Hatim &Mason, 2001 : 25 Therefore, in mutual translation between English and Chinese, it is a must to pay much more attention to the pragmatic word order and the realization of the thematic m

10、eanings carried by this constructionChinese is an analytical language and English is a language changing from synthetical to analytical one. They do not possess a high degree of flexibility in the area of word order. To compensate for this, they have developed some useful devices such as topicalizat

11、ion, left-dislocation, inversion and clefs for forming pragmatic word order and allocating certain thematic meanings. Thus in this thesis I will explore differences and similarities of the above-mentioned four constructions: 1 Topicalization. English is atypical in terms of SVO languages. Relatively

12、 speaking, nearly all major phrasal categories can be proposed to mark the topic of the sentence, differentiate the old information from the new information or display the speakers or writers attitudes, emphases and so on. Chinese is regarded as topic-prominent language, in which topicalization is m

13、ore common. Thus in the process of translation, we choose to preserve the original word order whenever it is possible to avoid suffering the loss of thematic meanings carried by the original sentence structure. As ivfor the differences between the constructions, reversing strategies are available in

14、 which the thematic meanings carried by the original sentence tend to be embodied by special morphological devices. 2 Left-dislocation. It refers to a construction in which one noun phrase is proposed and a pronoun that is coreferential with the proposed constituent appears in that constituents cano

15、nical position. Left-dislocation usually marks the topic of the sentence and serves to reveal the writers emotion or personal instance. Device of dislocation is employed in both English and Chinese. In most cases, structure-preserving strategy is preferred in mutual translation. 3 InversionInversion

16、 is very common in English. We usually distinguish the functional inversion from structural inversion because the former, either marking the topic of the sentence or emphasizing the constituents at the final position of the sentence, is a kind of typical pragmatic word order construction. By contras

17、t, only few functional inversions exist in Chinese. In this case, it is necessary to translate literally while alternative options are also under consideration. 4 Clefts. In English clefts consists of It-clefs and Wh-clefts. As far as conveying thematic meanings is concerned, those two constructions

18、 play an emphatic role in a sentence. But they emphasize different constituents and put the emphasized constituents in different positions. In contrast with English clefts, “shi” construction is widely used in Chinese language, which is considered as Chinese clefts because it is often used to emphas

19、ize certain constituents in a sentence. There is a close similarity between English clefts and Chinese clefts. So it is possible to simply substitute the original cleft construction with corresponding one in cross-language translation. However, it is also understandable sometimes to abandon the orig

20、inal construction to depend on other pragmatic word order or definitely morphological devices to meet the requirements of the idiomatic expressionsThe outline of the thesis is as follows. Chapter One is a brief introduction, which deals with the research background, aims, methodology as well as theo

21、retical basis of the present investigation. In doing so, I intend to explore the acceptability of the contrastive analyses of the pragmatic word order between English and Chinese and delimit the scope of my thesis. Then I provide definitions for six important terms - vpragmatic word order, topicaliz

22、ation, left-dislocation, inversion, clefts and thematic meaning to pave the way for further studies. Chapter Two is concerned with critical reviews of previous studies on word order both at home and abroad. Inadequacies of these studies are shown to give justification for the present study. The core

23、 of this thesis is presented in chapter three, four, five and six. Detailed contrastive analyses of topicalization, left-dislocation, inversion and clefts both in English and Chinese are carried in these four chapters. Based on their similarities and differences, case studies follow, offering and di

24、scussing different possibilities to translate a number of naturally occurring instances of these sentence constructions into Chinese or vice versa. Chapter Seven serves as conclusion, in which I summarize what I have studied in the above-mentioned chapters. Then reiterate the significance of the pre

25、sent study and reveal the limitations and weaknesses of the thesisIn conclusion, the contrastive analysis of the pragmatic word order is of important theoretical significance and applied value. It reveals the commonalities as well as individualities of pragmatic word order between two languages. Sur

26、ely, it will be helpful to grammar studies and the mutual translation Key words: pragmatic word order; topicalization, left-dislocation; inversion; clefts, thematic meaning; contrast; translation vi Contents Acknowledgementsi 中文摘要.ii Abstractiv Chapter 1 Introduction1 1.1 Introduction 1 1.2 Definiti

27、on of terms. 3 1.2.1 Pragmatic word order3 1.2.2 Thematic meaning.3 1.2.3 Topicalization4 1.2.4 Left-dislocation.4 1.2.5 Inversion4 1.2.6 Clefts5 1.3 Clarification of some confusing relations.5 1.3.1 Semantic word order, Syntactic word order and Pragmatic word order5 1.3.2 Non-canonical word order a

28、nd Pragmatic word order.6 1.4 Methodology.7 1.5 Aims of the present studies7 Chapter 2 Literature review .9 2.1 Word order studies in the West .9 2.2 Word order studies in China.12 2.3 Word order studies in contrast and its applications in translation14 2.4 Summary.16 Chapter 3 Contrastive analyses

29、of topicalization and translation.17 3.1 Thematic meaning and translation .17 3.2 Thematic meanings of topicalization 19 3.3 Topicalization in English.21 3.3.1 NP topicalization.21 3.3.2 PP topicalization.22 3.3.3 AdjP topicalization.23 3.3.4 VP topicalization.24 3.4 Topicalization in Chinese24 3.4.

30、1 NP topicalization.26 vii3.4.2 PP topicalzation27 3.4.3 VP topicalzation27 3.4.4 Clause topicalization27 3.5 A contrastive analysis and realization of thematic meanings in mutual renderings 28 Chapter 4 Contrastive analyses of left-dislocation and translation33 4.1 Thematic meanings of left-disloca

31、tion.33 4.2 Left-dislocation in English33 4.3 Left-dislocation in Chinese35 4.4 A contrastive analysis and realization of thematic meanings in mutual renderings.37 Chapter 5 Contrastive analyses of inversion and translation.40 5.1 Thematic meanings of inversion.40 5.2 Inversion constructions in Engl

32、ish.40 5.3 Inversion constructions in Chinese.43 5.4 A contrastive analysis and realization of thematic meanings in mutual rendering. 44 Chapter 6 Contrastive analyses of clefts and translation49 6 .1 Thematic meanings of the cleft sentences49 6 .2 Cleft sentences in English50 6.3 Cleft sentences in

33、 Chinese51 6.4 A contrastive analysis and realization of thematic meanings in mutual renderings.52 Chapter 7 Conclusion55 Bibliography.59viiiA Contrastive Analysis of English-Chinese Pragmatic Word Order and TranslationChapter 1 Introduction1.1 Introduction “Word order is a fascinating, highly organ

34、ized, pulsating and segmented structure, by means of which natural language grasps and modifies the temporal linearity of verbal communication.”Koktova, 1999: 2 All the language units involve a linear ordering. Researches on word order can be carried at many different levels, such as the level of ph

35、onologies, morphemes, words, phrases, sentences, and even discourses. Surely, it is not possible for this short thesis to exhaust all these possibilities. Sentence is the key linguistic unit to realize communication. Thus I will mainly concentrate on studies of word order at the sentential level and

36、 then the term “word order” in this thesis exclusively refers to the linear ordering at the sentential levelThe word order of the sentence is the linear, transverse built-up sequence that linguistic constituents below the sentence level form on grammatical relations. Liu Louying, 2004 As a kind of i

37、mportant grammatical means, it plays a decisive role in both Chinese and English. Chinese is an analytical language, which is devoid of morphology and form changes, and mainly depends on word order and functional words to express definite grammatical meanings. Therefore, researches on word order occ

38、upy an essential position in Chinese grammatical studies. Since the publication of thMa Shi Wen Tong by Ma Jianzhong towards the end of the 19 century, much progress has been made in the examination of the subject. English is such a language that changes from synthetical language to analytical one.

39、It also depends heavily on using word order to encode the assignment of grammatical roles. Consequently, considerable efforts have been devoted to the studies of the word order in the past 1years. Nearly all major grammatical models have spared one part to this subject in their framework. However, w

40、ord order is a rather complicated issue in all languages“It seems that in spite of the considerable efforts, word order is still full of puzzlements: only the tip of the iceberg has been described.”(Koktova, 1999: 5 Surely it sill needs further studyingIn 1980s some Chinese scholars advanced to anal

41、yze word order respectively through semantic perspective, syntactic perspective and pragmatic perspective. This new theoretical framework, which relates word order studies systematically with three major orientations - syntax, semantics and pragmatics - that characterize current linguistic theories,

42、 has broadened and deepened word order studies and propose a new orientation to the study of proper transference of word order in sentence translationInfluenced by this framework, the following two decades saw a boom of the studies on Chinese word order, and much progress has been achieved in the co

43、ntrast of syntactic word order between Chinese and English. The contrast of pragmatic word order, however, was somehow neglected. Therefore, this thesis, based on the Three-dimension theory and other linguistic theories worldwide, attempts to make a contrastive study of word order from pragmatic per

44、spective in both Chinese and English. This pragmatic approach, which introduces the situational context and subjective factors into the analysis of the word order, is quite different from traditional semantic and syntactic methods. Contrastive linguistics plays a significant role in translation stud

45、ies. It may provide explanations for translator of difficulties encountered in translation practice. Then a contrastive analysis on pragmatic word order between English and Chinese will surely present a new approach to the proper transference of meaning and structure in translation practice “There i

46、s a close kinship between pragmatics and syntax. In all languages, one principle function of language is to encode pragmatic information. What differs from language to language is the way in which pragmatic structure maps onto syntax.” Finegan, 1989: 199, cited in Schmid: 1That is to say, pragmatic

47、word order not only carries the propositional meanings of the sentence but also involves in assisting writers to communicate pragmatically 2important information, such as focus and emphasis and so on. Chinese and English are totally different languages. They may employ different devices for forming

48、pragmatic word order and allocating certain speaker-based meanings. In this thesis, I will explore differences and similarities of four typical constructions of pragmatic word order ? topicalization, left-dislocation, inversion and clefts ? to provide explanations for difficulties encountered in tra

49、nslation and examine how to preserve the thematic meanings carried by those constructions in mutual translation in hope of presenting some valuable hints and suggestions for translator about how to deal with these difficulties in the process of translationA detailed account of the contrastive analys

50、es and their implications on translation will be carried out in the following chapters. Before we move on to this, Id like to define some important terms , clarify some confusing relations and make clear of my methodologies as well as aims to pave the way for further studies and help the readers have a better understanding of my thesis 1.2Definit