Grammatical Metaphor Based Approaches To Abstract Nouns In E-C Translation

Systemic functional grammar presents that language has three stratas which are semantic, lexicogrammatical and phonological levels. The relationship between the three stratas is realization. Semantic level is realized by lexicogrammatical level while lexicogrammatical level is realized by phonological level. In the realization between lexicogrammatical level and semantic level, there are congruent form and metaphorical form. Halliday classifies metaphor into lexical metaphor and grammatical metaphor and grammatical metaphor into ideational grammatical metaphor and interpersonal grammatical metaphor based on language metafunction. Metaphor has an impact on the realization between semantic level and lexicogrammatical level. Halliday points out that, traditionally, metaphor is applied in lexical shift and defined as "the same signifier, different signified", but here grammatical shift is discussed and it is about "the same signified, different signifier".Metaphorical form leads to incongruent form which brings translation problems. In modern English, abstract nouns are used widely which is a major characteristic in English. Abstract nouns are conclusive, general and complicate. These characteristics result in translation problems which often lead to misunderstanding of the original and stiff, awkward and even misleading translation. The thesis framed in systemic functional grammar and from the point of grammatical metaphor is meant to base its study on offering adequate strategies and skills for abstract nouns in E-C translation.Firstly, the thesis gives a literature review on grammatical metaphor both from scholars abroad and in China. It explains grammatical metaphor from the point of Halliday’s grammatical metaphor framed in systemic functional grammar. At the same time, the thesis introduces study on grammatical metaphor from other scholars abroad and Chinese scholars represented by Hu Zhuanglin. The thesis aims to explore translation strategies and skills for English abstract nouns and in the literature review part, study on nominalization is reviewed. Also, in this part, grammatical metaphor, congruent form, metaphorical form and nominalization are explained.Then, the thesis gives a definition on transitivity system which is par of Halliday’s systemic functional grammar. It connects six processes in transitivity system with grammatical metaphor and with nominalization. By all the above descriptions, the theory framework is completed. Next, the thesis gives examples to explore metaphorization of the six processes in transitivity system by ways of illustration and comparative analysis. The most valuable part of the thesis is to summarize translation strategies and skills for English abstract nouns.Lastly, the thesis makes a conclusion that there exist some shifts in nominalization by adopting proper translation strategies and skills from the point of ideational grammatical metaphor in transitivity because ideational grammatical metaphor leads to the incongruent form between semantic level and lexicogrammatical level and English abstract nouns appear often in expressions resulting in translation problems in E-C translation, thus coming with a fluent translation version. Translation strategies and skills summarized in the thesis are expected to promote the development of translation theories and translation practices which we are always looking forward to.