A Contrastive Study On Pun And Shuangguan

Punning is a notable linguistic phenomenon manifested in many forms such as riddle, humor, commercial, and literary work. Some of us may take for granted that "shuangguan" and "pun" are equivalent terms since most bilingual dictionaries state so. But if we compare them in examples we may easily find their difference in use and thus wonder what their real relationship is. In addition, punning poses a thorny problem for translators and invites criticism due to its ambiguous feature. A contrastive study is thus necessitated to discover the properties shared by shuangguan and pun as well as the disparities between them, to classify them objectively in a unified framework, to summarize the nature of punning, and to examine the practical implications of the findings. This thesis is divided into six chapters.The first chapter is a brief introduction. Punning is not only ubiquitous but also a significant linguistic phenomenon for research. Just as Culler (1988) observes: it illustrates the mechanisms of the psyche, embodies the play of sound and meaning on which the workings of language depend, and plays a greater role than is generally realized in the formation of concepts and thus in the mechanisms of thought itself. Shuangguan in Chinese and pun in English are two variants of punning, just like two allophones of the same phoneme. The second chapter prepares the theoretical preliminaries which are necessary for us to make a contrastive study on pun and shuangguan. The first part of this chapter is about the relevant basic linguistic theories and terms, including Saussure's representation of the two inseparable components of a sign, viz the signifier and the signified, and the differentiation between some ambiguous terms, such as "polysemy" and "homonymy". The second part presents elementary rhetorical knowledge about punning, both English and Chinese. As a figure of speech in rhetoric, punning is usually intended to produce humorous, sarcastic or thought-provoking effects in verbal communications. The third part examines the psychological aspect of punning. Since language and thinking are inextricably linked, punning, as an extraordinary verbal activity in which ambiguity is exploited, may give us insight into the relationship between thought and language. We attempt to find a psychological explanation for punning, paying much attention to Sigmund Freud's division of the psychic system into three part, namely the id, ego and superego. Punning is an often-practiced form of verbal humor, through which we relieve our tension, convey our intention, or satisfy our desire in an elegant or permissible way. The final part of the second chapter is concerned with the methodological aspect of the contrastive study. In Contrastive Studies of English and Chinese Languages, He Shanfen (2002) states that it is a new approach to compare Chinese language with other languages, through which language universals and language characteristics will be revealed clearer, and description and expatiation of language will be made more accurate.The third chapter is a contrastive study on pun and shuangguan. The two are compared from four perspectives: definition, history, position and classification.Definition. After examining the definitions and relevant examples from major authoritative reference works, we conclude that pun covers a broader scope than shuangguan, while both of them depend on the ambiguous features of language such as polysemy and homophony. History. Shuangguan is a figure of speech that was already employed in The Book of Songs, compiled more than 2000 years ago. Fan Zhongyan, about 1000 years ago, mentioned that "兼明二物者,谓之双关" (shuangguan refers to describing two things simultaneously), while the word pun was first recorded in a work of 1662 written by John Dryden.Position. Pun is much despised and neglected in English while shuangguan enjoys a relatively high status in the realm of Chinese rhetoric. Classification. Puns have been categorized from many perspectives...