Font Size: a A A

Repetition Patterns In Of Studies And Its Three Chinese Renditions: A Contrastive Study

Posted on:2009-12-09Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:D MuFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360245989593Subject:Foreign Linguistics and Applied Linguistics
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Conventional study on lexical items regards them as linguistic units to fill the slots of syntactic structure, neglecting their functions in discourse. In recent years, discourse analysis has enjoyed vigorous growth with a shift of emphasis on the pragmatic meanings and functions of linguistic forms, extending the study range of lexical items from sentence level to discourse level.Ever since Halliday&Hasan made an authoritative research on cohesion in 1976 with the publication of Cohesion in English, it has been a crucial research topic in the field of discourse analysis. From then on, with the development of functional linguistics and text linguistics, large quantities of remarkable achievements have been made, and studies of lexical cohesion have been in multi-level patterns, among which Hoey (1991)'s model is influential. Hoey groups lexical cohesion into ten categories: simple lexical repetition, complex lexical repetition, simple mutual paraphrase, simple partial paraphrase, antonymous complex paraphrase, other complex paraphrase, substitution, co-reference, ellipsis and deixis.Since 1990s, the emphasis on the research of lexical cohesion has been gradually shifted from theoretical exploration to genre-based practical analysis and to contrastive studies across languages. However, in the literature, vast majority of the research is based on Halliday& Hasan's framework, and little research has been found to examine Hoey's model. Methodologically, Hoey's category is more creative than Halliday&Hasan's in that it presents a new method of analysis for dealing with lexical cohesion and investigating lexical cohesion between sentences. Theoretically, his detailed analysis of the way lexical cohesion operates in text stresses the importance of lexical cohesion among the other types of cohesion. Practically, Hoey's matrix-oriented approach with its attendant categories would accurately reflect their non-linear complexity and, at the same time, provides us with an even more convenient model to the investigation and interpretation of lexical cohesion patterns. Moreover, Hoey has further limited the occurrence of ambiguity by establishing a hierarchy of importance among his categories.So the current thesis, adopting Hoey's (1991) lexical repetition framework as model, probed into one English essay and its three corresponding Chinese renditions of high quality and made a contrastive analysis of four major lexical cohesive devices, which are simple lexical repetition, complex lexical repetition, simple paraphrase and complex paraphrase (mainly on antonymous complex paraphrase and other complex paraphrase). The study attempts to examine the similarities and differences of repetition patterns between English and Chinese versions. Hopefully, the result of the study may have some significance for foreign language teaching and translation from the viewpoints of language and culture. It also clarifies the view that repetition patterns, in spite of their differences in specific forms in English and Chinese, should be regarded as key links of lexical cohesion and texture.The result shows: In achieving the textual coherence, E/C texts display divergence in the use of lexical cohesive devices. There is no significant difference between the use of simple lexical repetition and complex paraphrase especially other complex paraphrase in E/C texts; there is a significant difference between the use of complex lexical repetition, simple paraphrase and antonymous complex paraphrase in E/C texts. It is found that simple lexical repetition is used most frequently by both groups; English texts tend to use more complex repetitions and complex paraphrase than Chinese ones, which have a high rate of using simple repetitions and simple paraphrase. Lexical repetition could take a central place in the organization and understanding of a text. Then it further compares repetition patterns in three Chinese renditions. The result shows the translators treat the original lexical cohesion differently. In accordance with the equivalence to the original, though, some renditions are more apt to English ways of expressing ideas while others conform to the habit of Chinese. The one that shares closest frequency of repetitions and net for bonds with the original obtains the same effect on the readership as the original thus is more acceptable.The study on repetition patterns is helpful to improvement of students' language learning ability, for it can raise students' awareness of lexical relations in a text and enable them to summarize the text rapidly and accurately. It helps improve the students' reading comprehension ability and raise their reading speed as well. Thus it is instructive for foreign language teaching and translation studies.
Keywords/Search Tags:Text, Lexical Cohesion, Repetition, Repetition Patterns
PDF Full Text Request
Related items