The Contrastive Analysis And Translation Of Sci-Tech Text Coherence-By The Approach Of Different Thought Patterns Between English And Chinese

Text coherence is a very hot topic in the research of text analysis. The concept of coherence is still controversial and there is no complete consensus about it, for different linguists study it and give different concepts from different viewpoints. About the relation between text coherence and thought pattern, Kaplan first provides the idea that the English text tends to be a linear structure while the text of oriental languages (including Chinese) tends to be a spiral structure. Although his point of view was criticized by many later scholars, and many opposing examples are provided, the existence of the different text structure between English and Chinese is apparent.The author in this paper considers that the coherence is a comprehensive concept, and any concept is just the description from one aspect. This paper carries on the analysis from the perspective of thought pattern at the cognitive level. According to the discussion on Kaplan's viewpoint and the contrary arguments by the other scholars, the conclusion can be made as the contrastive analysis based on the texts parallel in register tends to be tendentious, sketchy and indefinite, so the contrary examples provided by other scholars illustrate that it is impossible for modern Chinese text structure to be influenced by the traditional text structure of "ba gu wen" alluded to by Kaplan. This paper provides contrastive analysis on the basis of texts parallel in translation, which can present the most essential different characteristics of Chinese and English texts, and guide the development of every aspect in the translation process, and help to convey the meaning of source language faithfully as well as to construct the text structure in different ways which possess the characteristics of their own languages.This paper consists of six chapters:Chapter one provides a general introduction about the whole thesis.Chapter two gives a brief introduction of the text coherence and the previous study of it, including the definitions of coherence and cohesion, and the relation between them, also the relation between explicit coherence and implicit coherence.Chapter three discusses the different characteristics of the thought patterns between English and Chinese, and describes two kinds of perspectives on the relation between thought pattern and coherence, then provides the author's viewpoint.Chapter four first gives a brief explanation about the selection of corpus, and the characteristics of the Sci-Tech text, then it provides the comparison and analysis of the Sci-Tech text between English and Chinese on the basis of classified linear vs. spiral, parataxis vs. hypotaxis, and subject consciousness vs. object consciousness.Chapter five dwells on the translation of the Sci-Tech text coherence. Many suggestions and skills are generalized to help select an ideal translation method in practice.Finally, chapter six presents four points that indicate that the differences between text coherence is so related with that between the thought patterns, and one thing that can be predicted is that as the development of the cultural communication, the situation of absorption and assimilation of the culture and thought pattern between English and Chinese will be further developed. While all the differences are just on the language form, and what should be firmly grasp is the corresponding internal logic relation between the source language and the target language which contributes to the correspondence of the semantic content.