A Comparative Study On 300 Tang Poems Translation From The Perspective Of Socio-Semiotics

Tang poetry,as the peak of Chinese classical poetry,is a gem of China's excellent traditional culture.Since the Tang Dynasty,many anthologies of Tang poetry have appeared,and there still exist more than 300 types,with a wide range of themes and various styles,among which 300 Tang Poems is the most widely spread and influential,and has won the favor of readers.It has also received great attention from scholars and researchers at home and abroad.Therefore,a number of English versions have come forth,which is of great practical significance to carry forward Chinese traditional culture and promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.Socio-semiotics is a brand-new interdisciplinary theory that integrates semiotics,linguistics and sociology.Starting from the essential property of the sign—sociality,it studies all meaningful signs comprehensively and objectively and pays attention to the meaning and function of language,which offers a new perspective for translation studies.Socio-semiotic theory has been widely applied into the translation of novels,advertisements and films,but it has rarely been used in classical poetry translation.In order to enrich the research field of poetry translation,this thesis applies socio-semiotics theory into Tang poetry translation.The author of this thesis will carry out a case study of the two English versions of 300 Tang Poems respectively by Witter Bynner and Xu Yuanchong under the criterion of “correspondence in meaning and similarity in function” proposed by Professor Chen Hongwei.A comparative analysis will be conducted by selecting specific examples from the two versions to probe into the reproduction of the meanings,functions and the gains and losses in the process of translation,and explore the strategies and methods adopted by the translators.The thesis consists of five chapters.Chapter one briefly introduces the research background,the purpose and significance of the present research,research methodology as well as the layout of the thesis.Chapter two is a literature review on the research status of 300 Tang Poems and its English versions at home and abroad as well as the previous studies on socio-semiotics.Chapter three presents the theoretical framework of this thesis,introducing the origin and evolution of socio-semiotics and its enlightenments to translation studies,while elaborating on the criteria of socio-semiotic approach.Chapter four,the key part of this thesis,systematically explicates the applicability and guiding role of socio-semiotics to the translation of classical poetry from the three levels of referential meaning,linguistic meaning and pragmatic meaning,combined with the typical examples of two versions of 300 Tang Poems.Chapter five concludes the major findings as well as limitations of the present thesis,and comes up with certain suggestions for further research.It is a new attempt and breakthrough to apply socio-semiotic theory into the study of classical poetry translation.According to the study of the thesis,it can be found that socio-semiotics can be effectively applied to classical poetry translation for its comprehensiveness.The socio-semiotic approach offers the specific translation criteria,provides practical guidance for the practice of Chinese ancient poetry translation and casts some lights on later studies.