The Comparison And Contrast Of Theme-rheme Structure Among Chinese, English, French And Arabic Complete Simp1e Sentences And Translation

Theme-rheme structure plays crucial roles in message function of language. It is widelyconcerned by many scholars and linguists. The study, therefore, investigates what aresimilarities and differences of theme-rheme structure of four languages’ complete simplesentences in the process of translation in terms of mood type of interpersonal function andprocess types of transitivity in experimental function based on theoretical frame of Halliday’s(1994) functional grammar. In addition, the author collected Arabic and Chinese sentencesfrom New Arabic Grammar, translated these sentences into English and French sentences andestablished a small corpus. Based on the collected corpus, the author applied qualitative andquantitative method to Compare and Contrast theme-rheme structure of these four languages’complete simple sentences. According to analysis, we found that:At mood type level,1) In declarative, theme can be omitted in Chinese, verb can act astheme in Chinese and Arabic. In Arabic, noun can act as rheme. Rheme can also be omitted.2)In yes-no question sentence, subject is theme in Chinese, definite+subject is theme in English,French and Arabic. Theme is mostly acted by VP. in English, French, and Chinese. Theme isalso acted by PP., VP. and N. because of Arabic sentence’s flexibility.3) In Wh-questionsentence, subject is theme in Chinese, Wh-word is theme in English, French and Arabic. Theremainder of the sentence is rheme. Sentence can be acted as rheme in Chinese.4) Inexclamation, Wh-word is theme in English, French, and Arabic. Subject is theme in Chinese.At process types of experiential function level,1) In existential process, existent inEnglish and French, process and circumstantial constitute in Arabic, circumstantial constitutein Chinese are theme. Existent in Arabic and Chinese and circumstantial constitute in Englishand French are rheme.2) In identifying sentence of relational sentence, identified in English,French, Chinese and identifier in Arabic are theme. In attributive sentence of relationalprocess, attributive in few Arabic sentences is theme. Carrier in English, French and Chineseis theme.3）In material, mental, verbal, and behavioral process, process is theme in Arabic.Actor, sensor, sayer, and behavior are separately acted as theme. As for rheme, it is totallyreversed from the location of theme in these five process types.Through this research, we should let translators realize that theme-rheme structure is aneffective and valuable tool in the process of translation.