Font Size: a A A

Idiom Translation In Specific Situational Contexts

Posted on:2007-02-05Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:H GaoFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360185463529Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
This research mainly probes into idiom translation in specific situational contexts. Starting from the review on the definitions and features of idioms, and on the basis of the functional equivalence, a comparative analysis on 100 pairs of English idioms used in different situational contexts has been carried out through the application of the Speech Act Theory. It is expected that the research could offer a systematic theoretical guidance and a feasible methodology for idiom translation in specific situational contexts. The significance lies in the following three aspects:Firstly, the research breaks the current restriction in idiom translation study in which the cultural influence plays a dominant role and introduces the situational contexts into this field. The correct use and comprehension of idioms could not be separated from situational contexts whose effect on idiom comprehension should never be ignored.Secondly, the core conception of the functional equivalence is the similarity of "readers' response", which seems abstract and hard to be measured in terms of quality or quantity. In order to specify this subtle measurement, the focus of this research is shifted to the illustration on the speech acts, which directly elicit readers' responses, from the perspectives of purpose, psychological state, the delivering force, person involved, and propositional content, all of which are sensitive to the variation of the contexts.Thirdly, through empirical analysis on the 100 pairs of examples, it is proved that the establishment of the illocutionary function equivalence between the source language and the target language plays a decisive role in setting up the functional equivalence in idiom translation. In fact, idioms are used as a kind of indirect speech act, whose expressive power mainly exhibits in the illocutionary act; therefore, illocutionary function equivalence should be the ultimate pursuit in idiom translation.
Keywords/Search Tags:idiom translation, functional equivalence, illocutionary function equivalence
PDF Full Text Request
Related items