形合与意合的语用意义及翻译策略

Hypotaxis and Parataxis: A Pragmatic Perspective

形合与意合都是英汉语篇中的常用策略。在许多情况下,形合与意合不具有语言系统的规定性,而是语言使用者在实际的话语中所作出的语用选择。这种选择往往是有理据的,语言使用者在作出选择时的种种考虑就是赋予形合和意合的语用意义。形合与意合的语用意义有四种,即:风格意义、主题意义、凸显意义和时代意义。把语用现象归结于语言现象是导致翻译研究走向简单化、绝对化的根本原因。翻译研究必须从语言结构的桎梏中走出来,把语用现象纳入研究视野。

Both hypotaxis and parataxis are recognizable text strategies in English as well as in Chinese. On many occasions, they are not obligatory regulations of language systems but pragmatic choices made by language users. That is to say, use of hypotaxis and parataxis may correspond to particular purposes of a particular user rather than to tendencies of a language. Choices thus made are motivated. Four kinds of motivation are identified. Reduction of pragmatic features to linguistic ones leads translation research to simplification and absoluteness. In order to be more effective, translation theory should take all these pragmatic phenomena into account.