基于美国当代英语语料库的汉语文化特色词“一义多形”现象探析

Probe into the “Semantic Polymorphism” of Chinese-featured Words in American Contemporary English Corpus

"一义多形"是指汉语文化特色词在海外传播过程中出现的、一种意义与多种形式相对应,且因历史、文化、语境等原因无法确定其规范形式的现象。美国当代英语语料库中的"一义多形"式汉语文化特色词涉及特色食品、人名地名、自然文化景观(物)、节日民俗等九种语义类型。根据"多形"的具体表现,可将其分为多种翻译方式并存、多种拼写体系并存、分合写形式并存、大小写形式并存四种类型。"一义多形"词语呈现出借入时间早、出现频率高、音译形式占优势、"文化补偿"策略广泛运用等规律。运用"异化"翻译策略、"文化补偿"释义策略并从国内入手规范其写法,有助于该类词语在海外的进一步传播。

“Semantic polymorphism”refers to the phenomenon that the words with Chinese cultural characteristic appear in overseas dissemination,one meaning is shown in many forms,and cannot be defined as its normative form due to historical,cultural,contextual and other reasons.In contemporary American English corpus,the Chinese cultural characteristic words featuring"polymorphism of one meaning"involve nine semantic types,such as feature food,historical figure and place names,natural and cultural landscapes,festival folklore and so on.According to the concrete manifestations of polymorphism,it can be divided into four types:the coexistence of various translation methods,that of various spelling systems,that of segmented and combined writing forms,and that of lower and upper case letter forms."Polymorphism of one meaning"is characterized by early borrowing,high frequency,predominance of transliteration and extensive use of"cultural compensation"strategy.The using of“alienation”translation strategy,“cultural compensation”interpretation strategy and the standardization of its writing in China will contribute to the further spreading of such words abroad.