英汉思维差异对比与语言表达方式的差异

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  语言表达方式与英汉思维是有一定的差异。以下是小编分享给大家的关于写英汉思维差异对比与语言表达方式的差异,一起来看看吧!

  一 抽象思维与形象思维

  英语重视抽象思维,擅长使用抽象概念表达具体事物。语言上英语常常使用大量涵义模糊、指称笼统的抽象名词来表达复杂的理性概念,给人一种“虚、暗、曲、隐”的感觉。这对习惯于形象思维的中国人来说,既有理解上的困难,又有表达上的困难。因此,翻译时,要抓住本质的东西,大胆地采用符合汉语表达习惯的归化方法。

  汉语重视形象思维,擅长使用形象的方法表达抽象概念。语言上汉语更倾向于用具体形象的词语来表达虚的概念。

  he wondered whether his outspokenness(n. 坦白,直言相告) might be a liability(n.债务) to his friend.

  他怀疑他的直言对他的朋友来说是否会是一种债务。

  他怀疑他那么心直口快,是否会让他的朋友背上思想包袱。

  英语的这种独立语结的模糊性和汉语的正好相反

  his outspokenness=he was outspoken(语义结构)

  a liability to his friend=his friend had a liability(in his mind)(语义结构)

  he sought the distraction of distance.

  distraction是个名词(名词化,distract派生来的),但在该句中仍保留动词的语义(vt. 分散……的注意力),其语义特征要求这个词必须要有它的动元,其语义结构应该是he distracted sb.,即发出该动作的施事(句法上的主语)和受事(句法上的宾语。)

  distance 也是个名词(名词化,distant派生来的),其语义结构应该是he was distant from sb.

  这样我们就得出这句话含有两个动核结构。即:

  1 he could distract others. 别人注意不到他

  2 he was distant from others. 他远离别人

  按照自然的逻辑将两个事件合并在一起,就是“他远离别人后,别人就注意不到他”。

  这句话还有一个主要的核心动词sought(寻求),在句中连接后面在英语中被看做概念化的事件名词(the distraction of distance),构成句法上的“主谓宾”结构,而the distraction of distance又分别表达两个不同的因果关系很强的事件,sought在句中将he和the distraction of distance在语义上连接起来,说明了the distraction of distance是he sought的客体。因此,使用具体词语表达的话,该句应翻译成:

  他想远走高飞,免得心烦。(同时要注意语用的功能)。

  the main land mass of the united states lies in the central north america, with canada to the north, mexico to the south, the atlantic ocean to the east and the pacific ocean to the west.

  二 直观思维与曲线思维

  英语重视直观思维,语言上习惯把主要的信息放在句首,然后再把其他信息添加上去,即先是主语和谓语,然后借助于连词、介词、副词等安排状语、补语和从句等,就是说,把主要的信息放在句首(主谓),次要的信息则递相叠加。因此,英语句式结构多为重心在前,头小尾大。

  汉语习惯于从侧面说明、阐述外围的环境,最后说出话语的主要信息(主题和述题)。因此,汉语句式结构多为句尾重心(语义焦点),头大尾小。

  对比下列句子:

  it was a keen disappointment when i had to postpone the visit which i intended to pay to china in january.

  我原本打算在今年1月访问中国,后来不得不推迟,这使我非常失望。

  (i had to postpone the visit which i intended to pay to china in january)

  英汉语语序(英汉时序原则不同):“我原本打算在今年1月访问中国”在先,“不得不推迟”在后)

  上星期五,我们在那家新餐馆尽情地吃了一顿。

  we ate to our heart's content at the new restaurant last friday.

  英汉语语序(英汉多项状语共现的常规语序/和变异语序需要对比学习):

  英语是“v+方式+地点+时间”( to our heart's content +at the new restaurant +last friday),汉语是“v+时间+地点+方式”。 (上星期五+在那家新餐馆+尽情地)

  it is a truth universally acknowledged(公认v.)that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.(同时注意语态的转换)

  i was all the more delighted when, as a result of the initiative(主动权n. a.) of your government it proved possible to reinstate(恢复) the visit so quickly.

  his case is really serious as he is suffering from high fever and continuous convulsion(震动,痉挛)。

  the people of a small country can certainly defeat aggression by a big country, if only they dare to rise in struggle, dare to take up arms and grasp in their hands the destiny(命运n.)of their country.

  the meeting was held in classroom 203 at about 7 o'clock yesterday evening.

  三 主体和客体的轻重思维

  英语看事物的角度总是把客观事物放在第一位,因此英语中多用无生命名词充当主语(无人称主语句),被动形式使用也很多。(很多名词化的使用都是受主客体思维的影响)

  his passion carried him astray.

  他因感情冲动而误入歧途。

  汉语常常认为人和自然是一个有机的整体,主张主客一体,因此常以有生命的名词充当主语,句子的语态不是很明显,被动语态使用就不是很多。

  他突然想起了一个主意。

  an idea suddenly occurred to him.

  the program was designed by ourselves.(被动)

  这个程序是我们自己设计的。(主动)

  when the whale is killed, the blubber(鲸脂) is stripped off and boiled down, either on board ship or on shore.

  鲸鱼杀死之后,把鲸脂剥下来熬油,这项工作有的在船上进行,有的是在岸上进行的。

  great sums of money have been spent, for example in the deserts of egypt, in “prospecting” for oil.

  在石油勘探方面,已经花了大笔的钱,比如在埃及的沙漠里进行的勘探工作就是如此。

  new sources of energy must be found, and this will take time, but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time.(四十个词,长句)

  语义结构分析/事件理论(兼谈长句的翻译):

  六个事件:

  1 new sources of energy must be found(必须找到)

  2 this will take time(需要时间)

  3 it is not likely to…(不可能发生……)

  4 … to result in any situation(导致/出现……)

  5 …that will ever restore…(恢复/再来/重新/再出现……)

  6 …that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time(我们在过去拥有的对廉价而充足的能源的感觉)

  语义的层级分析:

  本句话是两个层级

  第一个层级是:, and this will take time, but it is not likely(找到能源、需要时间和句中其余部分(but…),并列);

  第二个层级是:new sources of energy must be found, and this will take time(找到能源、需要时间,并列递进关系);

  第二个层级是:but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time.

  第三个层级是:to result in any situation

  第四个层级是:that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy …

  第五个层级是:we have had (sense of ……) in the past time

  汉语是以大统小,先后主次分明,英语是先小后大,主要限于次要。据此,我们可以按照这些规律排列。

  that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time=

  we have had that sense of cheap and plentiful energy in the past time=

  we sensed the cheap and plentiful energy in the past time=

  we sensed the energy was cheap and plentiful in the past time

  我们过去感觉能源廉价而便宜

  that will ever restore that sense of…

  恢复(再找到)这种感觉

  to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense

  出现/恢复(再找到)这种感觉的情况

  but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of

  出现/恢复(再找到)这种感觉的情况是不可能的了

  根据汉语联系词中置原则,我们可以重新组合以上事件:

  我们过去感觉能源廉价而充足

  (汉语主谓或动宾结构的加合关系原则,该句可以改为(从小到大)

  1“能源廉价而充足=廉价而充足的能源”;

  2“我们过去感觉到的廉价而充足的能源”;

  3“我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势”;

  4“再找到我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势”;

  5“导致/出现再找到我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势”;

  6“导致/出现再找到我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势是不可能的了”;

  依据加合原则可以把上句转换为:

  “再找到我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势的出现是不可能的了”;

  依据语用句尾焦点后置原则可以把上句改为:

  “再找到我们过去感觉的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势是不可能出现了”;

  依据副词表义原则可以把上句改为:

  “我们过去感觉到的廉价而充足的能源的情况/形势是不可能出现了”;

  (感觉到了,即找到感觉了,“到”义为“已经、完成”)

  通过以上分析,我们可以将该句翻译成:

  必须找到新能源,这需要时间;而过去我们感觉到的那种能源廉价而又充足的情况将不再太可能出现了。(“再”加强语气)

  (new sources of energy must be found, and this will take time, but it is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time.)

  a wave of cigar smoke accompanied him in.

  bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh.

  this is unexpected kind of remark that makes me like the colonel; there is a touch of rough poetry about him.

  四 形式逻辑和辩证逻辑

  英语重视形式逻辑,句子结构错综复杂,一环套一环,即运用各种有形的手段将句法成分连接成一个逻辑形式非常严密的整体,就是平常说的英语是“形合”(法制)的语言。

  汉语重视辩证思维,语言形式受意念引导,逻辑常常在字里行间,句子与句子的联系没有英语那种形式上的完美,即汉语句子结构往往很松散,就是平常说的汉语是“意合”的语言。

  善欲人见,不是真善;恶恐人知,便是大恶。

  a good deed is no good deed if it is done for show; an evil deed is all the worse if it is covered up.

  the isolation of the rural world, because of distance and lack of transport facilities, is compounded(混合,组成) by the paucity of the information media.

  四个事件:与外界隔绝、距离远、缺乏交通工具、缺乏信息媒体。

  英语全句一个动词,九个名词,五个介词连接。

  每个事件的语义结构分析:

  distance =it is distant from cities

  lack of transport facilities=it does not have transport facilities

  the paucity of the information media= it does not have the information media

  the isolation of the rural world=it is isolated from the outside world

  动核合并原则:因果关系

  因为(非独立语结中动核的配元和状元还原):

  distance =it is distant from cities

  lack of transport facilities=it does not have transport facilities

  the paucity of the information media= it does not have the information media

  而:

  the isolation of the rural world=it is isolated from the outside world

  因此翻译为:

  现在的农村因为偏僻、没有便利的交通工具以及缺乏传播媒体而变得与世隔绝。

  语体越高,其语言的复杂度就越高,复杂度越高,其句法对语义的临摹度就越低,临摹度越低,其理解的难度就越大,理解的难度越大,其要求读者的语言水平就越高。语言水平高是第一位的,但同时要求人的知识结构,如专业知识,也要和文章的内容处在相同的层次上,否则哪怕理解语言的能力再强,也不能完全理解超出自己知识范围以外的文字。就像俗话说的,“隔行如隔山”含义,以及科普文章或教材里的语言都很浅显易懂,就是这个道理。

  语体高的文章,因为临摹度低的原因,其隐含的语义角色一般来说相对就多,这可能是人在表达时的语义重心的选择不同,所选择的表达形式就与原始的语义结构相差甚远,哪怕是简单句也是如此。一个简单句很多时候并不只是表达一个单一的事件,有时候会表达好几个事件。就是说,表达复杂的语义关系时所使用的句子形式越简单,其理解难度接越大。有时候,句子的形式简单到一个词。这可能就是我们平常所说的,句子有时候越简单就越难翻译的原因之一吧。

  当一个人的母语的语言机制十分成熟的话,一般来说,其简单句的使用就会越来越少,他往往更倾向于选择复杂的句子形式。

  一个隐含了许多语义成分的结构在句法的作用下在句中充当特定的句法成分,并可以在符合句法要求的情况下进行转换。这种转换在英汉语言中的方法和形式都存在很大的差异。某些形式在英语里是可以接受的,如果直译成汉语,可能汉语读者就不知道其真正的语义(因为语义身份之间的语义关系的表义形式没有像以英语为母语的人那样一看就明白),反之亦然。就是说,每种语言都有直接的特定的思维习惯以及与其相适应的表达方式,我们要在学习中不断地寻找双方的语言表达规律。找到了规律对于我们中国学生,尤其是大学生(专业的和非专业的)来说,他们的英语水平就会在短时间内得到很大的提高,他们的翻译水平也就不言而喻了。

  i spent most of the day in a mental fog, wandering aimlessly through crowds of laughing, happy people.

  in a mental fog=i was in a mental fog

  i spent most of the day和i was in a mental fog以及wandering aimlessly through crowds…

  如何安排这三个事件?

  london is a city invaded by tourists.

  a city invaded by tourists=tourists invade the city

  his arrival delighted me.

  his arrival=he arrived(一个事件)

  可以转换为:he arrived, which delighted me.

  his snorting response was interrupted by the arrival of a much older man wearing a warm christmas smile.

  his snorting response=he was snorting when he made a response

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