ChineseNegativeTransferinChinese-EnglishInterpretation汉英口译中汉语负迁移研究

1、Chinese Negative Transfer in Chinese-English InterpretationAbstractChinese negative transfer is an interference which proves to be an obstacle for Chinese learners of English as a second language , i.e., English L2 acquisition, resulting in error expressions of great discrepancy between C-E interpre

2、ters and native speakers of English. Chinese-English interpretation is a cross-linguistic activity with its own features, which is influenced by several factors, say, the habit of associating Chinese counterparts in speaking and writing English words or phrases. It is inevitable that negative transf

3、er will take place. Three levels of Chinese negative transfer in Chinese-English interpretation are analyzed in this thesis. They are lexical level, syntactic level and pragmatic level. They are illustrated with examples in order to find out the causes of the errors in Chinese-English interpretation

4、. Meanwhile, a case study is conducted to evidence the theory in this thesis.Key words: Chinese negative transfer, error, interpretation汉英口译中汉语负迁移研究摘要由于汉英两种语言在词汇、结构和文化等方面存在着差异，而在口译活动中， 译者受时间限制与压力等的制约，汉语负迁移现象在所难免。本文从词汇、句法 及语用的层次对汉英口译中汉语负迁移现象进行了分析及探讨，旨在帮助译者认 识原语干扰现象，提高汉英口译的质量。关键词： 汉语负迁移；语误；口译Table of

5、ContentsAbstract.i. .摘 要 .i. .1 Introduction. 12 Basic Definitions . 22.1 C-E I and its Features . 22.1.2 Process of C-E I . 22.1.3 Features of C-E I . 42.2 Language Negative Transfer and its Consequenc.e.s . 52.2.1 Language Negative Transfe.r. 52.2.2 Consequences of Language Negative Transf.e.r. 62

6、.3 Summary . 73 Analysis Of Chinese Negative Transfer In C-E Interpretation . 83.1 Lexical Transfer . 83.1.1 Errors in Function Words . 83.1.2 Errors in Content Words . 113.1.3 Errors in Wording. 133.2 Syntactic Transfer. 143.2.1 Errors in Agreement. 143.2.2 Errors in Word Order . 153.3 Pragmatic Tr

7、ansfer. 153.4 Summary . 174 A Case Study . 174.1 Method . 174.1.1 Subjects. 174.1.2 Design . 174.1.3 Materials . 184.1.4 Procedure . 184.2 Results . 184.3 Discussio n. 195 Conclusion . 20References. 21Acknowledgements .错. 误！未定义书签。iiChinese Negative Transfer in Chinese-English Interpretation1 Introdu

8、ctionLanguage transfer, which is also known as L1 interference or linguistic interference, is an important issue in second language acquisition. It usually exerts an influence on speaking a second language. There are two types of transfer, positive and negative. Positive transfer facilitates second

9、language acquisition due to the influence of cross-linguistic similarities, while negative transfer results in errors, overproduction, etc.Interpretation is a cross-linguistic activity which will be influenced by the habit of using L1. It is inevitable that negative transfer will take place. On the

10、other hand, interpretation is a special task for the reasons that the interpreters work under temporal pressure and need good memory, etc. Consequently, negative transfer happens more often than most of other relevant activities.In this thesis, the author focuses on the Chinese negative transfer (CN

11、T) in Chinese-English interpretation (CEI). Related materials are provided in the thesis and analyzed, evidencing the theory of negative transfer in second language acquisition. With the features of interpretation taken into consideration, the thesis tries to analyze the CNT in CEI against data, col

12、lected from previous studies, in terms of three levels: lexical, syntactical, and semantic.Furthermore, a case study is conducted of the juniors and seniors in Foreign Languages School of Shaoguan University.Finally, some relevant strategies are suggested for the purpose of minimizing CNT and improv

13、ing the quality of CEI.2 Basic Definitions2.1 C-E I and its FeaturesIt is necessary to introduce C-E I and its features here for the reason that the interpretation is a special activity where CNT arises and the further discussion requires some basic information about it.2.1.1 Definition of C-E IInte

14、rpretation is not only“a fo rtmra onfslation in which a first and final renditionin another language is produced on the basis of a one-time presentation of an utterance in a source language,”b ut also an activity “ performedf or the benefit of people who want to engage in communication across barrie

15、rs of language and cultur”e (.Pochhacker, 2004: 10-11)Interpretation, a form of translation, is essentially a complex communicative act. For many, interpretation is seemingly just an oral translation used in daily communication and therefore deals with simple expressions. But for interpreting servic

16、e delivered at high levels, it is often applied for formal conferences, especially international conferences. It is easily understood that, in this thesis, C-E I is a process of transferring Chinese to English in the oral form in order to convey the information.2.1.2 Process of C-E IThe process of i

17、nterpretation is more than simplely one of decoding, coding, and encoding. According to Chen (2005), the interpreting process is as follows:Party AInterpreterParty BMeaningVoice Array BCode BMeaningCode AVoice Array AVoice Array CDecoding,acquiring meaningFigure 1. Process of Interpretation (in Chen

18、, 2005)Figure 1 above shows that the process of interpretation involves five components, namely, input (i.e. Code A), decoding, memory (i.e. acquiring meaning), encoding, and output (i.e. Code B).(I) InputInput is the first step in interpretation. What it means is that the interpreter extracts the w

19、ords and sentences from the source language. It is very important that the interpreter should highly concentrate on the context from Party A in order to avoid missing information.(II) DecodingThe process of decoding involves the shift from thinking in the source language to thinking in the target la

20、nguage. The interpreter “recognizes the meaning of sentence elements and the underlying logical relationship between them”and then “completes comprehension of the source language speec”h (.Zhang, 2006: 3-4)(III) MemoryA qualified interpreter requires a good memory because it influences the result of

21、 interpretation directly. It is clear that short-term memory is very important in interpretation since the information in source language should be stored in the memory for some time. There are also some factors which hinder the memorizing such as the speaker?s accent, the topic of the speech and di

22、fferences between source language and target language.On the other hand, according to Seleskovitch (1978), memory can be divided into two types: substantive memory and verbatim memory. The former refers to catching the meaning by rapid analysis and understanding of the message, while the latter mean

23、s to memorize the original words or sentences of the message. Substantive memory is the key method since it is difficult for the interpreter to remember all of the words in source language. It is undoubted that verbatim memory is inevitable in interpretation for the reason that such words as certain

24、 numbers, names and headings have to be accurate.(IV) EncodingEncoding refers to the interpreter reconstructs the messages from source language into target language based on understanding of them. In this process, the interpreter should pay attention to the words and sentences in target language, th

25、e completeness of the context and the style of the speech. Meanwhile, the interpreter has to organize the speech. Difficulty in speech organization is inevitably encountered because of the differences between the source language and the target language and therefore negative transfer happens, which

26、will later be discussed in details.(V) OutputThe last phase of interpretation is output, namely, expression. It is a key stage of the process and the symbol of success or failure of the interpretation. If the interpreter cannot express the messagea ccurately, fluently and clearly, the interpretation

27、 is not a successful one though he or she has a good listening and comprehension.2.1.3 Features of C-E IFirstly, the interpreter works under temporal pressure. The interpreter usually has no time for preparation. Although they can prepare for the theme or topic that the speaker may talk about before

28、 he or she works, he or she can hardly guess the exact words the speaker will use. In addition, the role of interpreter decides that he or she cannot occupy too much time.Secondly, interpreter works under tremendous pressure from working environment. The interpretation sometimes takes place in relax

29、ed atmosphere like guide interpretation. In most of the time, however, the interpreter works in an atmosphere of serious. Consequently, the interpreters especially those who lack of experience will lose confidence and cannot perform well.Thirdly, the interpretation requires interpreter?s comprehensi

30、ve ability e.g. the ability to listen and to speak, comprehension and reaction. Being a good listener is very important to an interpreter. This requires the interpreter?s concentration on the message from the source language speaker. Meanwhile, the interpreter should speak fluently in both source la

31、nguage and target language in order to make the listeners understand the text in target language easily and clearly. Additionally, taking notes is one of the parts of interpretation in some places where the interpreter is allowed to do.Finally, interpreter should finish the work independently. In pr

32、actical work, the interpreter cannot look up the dictionaries or get any help from others when the difficulties occur to test his or her ability.2.2 Language Negative Transfer and its Consequences2.2.1 Language Negative TransferAs is known to all, every interpreter is first and foremost a bilingual

33、who is able to speak both the source language and target language. The source language and target language is not acquired at the same time. Therefore, if we observe carefully, we can find that a Chinese usually speaks English with Chinese accent. The influence of the source language always occurs i

34、n other language levels e.g. vocabulary, grammar, syntax, etc. Such phenomenon is called language transfer.“The term ,transfer? is first defined technically by behavioristic psychologists to refer to the process of automatic, uncontrolled and subconscious use of past learned behavior in the attempt

35、to produce new responses” .(Yue, 2006: 87) There are two types of transfer, positive and negative. Positive transfer facilitates second language acquisition due to the influence of cross-linguistic similarities, while negative transfer results in errors, overproduction, etc.According to Odlin, negat

36、ive transfer refers to “cross-linguistic influences resulting in errors, overproduction, underproduction, miscomprehension, and other effects that constitute a divergence between the behavior of native and nonnative speakers of a language.”(Odlin, 20011989: 36) Admittedly, negative transfer takes pl

37、ace in dual directions, i.e. not only from the first language (L1) to a second langue (L2) or third language but also vice versa. In C-E I, the negative transfer arises mainly from Chinese. This thesis, therefore, focuses on source language negative transfer i.e. Chinese negative transfer in C-E I.2

38、.2.2 Consequences of Language Negative TransferOf the two types of language transfer, negative transfer is more worth researching since most of the L2 speakers find it hard to deal with the difficulties in communication resulted from negative transfer. It?s necessary to mention the consequences of l

39、anguage negative transfer.According to Odlin ?s definition of negative transfer, which is mentioned above, the consequences of language negative transfer are as follows:To begin with, the L2 speakers often use L1 patterns or rules in speaking L2, which result in errors in the target language. Ungram

40、matical or unidiomatic expressions are usually found in the speech production of a L2 speaker. For instance, the following sentences are made by some Chinese, which are not unusual:(1) Now is the time to get up. (Wrong)(2) It is the time to get up now. (Right)(3)“The living standard of people / Peop

41、le?s living standard in both urban and rural areas continued to grow up”. (Wrong)(4)“Living standard in both urban and rural areas continued to rise” .(Right)Moreover, although some language structures are frequently used in target language, the second language speakers seldom to use them. This phen

42、omenon is the second consequence of language negative transfer- underproduction. The reason why the second language speakers avoid using some linguistic structures is that they find them difficult because of the differences between the native language and the target language. It is reported that “Ch

43、inese and Japanese students of ESL tended to use fewer relative clauses than did students whose languages have relative clause structures more like those of English” (Odlin, 2001:37).What is more, overproduction is the third consequence of language negative transfer. Second language speakers tend to

44、 use their native language structures to facilitate the speaking of target language. It is found that“ the native speakers of English used more direct expressions of apology than native speakers of Hebrew and that they tended to transfer this into L2 Hebrew” (Ellis, 1999:306).Finally, since there ar

45、e many differences between the culture of the L1 country and L2 country, L2 speakers usually understand the messages with their own cultural perception. Hence, miscomprehension occurs. A typical example is “Every dog has his/its day.” It is not unusual for Chinese to regard the “dog” as a kind of an

46、imal, while the exact meaning is that “Everyone has good luck or success at some point in their2.3 SummaryInterpretation is a special service activity in the communication between cross-cultural people. Since the interpreter is a bilingual, he or she has to face the problems affected by language neg

47、ative transfer. Language negative transfer results in some consequences in interpretation, thus, it is worth researching it.3 Analysis Of Chinese Negative Transfer In C-E InterpretationLanguage negative transfer, as is stated above, affects the interpretation. This thesis ” means st athned icnlga so

48、surtosoidme whilefocuses on Chinese-English interpretation. Hence, Chinese negative transfer is what should be involved. In this chapter, a detailed analysis is analyzed from the perspectives of lexis, syntax and pragmatics.3.1 Lexical TransferLexis is the basic factor of a language. Lexical errors

49、in C-E I usually happen due to lexical transfer. In this section, the lexical transfer is analyzed in terms of function words (articles, prepositions and pronouns), content words (nouns, verbs and adjectives) and word collocation.3.1.1 Errors in Function WordsIn English, function words consist of pr

50、epositions, pronouns, determiners, conjunctions and auxiliary verbs. However, this section focuses only on the errors in articles, prepositions and pronouns since they are more obvious in C-E I.(I)Errors in articlesAs is known to all, there are three types of articles in English, which are definite,

51、 indefinite and zero articles. Zhang (2000: 115) mentions that Chinese learners of English have trouble in using the articles appropriately and consistently because there is no article contrast in Chinese common nouns and there are many exceptions to the rule of article usage as well. The articles w

52、hich are indispensable in English are usually absent in Chinese. Due to the articles? difference between Chinese and English, it is not uncommon to find that interpreters lose the articles or use some unnecessary articles in target language, as the evidenced by the following examples.(5) a. 他站在教室前面，

53、向大家宣布这个通知。b. He stood in front of the classroom (6) a. 我是在春节期间出生的 , 那也是寒假。b. I was born during Spring Festival, which is the winter vacation.In the first sentence, the definite article “ the” is omitted before “ front ”In.English, “ stand in front of the classroomstand in the front of the classroom”

54、 indicates standing inside the classroom. It is obvious that the source language means someone announce something inside the classroom. The phrase “Spring Festival” in the second sentence needs to add an article “the”before it and “the winter vacation”should be changed into “a winter vacation” accor

55、ding to English grammatical rules. Therefore, the correct interpreting texts should be: 1. He stood in the front of the classroom” 2. I was born during the Spring Festival, which is a winter vacation.(II) Errors in prepositionsAccording to Baron, “ Mandarinh as no special class of words correspondin

56、g to prepositions in English. There does exist a fairly limited set of verbs which become lexically weakened and form verb-noun combinations expressing much the same thing as English prepositional phrases. (Baron, 1”971)In English, a verb can refer to a lot of meaning by adding different preposition

57、. For instance, the verb “put” can refer to different meaning by adding different prepositions as follows:put aside忽视，忘记put sb away把某人送入监狱（或精神病院）put sth back将放回9put sb off取消，撤销（与某人的会晤或安排）However, Chinese interpreters seldom use such kind of phrases because it is difficult for them to think the phras

58、es to which Chinese expressions are not corresponding. Therefore, they use“ forget” more often than “put aside”, use “send sb to prison” instead of “put sb away”, etc.The following examples are some errors in preposition happen in C-E I:(7) a. 完成这项工程至少需要一年时间。b. To finish the project needs at least o

59、ne year.(8) a. 有次我生病了，他十分关心我。b. Once I was ill, he cared me very much.In the first sentence, the preposition “for ”is added before a period of time in English. Therefore, the correct sentence is “To finish the project needs for at least one year.” The second sentence is omitted a preposition“f or” a

60、fter “cared” by the interpreter. The correct sentence is“ Once I was ill, he cared for me very much.” As is stated above, both the two errors result from the Chinese negative transfer.(III) Errors in pronounsThere are many different types of pronouns in English. They are personal pronouns, possessiv