从历史文化视角分析《家》英译本中的词汇空缺现象毕业论文.doc

学 号：NORTH CHINA UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY毕业论文GRADUATE THESIS 论文题目：从历史文化视角分析家英译本中的词汇空缺现象 学生姓名： 专业班级：11英语2班学 院：外国语学院指导教师： 2015年04月10日CONTENTS A Study on the Lexical Gaps in the English Version of The Family from the Prospective of History and CultureByA graduate thesissubmitted in partial fulfillment of the requirementsfor the degree of Bachelor of Arts to theCollege of Foreign LanguagesNorth China University of Science and TechnologyApril 10th, 2015摘 要随着改革开放的进一步深化,中国加入世贸组织的成功以及全球化的背景下，中西方之间经济政治文化交流频繁，尤其是在文化方面，中国传统文化的精髓被越来越多的国外人士所追求和学习。而语言是文化的载体，同时又是文化不可分割的一部分。语言能反映并传递文化信息，不同的语言反映出不同的文化内涵。中文和英文在许多方面存在着不同，比如：宗教，历史，地理，习俗和价值观等。因此，两种语言的变换翻译变得尤其重要。家作为中国现代文学史上一部具有代表性的作品，具有极高的文学价值，备受国内外学者关注。其英译质量的重要性显而易见。 然而，由于中西方文化的差异，把具有中国文化特色的文学作品翻译出原汁原味是很困难的。其中，面临的一大困难就是词汇空缺现象。词汇空缺是不同的英汉民族文化导致的词汇系统不同的结果。目前已经有很多学者在这个领域进行了研究，他们从不同的视角谈论了词汇空缺现象，比如定义，产生的原因及解决方法，他们都做出了很大的贡献。然而，这些研究还是不够完善和系统的，国外侧重的词汇空缺研究方面缺乏中文的对比，而国内侧重翻译方面。历史文化视角是翻译中一个重要的因素，其中涉及到源语言的理解以及对目的语翻译的地道程度。因此，从历史文化视角出发，以具体某一作品作为研究对象分析其中的词汇空缺是很必要的。本文将具体从历史文化视角分析巴金家这一文学著作英译本中的词汇空缺现象，详细了解其背后的历史现实和文化内涵，从而为更多文学作品的英译提供一个较好的经验，将中国博大精深的传统文化展现的更加完整精致。 关键词 家；历史文化；词汇空缺；英译本ABSTRACTWith the further deepening of reform and opening up, the cultural communication between the West and China becomes more and more frequent. As a result, more foreigners are interested in the Chinese culture, especially the traditional literature. Language is the carrier and an indispensable component of given culture.Language can reflect and transmit cultural information,and different languages mirror different cultural traits.Chinese culture differs from western culture in many aspects such as religion,geography,history,custom,values and so on. As The Family is a representative masterpiece of the Chinese literature, the quality of English translation becomes important.However, lexical gap, as a necessary phenomenon in the literary translation, is difficult to overcome.Lexical gap is the result of different culture and different vocabulary system.In current,many scholars have been made so many researches from the phenomenons definition,reason and the solutions.The foreign scholars pay attention to the study but ignore the Chinese research while the domestic scholars lay emphasis on the translation.The view of history and culture is an important factor in translation,which refers to the understanding to the source language and revivification to the target language. So it is necessary to analyze the lexical gaps in the English version of The Family from the prospective of history and culture.This thesis will elaborately analyze the lexical gaps in The Family from the view of history and culture and deeply understand its history background and cultural connotation,which will provide a good example to other literature translation and further show the extensive and profound of Chinese culture.Keywords The Family;history and culture;lexical gaps;English versionContents 摘 要IABSTRACTIIChapter 1 Introduction11.2Research Objective and Significance11.3 Research Methodologies11.4 Structure of the Thesis2Chapter 2 Literature Review32.1 Views on Lexical Gaps Abroad32.2 Views on Lexical Gaps in Translation Studies at Home32.2.1 Research on Lexical Gaps in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign32.2.2 Research on Lexical Gaps in Cross-Cultural Communication42.2.3 Research on Lexical Gaps in Translation Studies62.2.4 Summary7Chapter 3 Lexical Gaps93.1 The definition of lexical gaps93.2 The Main Reasons of Lexical Gaps Happening93.2.1 Differences of Peoples Working and Living Environment93.2.2 Differences of Customs103.2.3 Differences of Religion Beliefs103.2.4 Differences of Aesthetic Values and Social Psychology103.3 Solutions to the Problems Caused by Lexical Gaps11Chapter 4 The Lexical Gaps in The Family134.1 The Family134.2 Lexical Gaps in The Family13Chapter 5 The Lexical Gaps in the View of History and Culture155.1 The View of History and Culture155.2 The Reasons of Lexical Gaps Happened in the Book155.3 The Solutions of the Problems16Chapter 6 Conclusion17BIBLIOGRAPHY19ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS20IIIChapter 2 Literature ReviewChapter 1 Introduction1.1BackgroundAs the communication between China and the west becomes more and more frequent,people pay more attention to the study the literature and culture each other,especially the foreigners are interested in the Chinese literature.However,it is not easy to translate one language to another totally.As the most active component of a language,word is the basic unit of language building,and social and cultural differences can be displayed in lexical systems.In both English and Chinese,the cultural connotation of word is very rich,and many words cannot find their equivalents in the other language due to cultural differences.So a lexical gap exists in the two languages.Lexical gap will inevitably result in misunderstanding.I will discuss the translation from the aspect of lexical gaps. The Family is a representative masterpiece of the Chinese Literature.Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the translation of The Family in the historic and cultural view.1.2Research Objective and Significance This thesis is intended to make a further study about the lexical gaps in the English version of The Family on the view of historic culture. Through this research, I will summarize the solutions to the lexical gaps happening at the translation and the translating methods in the historic view，which can promote Chinese cultures expanding and let foreigners know the beauty of Chinese literature better.1.3 Research MethodologiesThe major methodologies employed in this research are exemplification, comparison and analyzeA lot of samples should be chosen from the book and applied to the thesis research.1.4 Structure of the ThesisThis research consists five chapters. Chapter One is the introduction. It introduces the background of the research, research objective and significance, research methodologies and the structure of the whole thesis. Chapter Two is the literature review, mainly including some research about previous studies on lexical gaps and the view of history and culture. Chapter Three gives a general description of the lexical gaps. Chapter four analyses the lexical gaps in the English version of The Family.Chapter Five is the lexical gaps in the view of history and culture.Chapter six is the summary. This chapter summarize the whole content of the thesis.iChapter 2 Literature ReviewChapter 2 Literature Review2.1 Views on Lexical Gaps AbroadThe study on lexical gaps can be traced back to the 1950s in the foreign countries.The study regularly was divided into two aspects: one is the study on language, and the other is on culture. In 1954, American linguist Charks Hockett first proposed the concept of gap, when he compared the grammatical structures of two languages. In1957, Lado, another linguist, put forward the phrase lexical gap from the view of culture, as he compared the difference between English and Russian. In the 1970s,lexical gaps began to draw more scholars and linguists attention, such as the well-known linguists Hall L. S. Barhudarov (1975), Jurij Sorokin(1978)and Irina Markovina (1978). In the end of the 1980s, two Russian linguists as well as representatives of Lacuna Theory, Jurij Sorokin (1989) and Irina Markovina (1989),came up with the idea that it is a crucial step of comprehending the foreign language to remove the lexical gaps, and then, they created the Lacuna Theory. In fact, until now; it is these two linguists who proposed the Lacuna Theory that contributed to the most complete and systematic explanation and illumination of lexical gaps.2.2 Views on Lexical Gaps in Translation Studies at Home At home, in recent years, the theories about the lexical gap have been developingrapidly, and they focus mainly on translation and cross-cultural communication. As amatter of fact, some valuable research findings have been recognized by scholars and linguists, but they have not formed a complete and rational system own. 2.2.1 Research on Lexical Gaps in Teaching Chinese as a ForeignLanguage The phenomenon of lexical gap has drawn a lot of attention from scholars in thefield of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in recent years. In his book Chinese Iocabulaiy and Culture, Chang Shoujing(2000: I9) points out that the explanation of vocabularies in most of Chinese textbooks was limited on the surface, and as a result, these books could not satisfy the curiosity of internationalstudents and their desire to learn Chinese. His book classifies the Chinese vocabularies from the perspective of Chinese culture, and accounts for the characteristics of Chinese word-formation and their cultural connotations. It is noteworthy that Wang Lingling (2006: 7), a teacher of Dalian University ofForeign Languages, has made a further discussion of lexical gaps in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. It has laid a foundation for our future discussion. In her book, she introduces the lexical gaps and comes up with the solution to removing the gaps and corresponding instructional strategies, such as prediction and guidance, sentence completion compensation and continuous concentrated teaching. She holds the opinion that when teachers explain a new word, they are suggested to explain its cultural meaning. Meanwhile, she proposes that lexical gaps are not only a phenomenon of language, but also that of culture. Furthermore, she classifies the lexical gaps in the field of teaching Chinese as a foreign language from the angle of word formation and free translation of borrowing words, based on the classification of the predecessors. Besides, Wang Guoan and Yao Ying (2003: 144-147) have made a briefintroduction to lexical gaps from the view of teaching Chinese as a foreign language in their book, International Promotion of Chinese Language acrd Chinese Culture. They point out that the lexical gap actually reflects its own distinctive traditional culture and has no corresponding expression in another language, such as food, architecture, custom,philosophy, and so on. 2.2.2 Research on Lexical Gaps in Cross-Cultural Communication Zhang Dexin(1995:7) holds that there is not always a correspondence betweenChinese and English words. He points out that there are more differences than similarities between cultures, except for a few technological terminologies and some daily expressions. Tian Xuanzhi and Yang Jinxue(2005: 55一56) conduct a further analysis of thereason underlying lexical gaps from the point of language and culture. and suggest that we should pay more attention to the translation and the teaching and study of foreign languages in their article. On Lexical Gaps from the Angle of Intercultural Communication. A1记the authors proposed that language is the embodiment of culture and also is one of the most outstanding embodiments of cultural di价rences. They insist that it is valuable to study lexical gaps through Chinese-English translation and the second languayJe teaching. Shang Xiuye(2007:30-32) analyzes the relationship between language and culture,the origin of cultural connotation of words, and compares the cultural connotation of some Chinese plant-related words and their English counterparts. Her study aims to slow that the differences between some Chinese plant-related words and their English counterparts result from the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, and that they affect the understanding and communication in intercultural COmnlUnlCatlOtl, in her article. A Comparative Study of Cultural Connotation between Chinese Plant一related Words and Their English Counter0parts. In their respective articles, Chinese and En Vlish ords- Coincidence and Lexical Gaps in Cross-cultural Communication- and Language Gaps in Cross-cultural Communication.Dai Li and Zhang Ning(2008: 102一104) have discussed the lexical gaps from the aspect of cross-cultural communication. The former explains that vocabulary is the most active part of a language and plays a vital and active role in the cross-communication. Besides, this article illuminates and analyzes the words coincidence and lexical gaps to strengthen the cross-cultural consciousness of learners who study a foreign language. In this way, the process of cross-cultural communication will be smoother and more successful. The latter also thinks that the lexical gap is a sort of cultural phenomenon. It means that a certain word exists in one culture, but does not exist in another. He believes that it is the cultural difference that causes lexical gaps. But this results in some difficulties in cross-cultural communication. Until then, the discussion about lexical gaps was more detailed and profound. 2.2.3 Research on Lexical Gaps in Translation Studies In fact, the research of lexical gaps at home started in the field of translationstudies. In the 1950s, Zhang Peiji, a great Chinese translator, discussed the methodsabout translation between English and Chinese in his book, The Translation Research of Chinese Idioms and Sound and Color terms in English. In the following years, the learners who studied foreign languages began to studywhat exactly the lexical gap is and how to deal with it in translating. Fortunately, theygot some success. Tan Zaixi(1990: 131一137), a famous researcher of translation theory, points out that it is better not to literally translate lexical items of zero equivalence. Otherwise, every word in the source text would be translated and the translated text could not be good and elegant. He proposes that translators should adopt the method of free translation or combine free translation with literal translation, or add some cultural explanation. In agreement with Tan Zaixis opinion, Wang Bingxin(2007: 23-24) expresses his idea about lexical gaps and divides them into four types, namely, subjective type, communicative type, cultural space type and discourse type. Meanwhile, he holds tlat the cultural meaning of vacant words should be expressed faithfully. And then. Zhou Yuzhong and Guo Aixian(1998: 42-44) offer a debate aboutwhether lexical items of no correspondence are translatable or not. In his article TheUntranslatability of English and Chinese, Zhou Yuzhong, argues that a lexical gap is a natural phenomenon between languages and it is sometimes not totally translated and even untranslatable. Besides, he holds that untranslatability is almost relative and few words belong to untranslatability. Furthermore, these sorts of words could be handled in translating, even though the translation of some of them is not perfect. Contrary to Zhou Yuzhong, Guo Aixian points out that it is necessary and possible for lexical gaps to be translated, and on the other hand, he puts forward the distribution range of lexical gaps. And more importantly, he believes that some methods can help to translate some special wards like laan words. Other researchers put forward some translation methods.For example, Jin Huikang2003:27-29), a cultural translation theorist, points out that the more practical way to deal with lexical gaps is to use Chinese Pinyin,annotation or to add transliteration. Sun Li (2007: 97-98), a professor in the Department of Foreign Languages of Liaoning University of Science and Technology, discusses indetail about the lexical gap in his article Cultural Influence on Non-equivalence at Word Level and Translational Strategies. He analyzes that the reason for lexical gaps,that is, lexical gaps in the understanding of the source text and translation from the source language to the target language results from cultural differences. And this article points out that at word level non-equivalence reflects that the words of zero equivalence in a language are culturally specific, and therefore, as a translator, one must not only translate the words but also transmit the cultural information to the readers. 2.2.4 Summary Although the research of lexical gaps at home started in the recent fifty years, some scholars and researchers in the circle of foreign language have got great achievements in teaching Chinese as a foreign language and cross-cultural communication, such as Wang Lingling, Dai Li, Zhang Ning, and so on. However, we also should realize that here has so far been not enough research for lexical gaps. In addition, it is obvious that the research of lexical gaps is still not systemic and there is no consensus reached in classifying lexical gaps.In addition, in the field of translation, though some scholars have put forward some translation strategies about lexical gaps, translators still have trouble in dealing with them with kinds of new words appearing in Chinese. This thesis will further analyze the translation strategies for lexical gaps by taking the recent popular words as the object of study, in order to try to eliminate the difficulties of translating lexical gaps and advance the cross-cultural communication between Chinese and English.7Chapter 3 Lexical GapsChapter 3 Lexical Gaps Lexical gap is originally a linguistic concept,then it was quoted into the translation. Lexical gap is a problem in our translation,which we should pay more attention on it. The following is the introduction of the lexical gap. 3.1 The definition of lexical gapsThe difference in English and Chinese culture will inevitably lead to the formation of different vocabulary system which inevitably makes it difficult to correspond the English words and meanings. This is the Le