辽宁大学外国语学院毕业论文设计样本(英文版).pdf

学号 xxxxxxxxxxxx 毕毕 业业 论论 文文 题 目 Pragmatic Analysis on Euphemism and Its Implicature for Translation 院 系 外国语学院 专 业 英语 语言文学方向 姓 名 指导教师 完成日期 2008 年 4 月 9 日 页面设置 A4 上 下边距 2 54 厘米 左边距 3 5 厘米 右边距 2 5 厘米 装订线 0 5 厘米 装订线位置 左 华文中宋 初号 Times New Roman 四号 Times New Roman 三号 中 文标题的字体为宋体 根据论 文行文语言来决定用英文标 题还是中文标题 Times New Roman 三号 如果论文题目只需要一行的空 间 请选定该行 按 CTRL 键和 数字键 0 居 中 Abstract In the communicating chain between the author translator and reader the translator acts as an intermediary or as the receiver and speaker writer simultaneously in the communication triangle in terms of pragmatism Based on the principles of pragmatism this thesis aims to discuss the pragmatic elements of euphemism by studying the formation writer speaker and receipt receiver It explores first the reasons why the speaker or writer uses euphemism and the principles they might observe when using it then the thesis continues to discuss the pragmatic inference of euphemisms with its emphasis on how the translator understands euphemism At the end of the thesis considerations and possible suggestions for translating euphemisms are given out for readers reference Key words euphemism pragmatic principles I Times New Roman 三号 粗 体 居中 上下不空行 Times New Roman 小四号 1 倍行距 Times New Roman 四号加 粗 Key words 要分开写 并且 words 不大写 Times New Roman 小四号 第一个字母不要大写 关键 词之间用分号 隔开 放在页面末端 摘要页码为大写 I II 五号 居中 Times New Roman 摘 要 在原作者 译者 读者的关系链中 译者处于一个中介人的位置 从语用 学角度分析 其实也就是同时处于交际三角中的 受众 与 写作者 演讲者 的两角 本文拟用语学中的基本原理 从委婉语这一修辞格的形成 写作者 演讲者 和接受 受众 这两极出发 探讨与委婉语相关的语用因素 即写作 者 演讲者使用委婉语的目的和原则以委婉语受众如何理解委婉语的深层含义 着重探讨译者在翻译过程中如何理解并翻译委婉语 关键词 委婉语 语用学理据 II 黑体 小四 号 黑体 三号 居 中 上下不空行 字间空两格 1 5 倍行距 注意页码格式 与字号 宋 小四号 1 5 倍行距 宋体 小四号 关键词之间 用分号 隔开 CONTENTS Introduction 1 Chapter One The Purpose and Principles of Using Euphemisms 2 I The purpose of using euphemism 2 1 Ineffable purpose 2 2 Urbanization purpose 3 3 Palliative purpose 3 II The principle for using euphemisms 4 1 Cooperative principle 4 2 Politeness principle 5 3 Self defending principle 6 Chapter Two Pragmatic Analysis on the Receiver of Euphemisms 7 I Pragmatic inference 7 II One of the major factors affecting pragmatic inference 8 Chapter Three Factors for Consideration in Translating Euphemisms 10 I Stylistic factor 10 II Rhetoric factor 10 III Contextual factor 11 Conclusion 13 Bibliography 14 Acknowledgements 15 i Times New Roman 三号 居中 粗体 大写 上不空行 下空一行 以三号 1 5 倍行距空行 四号 Times New Roman 加粗 1 5 倍行距 Times New Roman 小四号 Times New Roman Times New Roman 大写字母 I Times New Roman Times New Roman 两个大写字母 I Times New Roman Times New Roman 三个大写字母 I 小标题的写法要与论文所 写 一 致 可 以 写 成 小标题的写法要与论文所 写 一 致 可 以 写 成 Ineffable Purpose 即每一 个实词的第一个字母都大 写 但目录与论文内容必 须保持统一 即每一 个实词的第一个字母都大 写 但目录与论文内容必 须保持统一 目录中标题如果一行 打不下来 以意群为单 位拆行 页码加在后一 行的后面 目录中标题如果一行 打不下来 以意群为单 位拆行 页码加在后一 行的后面 目录页码格式 五号 Times New Roman 注意 Chapter One 与其 后面的内容只空一格 英文句号 下同 Introduction As a popular figurative speech euphemisms are widely used in both Chinese and English literal works newspapers and magazines so are in our daily life 何善 芬 2002 In Chinese English or English Chinese translation the proper rendering of euphemisms is an important factor However traditional study of rhetoric has long been limited to the model of definition examples analysis and hardly have many breakthroughs been seen 宗延虎 2002 But in fact rhetoric is a boundary discipline with close relations with semantics pragmatics logics sociology etc Therefore it can be analyzed in different corresponding aspects In essence figures of speech fall into the category of the dynamic and two way communicating activity e g a pragmatic activity Based on the principles of pragmatism this paper aims to discuss the pragmatic elements of euphemism by studying the formation writer speaker and receipt receiver It emphasizes how the translator understands and translates euphemism during the translation process 1 Times New Roman 三号 三号 1 5 倍行距 加粗 居中 上不空 行 下空一行 必须是三号 倍行距 加粗 居中 上不空 行 下空一行 必须是三号 1 5 倍空一行 倍空一行 Times New Roman 小四号 小四号 1 5 倍行距倍行距 正文页码格式 五号 Times New Roman Chapter One The Purpose and Principles of Using Euphemisms According to Oxford Advanced Learner s Englis Chinese Dictionary Webster s New Collegiate Dictionary euphemism is a kind of figurative speech which employs the use of others less exact but milder or less blunt words or phrases in place of words required by truth or accuracy and the substitution of an agreeable or inoffensive expression for one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant In the light of pragmatism euphemism is in fact indirect speech e g the speaker is indirect in expressing his her view The following is the author s analysis on the purpose and principle of this indirect speech I The purpose of using euphemisms According to Li Guonan 李国南 2001 rhetoric is generally an instrument in speaking or writing however as a figurative speech euphemism is more a purpose than an instrument In using euphemism we tend to lay more emphasis on its purpose or its expressive effect In communication the purposes of using euphemisms usually include the following three 1 Ineffable purpose Euphemisms have a large bearing on taboos in language Language taboos stem from people s erroneous understanding of the relations between language and objective world In reality people tend to use euphemistic expressions to replace those things that would arouse fear or panic in mind For example people always abstain themselves from direct mention of such words as die old sick therefore euphemism is quite abundant in this aspect of natural phenomenon The author reviewed the English rendering of the work A Dream of Red Mansions and here are a few examples of the euphemistic expression of die in Chinese and their rendering in English Times New Roman 三号 三号 1 5 倍行距 加粗 居中 上不空 行 下空一行 必须是三号 倍行距 加粗 居中 上不空 行 下空一行 必须是三号 1 5 倍空一行 倍空一行 Times New Roman 小四号 小四号 1 5 倍行距 加粗 居中 上空 一行 下不空行 必须是小四 号 倍行距 加粗 居中 上空 一行 下不空行 必须是小四 号 1 5 倍空一行 倍空一行 Times New Roman 小四号 小四号 1 5 倍行距 加粗 居中 上空 一行 下不空行 必须是小四 号 倍行距 加粗 居中 上空 一行 下不空行 必须是小四 号 1 5 倍空一行 倍空一行 每一章的标题中的实词的第 一个字母都要大写 整个标 题的第一个单词不论是实词 还是虚词其第一个字母都要 大写 段落前空四个字符 即 缩进一个默认的 TAB 键 英文句号 2 王夫人向贾母说 这个征候 遇着这样节气 不添病 就有指望了 贾母说 可是呢 好个孩子 要有个长短 岂不叫人疼死 红楼梦 126 It s a hopeful sign Lady Wang told the Lady Dowager if an illness grows no worse at a season like this Yes of course replied the old lady If anything were to happen to the dear child I m sure it would break my heart Yang Hsien Yi 162 2 Urbanization purpose The second purpose of using euphemisms is to avoid vulgarity in speech and communication The speaker or writer tends to blur certain words in meaning by means of semantic widening and inflating and magnifying so as to make them sound general and common so that people s dislike and repulsion is lessened 范家材 1992 In addition through the employment of euphemism the speaker or writer can create mental alienation between the signified and the signifier in an attempt to conceal or attenuate the straightness or vulgarity of certain taboos such as taboos related to sex and body excretion The followings are all common cases of euphemisms in this regard Defecation 如厕 to be caught short 本义 给了个冷不妨 the call of nature 本义 自然的需要 Can I add some powder 本义 我可以茶点粉吗 to ease oneself 本义 自我轻 松一下 3 Palliative purpose Palliative purpose plays a large role in the formation of euphemisms in social problems and political life Due to its fuzziness and vagueness euphemisms are more often than not beguiling and deceptive therefore they have become the tools for politicians to cheat and fool the masses Since the 20th century especially since the two world wars many new euphemisms in politics economics diplomacy and military have come into being On May 8th 1995 United States bombed Chinese embassy in Yugoslavia killing several Chinese embassy staff however NATO 3 authority claimed that was an inaccurate military information and Bill Clinton also called that a tragic mistake in an attempt to cover up their wrong deeds to pacify indignant Chinese people 何善芬 2002 By the same token to pacify people s panic during economic crisis 经济危机 the publicity department of American government used the expressions of economic depression 经济萧条 economic recession 经济衰退 economic rolling readjustment 经济起伏的重新调整 economic slowdown 经济减速 economic slump 经济衰弱 successively II The principles for using euphemisms The use of euphemisms is in principle a kind of speech act According to Grice conversational participants should generally observe some conversational principles so as to ensure the success of conversation Therefore as a speech act the use of euphemism should also be subject to the restriction of some principles in conversation In this paper the author mainly explore the cooperative principle Grice 1967 politeness principle Brown Levinson 1978 1987 and self defending principle 束定芳 1989 1 Cooperative principle American linguist P Grice put forward the cooperative principle CP in conversational communication in 1967 According to his theory participants of communication should cooperate with each other for the same communication goal He believed that participants would generally observe the maxim of cooperation but sometimes would also intentionally break certain principles The reasons for the intentional violation of these principles is that the speaker or the writer expects the readers or listeners to see through surface meaning for the hidden and true meaning or the non natural meaning In this angle euphemisms seem to be in violation of the principle of truthfulness and clearness for communication However this seemingly violation doesn t affect communication for the deep seated meaning of euphemisms is correct and clear and is left for the receiver to explore Therefore participants of the communication reach agreement and cooperation in a deeper level 4 凤姐儿低了半日头 说道 这个就没法了 你也该将一应的后事给他料理料理 冲一冲也好 尤氏道 我也暗暗的叫人预备了 就是那件东西不得好木头 且 慢慢的办着呢 红楼梦 127 His feng lowered her head for a while There seems to be little hope she said at last If I were you I d make ready the things for the funeral That may break the bad luck I ve had them secretly prepared But I can t get any good wood for you know what so I ve let that go for the time being Yang Hsien Yi 163 In this piece of conversation 冲一冲也好 That may break the bad luck 那 件东西 for you know what seem to have break Grice s maxim of quantity for the speaker seems to have failed to provide enough clear information However based on the context and knowledge the listener can easily understand why the speaker did not say them in a more direct way and can equally easily understand the real meanings Both of these two euphemistic utterances have deeper implications rather than face meanings but participants of the conversation find no difficulties in understanding the deeper meaning because they reach agreement in a deeper level of communication 2 Politeness principle As is mentioned above participants of conversation should observe the maxim of cooperative behavior then why they sometimes intentionally break this principle In answering this question Brown and Levinson advanced the politeness principle PP in 1978 and 1987 According to this principle the inflexion and indirectness of speech stem from the need of accommodating politeness in conversation Euphemisms are equivalents of those blunt expressions and taboos euphemisms are used to avoid embarrassment or vulgarity in order to save the speaker s face or protect the face of the other participants of conversation 何自然 1997 Therefore euphemistic expression is one of the effective ways to show politeness of speech because the fundamental feature of euphemism is to substitute those impolite and 5 unpleasant expressions with polite and pleasant ones 3 Self defending principle Shu Dingfang put forward the self defending principle in 1989 which is in mutual restriction and complementarity with the cooperative principle and politeness principle When the self defending principle is in contradiction with the polite principle the later will be subordinate to the former He believed that one of the motivations of using euphemisms is to defend oneself 束定芳 1989 By using euphemisms one can establish a positive image in communication and protect and elevate his status in the minds of other conversational participants In addition he can also effectively keep the other side of the communication from speaking rudely by the employment of euphemism 6 Chapter Two Pragmatic Analysis on the Receiver of Euphemism As is discussed above the use of euphemism is one type of indirect speech Levinson 2001 263 It is more inferential in its non natural meaning rather than its natural meaning Then the understanding of the implicature of euphemisms is largely dependent on the reasonable inference and reasoning by the receiver Pragmatic inference is the inferring activity by the receiver of the speech in search of the non natural meaning of a certain speech act This kind of inference may include inferring the purposes of using euphemisms as already discussed above because inferring why the speaker or writer uses euphemisms in a certain occasion or context helps facilitate the receiver s understanding of the real implicature of such an euphemism In translating euphemisms the translator faces the task of transferring into reality the possibility of the best communicating effect of the speaker or writer So the key to the pragmatic inference lies in how to find out the real implicature of this kind of indirect speech I Pragmatic inference The use of euphemism is in essence the substitution of words and expressions in a paradigmatic relation which is usually achieved through the employment of thesaurus This kind of substitution is in fact semantic equivalent widening inflating and blurring The understanding of euphemism is the process whereby all kinds of indirect instruments of speech are broken and the signified identified According to Xu Lina 徐莉娜 2002 the implicature of some euphemisms are established by usage while some others are not or conventional and non conventional Levinson 2001 126 Therefore euphemisms can be divided into two categories one is conventional euphemism whose implicature is established the other is non conventional euphemism whose implicature is not established and largely dependent on context For the former type its style of writing and pragmatic 每章开头另起一页 引用作者格式 姓名 年代 页码 姓名 年代 页码 如果没有 页码 可以写成 姓名 年代 姓名 年代 7 functions are already established by usage and only the signifying function is left Since the implicature is comparatively stable the receptor can usually identify the signified and corresponding pragmatic meaning easily For example we always use in the family way wear the apron lower and so on to describe the woman who is pregnant In contrast the implicature of the non conventional euphemism is usually subject to the context It is casual unstable Therefore without proper background knowledge and contextual awareness one may find it difficult to understand or find out its implicature The following is an example in this respect Nicholas Negroponte director of MIT s Media Lab a leading think tank in this new world remembers that back in the 1970s a government agency gave him a grant on the condition that he remove the word multimedia from his proposal They were afraid that we would get one of Promire s Golden Fleece awards he says Advanced English 他们认为多媒体的提法愚蠢之至 担心我们会因此被授予普罗斯麦的金羊毛奖 For this example readers with relevant knowledge can easily identify certain relation between the winner of the prize and the prize of Promire s Golden Fleece awards the plan of the multimedia notion was considered either foolish or too costly However for those with such knowledge they would find themselves at a loss about the implicature of this euphemistic phrase Though the translator retain the form of Golden Fleece awards in his Chinese rendering of 金羊毛奖 the implicature of this euphemism is not reflected by its Chinese rendering but rather it has to be obtained by readers proper inference through the context II One of the major factors affecting pragmatic inference In exploring the implicature of euphemisms translators may find there are many factors affecting their inference process These factors may include general intelligence rhetoric and contextual knowledge cross cultural awareness past experiences etc here the author puts his emphasis mainly on translators 对于需要在文中单 独列出的例子 可以 以五号字 汉字宋 体 英文 Times New Roman 与正文上下 各空一行 并缩进两 个 TAB 键 8 cross cultural awareness and hopes to enhance their cross cultural knowledge by discussing the differences between Chinese and English euphemism Based on common emotions and habits many same or similar euphemisms exist in both English and Chinese languages they are equivalents to each other however also in existence are some others which are unique in one language and lack their equivalents in the other Translators should pay more attention to the later type by enhancing their cross cultural awareness Here the author intends to stress the euphemistic differences between Chinese and English languages and cultures The differences are mainly manifested in the following two aspects In the first instance both English and Chinese society may share the same situation but the English speakers may use euphemistic expressions while the Chinese speakers may simply call a spade a spade or vice verse A case in point is the appellations and titles Due to historical and cultural factors Chinese people attach great importance to the appellations and titles of others it is usually regarded improper and offensive to call people elder or higher in social status than oneself directly by their names however in a society which emphasizes much on democracy and equality it is no surprising to find kids calling their parents or even grandparents straight by names In the second instance there also exist some euphemistic expressions seemingly similar in form in both Chinese and English however in fact the implicatures of these euphemisms may be poles apart in two cultures For example go west is a euphemistic