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Approaches to C-E Translation Based on Topic and Subject

Author: JiangYongJian
Tutor: XuLiNa
School: Qingdao University
Course: Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Keywords: subject-predicate sentence topic-comment sentence structural shift
CLC: H315.9
Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2011
Downloads: 70
Quote: 0
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Abstract

English has long been defined as a typical subject-prominent language. Subject and predicate play predominant roles in the construction of English sentences. They comprise the backbone of a sentence with other elements being attached to them. The grammatical system of subject-predicate structure is comprehensive, relatively closed and rigorous in the enforcement of grammatical rules. The policy that predicate must be in agreement with subject should never be overlooked. At the semantic level, the requirement for predicate to be semantically relevant to subject should always be met. Word class and the part a word plays in a sentence (i.e. part of speech) are interrelated. In general, an English sentence is headed by subject and predicate with both grammar and meaning as underlying norms.Contrary to English, Chinese has been labeled as a topic-prominent language. Topic remains to be the nucleus of a sentence and usually occupies the initial position in a sentence. The topic is mainly concerned with provision of a particular domain or framework within the boundary of which new information is added to the topic. With semantic relevance between topic and comment at its core, the grammatical system of topic-comment structure is not so complex as that of subject-predicate. No topic-comment agreement has been imposed and the only rule that should be observed is semantic relevance between the two. On the whole, topic assumes considerable weight in the organization of Chinese sentences and the only criterion to justify meaningful existence of a Chinese sentence is semantic relevance between topic and comment.Along with differences in sentence structure comes the necessity of structural adaptation during Chinese-English translation. This also poses great difficulty to translators. Drawing on some related theoretical studies on subject and topic, some elementary discussions with regard to structural adaptation during Chinese-English translation are laid out in the thesis. The significance of the present study lies on two levels: 1. Specific translation techniques are proffered on the basis of the classification of the topic-comment structure advanced by Shen Xiaolong. In general, when variation of sentence patterns is involved, the fist step is to ascertain the subject of an English sentence. And the second step involves identification of predicate of an English sentence. If a Chinese sentence contains more than one verb, the predicate intended in the English counterpart usually derives from verbs in the Chinese sentence as the situation dictates. Last but not least, as grammatical rules in terms of formal agreement are not rigidly followed in construction of Chinese sentences, some adjustments have to be made to their English counterparts in accordance with the English grammar.2. The translation techniques proposed in the thesis have some referential meaning to translation teaching.

Approaches to C-E Translation Based on Topic and Subject

Abstract

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