量词的文本功能与文学翻译 = TEXTUAL FUNCTIONS OF CLASSIFIERS AND LITERARY TRANSLATION
张丽苹 TEO LAY PHENG
张丽苹
TEO LAY PHENG
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Abstract
This thesis attempts to examine the cross-language translation of classifiers in
Chinese and English literary texts, from the perspective oftextual functions.
Most linguists have noted that, unlike the Chinese language, English is believed
to have no classifiers. Nevertheless, in English there are certain constructions that
resemble Chinese classifiers-constructions in terms of semantic meaning and textual
functions, which are, therefore, discussed in this study on a par with their Chinese
counterparts.
Textual functions of classifiers refer to the functions which classifiers perform
as textual units when they operate in a phrase-like construction identified here as
classifier-constructions. In a literary text, a classifier can similarly serve as a syntactic
bearer, information carrier and/or stylistic marker. These functions constitute its
'textual integrity' that should be observed and preserved in the course of translation.
In the thesis, we have noted that: (1) owing to the difference in the frequency
of occurrence between Chinese and English, it is not possible to locate a lexical
equivalent for every Chinese classifier in English, or vice versa; (2) classifiers, when
used as live metaphors in literary texts, tend to exhibit more than one semantic
meaning in textual context, which in turn is open to different textual functions and may
thus create difficulty for translation. Such issues, in consequence, deserve a closer
analytic attention as exemplified by this study.
The thesis has basically followed a line of argument from semantic/syntactic
level (Chapter 2) to textual/functional level (Chapter 3) in its comparative study,
before it concentrates on classifier translation per se (Chapter 4).
We hope that our study would not only provide some insights in classifier
translation, but also serve as a starting point for more research on this and other
related topics.
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Date
1997
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Thesis