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A Conceptual Integration Approach To Chinese Versions Of Synaesthetic Metaphor In Shakespeare’s Tragedies

Posted on:2017-04-04Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:L L LuoFull Text:PDF
GTID:2295330488473544Subject:English Language and Literature
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As Stefan Keller (2009:249) has mentioned, Shakespeare depends on various rhetorical devices to accomplish his timeless works of art and such delicate rhetorical devices play a crucial role in his plays, among which synaesthesia merits our attention.However, with the further development of cognitive linguistics, people have gradually realized that synaesthesia is not just a rhetorical device but a way of cognizing or a metaphor. Given this, conceptual integration theory provides a new perspective for the research on synaesthetic metaphor. According to this theory, meaning construction is a dynamic conceptual integration process, the minimal network of conceptual integration comprises four mental spaces and all the spaces connect with each other through cross-space mapping and finally generate emergent structure in blend space through composition, completion and elaboration. Based on conceptual integration theory, the thesis will explore the integration network of synaesthetic metaphor and its Chinese versions in Shakespeare’s tragedies. It first reviews the previous research on synaesthesia at home and abroad. Then the theoretical framework about conceptual integration theory will be discussed, aimed to construct the translation model of synaesthetic metaphor from the perspective of conceptual integration. On the basis of the proposed translation model, the thesis provides a conceptual integration approach to five Chinese versions (Liang Shiqiu, Zhu Shenghao, Sun Dayu, Bian Zhilin and Fang Ping) of synaesthetic metaphors in Shakespeare’s four tragedies, which attempts to find out the reasons for diverse translations and the strategies for translating synaesthetic metaphor.According to the research, we find that:1. the synaesthetic transfer principles in Shakespeare’s four tragedies correspond to Xu Lian’s transfer principles to a large extent, with touch as predominant source domain and sound as predominant target domain.2. Based on conceptual integration theory, the translation model of synaesthetic metaphor includes one reverse of integration process and two integration processes.3. Analyzing the five Chinese versions of synaesthetic metaphor in Shakespeare’s tragedies, we may describe the translation process as follows:in the integration network of translation, the translators first decompose the source text into integrating construction and communicated event, during which the comprehension of the synaesthetic metaphor is also an integration process. Then, the translators project the communicated event and structures of target language to target text space, which finally generates diverse Chinese versions through the way of composition, completion and elaboration.4. Reasons for diverse translation versions consist of various interpretation of the source text and different integration of the target text.5. As for the translation strategies, some translators may project the whole communicated event to the target text space; some may project some important elements of the communicated event; some would not project the communicated event.
Keywords/Search Tags:conceptual integration theory, Shakespeare’s tragedies, synaesthetic metaphor, Chinese versions
PDF Full Text Request
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