A Comparative Study Of Adverbial Conjunctions In Louisa May Alcott’s Novels And Their Chinese Versions From The Perspective Of Interpersonal Meaning

The study of adverbs has long been a complex and debated topic in linguistics due to their flexibility in usage and complexity in function.However,the investigation into English and Chinese adverbial conjunctions(shortened as ACs)has been relatively delayed,with most existing comparative research focusing on syntactic features and semantic relations.There remains a scarcity of comparative studies examining interpersonal functions.Through the qualitative and quantitative methods,this research utilizes Halliday’s Systemic Functional Linguistics,Interactional Linguistics,and J.R.Martin’s Appraisal Theory to delve into the interpersonal meanings of English and Chinese ACs in Louisa May Alcott’s novels,including Little Women,Little Men,and Jo’s Boys,as well as their Chinese versions.The primary discoveries of this thesis include: 1.Both Chinses and English inferential ACs can communicate epistemic attitudes of possibility;Only Chinese ACs that illustrate explanation and temporal sequencing can communicate epistemic attitudes of persuasion and usuality.Both Chinese and English additive ACs and Chinese conditional ACs can express the speaker’s valuative attitude of desirability;Both Chinese and English ACs that can illustrate addition,adversative and the result can express valuative attitudes of preference;Both Chinese and English assertive ACs and English adversative ACs can express the speaker’s valuative attitude of prediction.2.Both Chinese and English ACs with epistemic attitudes can express inclination and security/insecurity;Both of them cannot be used to express disinclination;Only Chinese ACs with epistemic attitudes can express the speaker’s happiness/unhappiness and satisfaction/dissatisfaction.Both Chinese and English ACs with valuative attitudes can express security/insecurity,satisfaction,inclination and unhappiness;Both of them cannot be used to express disinclination;Only Chinese ACs with valuative attitudes can express speaker’s happiness and dissatisfaction.3.Unlike English ACs,Chinese ACs often appear with other ACs and conjunctions to accentuate meaning.English ACs can be positioned anywhere within Turns,whereas Chinese ACs are not found at the end of Turns.Meanwhile,Chinese and English ACs can convey diverse interpersonal meanings in different contexts,and it is unfeasible to analyze their interpersonal meanings in isolation from context.This research seeks to address the existing gap in the analysis of English and Chinese ACs from an interpersonal meaning standpoint.It may assist second language learners in developing a more profound comprehension of the nuanced attitudinal shifts that occur with ACs in translation.Additionally,it offers fans of Alcott’s writings a fresh perspective for appreciating literary works.