A Comparative Analysis And Translation Of Theme-Rheme Structures In English And Chinese Political Public Speech

Contemporary linguists have done considerable researches about applying Systematic Functional Grammar in translation. It is proved that Halliday's Theme-Rheme theory and Danes's Thematic Progression can be applied to discourse analysis and translation practice. The present thesis is a study to adopt these theories to the comparative analysis and translation of English- Chinese political public speech. Halliday's theme-rheme division serves as theoretical basis for analysis on sentence level, while thematic progression provides a particular textual perspective for translation studies. PPS require well-knit structure and evocative language to effectively express the speakers'viewpoints and appeal the audiences. The analysis of thematic structure and progression of the original speech can help to better understand the original speakers'thought and textual mechanism.This present thesis puts forward that in the translation of EPPS, the translator should first, analyze thematic structure and thematic progression of ST and have a better understanding of its method of development, take full account of the original speakers'intended textual meaning and language devices. In the process of translation, one needs to maintain the original thematic structure and progression, or adjust certain features of ST organization in line with preferred ways of organizing text in the TL, thus achieving textual equivalence, if there. When adjustment, the original emphasis and intended textual meaning may be affected, but can be compensated by some lexical devices such as adverb of degree.The author doesn't aim to make any breakthrough in theory but to further prove the effectiveness of thematic theory in the practice of translating EPPS by the way of comparison and analysis.