A Corpus-based Comparative Study Of Attitudinal Resources Between Fengru Feitun And Its English Translation From The Perspective Of Appraisal Theory

This study is located at the intersection of translation studies and linguistics. The aim of the thesis is to explore, from a linguistic perspective, how attitudinal resources of Fengru Feitun are reconstructed in its English translation, with specific attention to the similarities and differences between ST and TT. To make the research deeper, possible reasons for the differences in the process of translating and translator’s techniques are analyzed. In doing so, this study is expected to bring about implications for the application of Appraisal Theory into translation studies.The theoretical basis of this study is James Martin’s Appraisal Theory, especially Attitude system(subsystem of Appraisal Theory) which consists of Affect, Judgement and Appreciation. Firstly, all attitudinal resources in the material are identified and grouped into different attitudinal patterns. To make the results more precise, the software UAM Corpus Tool is used for the annotation and statistics of the material.Secondly, based on the statistics, a detailed comparison of all appraisal resources is made between ST and TT. More specifically, an exploration of how appraisal resources in ST are distributed is made from a general aspect to a specific aspect. The TT is dealt with in the same way, on the basis of which the similarities and differences are explored with the latter being the main focus. As for the differences, the analysis is, first of all,based on a quantitative method. Considering the limits of these tables(for example,some differences cannot be shown through the tables), qualitative method is adopted then to identify those subtle differences.The results indicate that among all the 1,672 attitudinal resources in ST, resources for Judgement(39.47%) and Affect(37.08%) account for the most part while resources for Appreciation(23.44%) rank last. In terms of Polarity and Explicitness, negative attitudes(988) are more than positive ones(684), and about 95% of these resources are realized in a direct way. The result is in accordance with the theme and aim of the novel.Fengru Feitun is, on the one hand, intended to praise the original creators of life —Mothers for their greatness, simplicity, sacrifice as well as their roles in the continuation of life. On the other hand, by narrating the turbulence and unrest of the twentiethcentury in China, the writer aims to express his critical attitudes towards Chinese culture. The distribution of attitudinal resources in TT is similar to ST as resources for Affect(38.89%) and Judgement(38.06%) also take up a larger percent than the resources for Appreciation. As for the Polarity and Explicitness, there are 942 negative resources while positive ones are 622 in number and most of them(92%) are expressed in a direct way. It can be concluded that the translator is, to a much larger extent,faithful to the writer. However, differences between ST and TT cannot be neglected either. In terms of the frequency of occurrence, the attitudinal resources in TT are less than ST, especially in the type of Judgement. Besides, more differences can be found in TT based on qualitative methods such as raised grading force, lowered grading force,omission, amplification, explicitness and implicitness. The reasons behind the differences are various, among them three aspects are mainly involved: cultural background, the languages and the translator.This study brings about valuable implications. In theory, extending Appraisal Theory into translation studies provides a systemic framework for analyzing appraisal resources at the semantic level. Meanwhile, Appraisal Theory can be used as an effective tool of evaluating translation quality. In practice, through the exploration of the TT, much experience or techniques can be gained for the translation of evaluative meanings. For example, when there are no such equivalent expressions as the original text, an effective way is to paraphrase without losing the original meaning. What’s more,formal equivalence is not necessary as long as attitudinal meaning can be expressed faithfully. In other words, more flexible ways are preferable instead of word-for-word translation. To meet the needs of the readers, other techniques such as changing place or part of speech are also permitted. Last but not least, to add objectivity to this study,UAM Corpus Tool is used with the aim of pushing ahead with corpus-based approach in translation.