汉语意合与英语形合的哲学思考

Philosophical Thinking on Hypotaxis and Parataxis between Chinese and English Languages

语言学界和翻译界大都认为,英汉语言之间最重要的区别特征莫过于形合和意合之分。语言的表现形式与其对应的哲学传统、思维模式具有通约性。借助这种通约性,本文从中西哲学观念和思维模式的辨析中反观英汉语段结构特点,分析汉语以意驭形而英语以形制意的可能内在成因。

In linguistics and translation, hypotaxis and parataxis are generally accepted as the most important characteristics which distinguish the Chinese language from the English. In this paper, the different philosophical thoughts and modes of thinking between Chinese and English are analyzed on the basis of commensuration between languages. The authors believe that ＂parataxis＇, the characteristic feature of Chinese, is caused by the concept of viewing things in the entirety, and the synthetic mode of thinking, while ＂hypotaxis＂, the characteristic feature of English, can be accounted for by Western philosophical traditions and the formal-logical pattern of their mode of thinking.