Systemic Functional Approach to the Language Analysis of C-E Translation——A Case Study of The Story of the Stone by David Hawkes_英语论文

摘要

本文旨在探究霍克斯的《红楼梦》译本是否在系统功能语言学理论的前提下，在意义和功能上忠实于原文。先前关于此译本的研究多于其句子结构，措辞和修辞层面上。且众所周知霍译本采取归化，即其目的为使西方读者能有更好的理解。换句话说，人们应更加注重其意义而功能而不是以上层面。因此，从系统功能语言学理论视角对该《红楼梦》英译本进行语言分析是有价值的。通过定性的研究方法，本研究将阐述系统功能语言学中的两大功能在霍克斯进行语言选择上扮演的角色。特别地，通过分析情态动词和疑问句的使用，本文将探究人际功能中的情态和语气是如何在语言选择中体现的；通过分析陈述句的采用，本研究将阐述在语言选择中经验功能中的及物性有什么支持效果。通过以上分析，本文发现霍克斯的译本从系统功能语言学理论的角度是忠实于原文的。本研究有两项启示：一方面，本研究提供了新的角度去衡量霍译本的质量。另一方面，通过应用系统功能语言学对其译本进行分析，本研究将使系统功能语言学更好被理解同时为其发展贡献一份力量。

关键词：语言  霍克斯译本  系统功能语言学  《红楼梦》

Abstract

This paper aims to explore whether Hawkes’ translation of The Story of the Stone is faithful from the perspective of meaning and function based on the systemic functional theory. The previous studies mainly focus on its diction and rhetoric. And this translation adopts domestication, whose purpose is to make the western readers have a better understanding. In other words, people should consider more on its meaning and function than the above aspects. Therefore, it is of value to investigate the language analysis of this C-E translation of The Story of the Stone from the perspective of systemic functional theory. By means of a qualitative methodology, this study will demonstrate what role the two metafunctions of systemic functional theory play in Hawkes’ adoption of language choices. In particular, by analyzing the use of modality words and interrogative sentence, this paper will explore how the modality and mood in interpersonal metafunction are realized in the linguistic choices; through the analysis of adoption of the declarative sentence, the study will also demonstrate what the supportive effect of transitivity in experiential meatafunction has on the linguistic choices. Through the analyses, the paper finds that Hawkes’ translation is faithful from the angle of systemic functional theory. The study contains two implications: on one hand, the study provides with a new sight into accessing the quality of Hawkes’ translation. On the other hand, by applying SFT to analyzing his translation, the study would not only better understand the source text but contribute to development of systemic functional theory.

Key words: language  Hawkes’ translation  SFT  The Story of the Stone

Contents

Chapter One  Introduction 1

1.1  Research Background 1

1.2  Research Objective and Question 2

1.3  Research Methodology 2

1.4  Structure of This Thesis 3

Chapter Two  Literature Review 4

2.1  Introduction 4

2.2  Previous Language Researches on Hawkes’ Translation 4

2.3  Previous Theoretical Studies on Hawkes’ Translation 5

2.4  Comment 7

Chapter Three  Theoretical Framework 8

3.1  Introduction 8

3.2  Brief Introduction to Systemic Functional Theory 8

3.3  Basic Concepts of Systemic Functional Theory 9

3.4  Two Metafunctions of SFT 10

3.4.1 Interpersonal Metafunction 11

3.4.2 Experiential Metafunction 14

Chapter Four  SF Approach to the Language Analysis C-E Translation of The Story of the Stone by Hawkes 17

4.1  Introduction 17

4.2  Brief Introduction to Hawkes’ Translation of The Story of the Stone 17

4.3  Application of the Interpersonal Metafunction to the Language Analysis of The Story of the Stone by Hawkes 18

4.3.1 Application of Modality to the Choice of Diction 18

4.3.2 Application of Mood to Analyzing the Choice of the Sentence Structure 21

4.4  Application of the Experiential Function (Transitivity) to the Choice of the Sentence Structure 24

Chapter Five  Conclusion 28

Bibliography

Acknowledgments