Chapter 1 Literature Review
1.1 Existing Studies of Huozhe
The existing studies in China on Yu Hua’s novel are basically focused on three aspects: the theme of the novel, such as sufferings, death, humanity and violence; the writing style of Yu Hua; the narrative strategies. Meanwhile, Huozhe has also attracted the attention of the Western world with its content, narrative technique and artistic characteristics. Some scholars try to analyze the narrative style and writing techniques Yu Hua has employed in this novel.
Liu Yingming (柳应明, 2005) notes that the narration of Huozhe is simple and concise, while two times are existing in the novel: One is historical time, which is fast and jumping, reflects the decade-long Chinese history; the other is the life time of the protagonist Fugui, which is slow. Thus, “time” has a deeper meaning under Yu Hua’s pen.
Zhang Yuan (张园, 2003) notes that Yu Hua’s fictional works feature death narration and violent passion when he is a writer of the Avant-Garde, but he changes his narrative style which can be clearly seen in his Huozhe. Zhang Yuan points out that there are three characteristics in the narrative transformation, including the first person narration, the reality and succession of time and space, clarity and inclusiveness of its language. Wu Ying (吴莹, 2014) examines narrative transformation of Yu Hua, focusing on the local-color narration from the description of natural and social environment in Huozhe.
Huang Weilin (黄伟林, 2007: 73-76) argues that though Huozhe is regarded as a realistic novel, it should not be counted among those cultural introspective novels that emerged after the Cultural Revolution. The novel doesn’t ascribe the sufferings of ordinary people to political factors, but focuses on the humanity manifested from personal plight.
........................
1.2 Existing Studies and Evaluation of To Live
To Live, translated single-handedly by Michael Berry and published in 2003 by Anchor Books of Random House, one of the most prestigious publishers in the West, has aroused great interest of scholars at home and abroad owing to its profound theme, vivid characters, and unique narration. As the novel was warmly received in the West, some domestic scholars have investigated its English version from various perspectives.
Zhao Yue (2010) points out that Berry employs such techniques as transliteration, literal translation and extratextual gloss to represent the characteristics of the source text. And the linguistic form, including rhetoric features, such as simile and metaphor, are translated faithfully. Zhao also notes that when translating culture-specific words and idioms, Berry tends to adopt foreignizing strategy to keep the cultural distinctiveness of the Chinese original.
Jiang Zhiqin (姜智芹, 2010: 3-10) lists four reasons for the fact that the Western world has remained intensely interested in Yu Hua and his works. The first reason is that the western world need know China better about its history and culture, and To Live has the Cultural Revolution as part of the background; the second is the profound theme of the novel; the third is the simple language of the novel and its translation; and the last one is the resemblance between life in China and the West. Gao Hui (高辉, 2012: 33-36) discusses English translation of cultural images in the Chinese original. Gong Yanping (2012) explores the translation process based on thematic and narrative feature of To Live by using web transmission mechanism. Li Hanji (李晗佶, 2017: 64-69) attempts to interpret Michael Berry’s view on translation by considering the peritext and epitext of the English version.
........................
Chapter 2 Theoretical Framework
2.1 Definition of Interpersonal Meaning
Applied to describe language through meaning, interpersonal meaning is a principal term in Systemic Functional Linguistics. Halliday (1994: 68) uses the word “exchange” to describe interpersonal meaning, mainly referring to the exchange of information or goods- and- service. And just as what Halliday (1978: 112) claims, with interpersonal meaning, the speaker expresses his attitudes and judgement, and makes attempts to have an impact on behaviors and attitudes of others. While Thompson (2000: 28) describes interpersonal meaning with “interaction”, he identifies interpersonal meaning as a tool which can be used to communicate with people, to build relationships with them, to affect their actions, to express their opinions on things, and to elicit or change theirs.
Based on the aforesaid statement of interpersonal meaning, it can be defined as expression of relations among communicators as well as the viewpoints, social positions, status, motivations with each other, and the attempts made by the speaker to change others’ behaviors and thoughts. Conveyance of interpersonal meaning influences the realization of interaction, and dialogue translation, as a special verbal communicative behavior, relies on appropriate translation strategies adopted by translators to express interpersonal meaning correctly and effectively. Furthermore, according to Hu Zhuanglin, Zhu Yongsheng and Zhang Delu (胡壮麟&朱永生&张德禄, 1989: 108), interpersonal meaning is realized by three semantic systems, including mood system, modality system and appraisal system. However, Ma Weilin (马伟林, 2007: 144) mentions that SFL concerns meaning in clauses with a major focus on lexical and grammatical devices, while appraisal system takes discourse semantics as the research unit and its focus is beyond meaning of clause. Thus, the appraisal system is omitted to analyze interpersonal meaning on account of the clauses are the basic unit in the study.
............................
2.2 Mood System
Mood system, which belongs to lexico-grammatical system in SFL, expresses speech function through changing grammar structure. It can describe and clarify how the mood can be chosen by people to generate interpersonal meaning and realize the interpersonal function of language. In mood system, speech roles and speech functions are always reflected, and they are indispensable in interpersonal meaning. Zheng Yuanhui (郑元会, 2008: 80-84) concludes that as the grammar of interpersonal meaning, mood provides potential for interpersonal meaning for three aspects. First, mood embodies speech roles, and manifests the basic discourse power of communicators. Second, it shows speech function and communicative intention. Third, it reflects the attitude of the speaker.
2.2.1 Types of Mood
The two basic functional constituents of Mood in an English clause are Subject and Finite. Subject is a nominal group, and it signifies the narrative object of a proposition as the effective and successfully responsible element for a proposition or a proposal. Meanwhile, the Finite operator is a part of a verbal group (Halliday, 2004: 111). To be mentioned by Eggins (1994: 150), different presences and orders of Subject and Finite determine the type of mood. By and large, one certain speech function is corresponding to a specific type of mood, just like statements corresponding to declarative clauses, questions corresponding to interrogative clauses. And according to Eggins, the corresponding relation can be concluded in the following table.#p#分页标题#e#
..........................
Chapter 3 Comparison of Mood System and Modality System between Chinese and English ..............28
3.1 Similarities of Mood System and Modality System between Chinese and English .............28
3.2 Differences of Mood System and Modality System between Chinese and English ............28
Chapter 4 Statistical Analysis of Dialogue Translation in To Live ...................40
4.1 Data Collection and Analysis Methods ...........40
4.2 Mood System in the Chinese and English Versions ...........40
Chapter 4 Statistical Analysis of Dialogue Translation in To Live
4.1 Data Collection and Analysis Methods
For the purpose of investigating English translation of dialogue in To Live, the present author manually collects the dialogues from the original text, and aligns the Chinese sentences with their corresponding English ones. In view of lexical devices and grammatical devices in sentences to express interpersonal meaning, single sentences are ideal materials to examine the degree of representation in the translated version of this novel. Since the novel is narrated from double narrative perspective covering internal narration and external narration, the present author chooses sentences containing linguistic devices of mood system and modality system in total under internal narrative with the attitude, judgment and appreciation between major characters. As stated above, mood system and modality are the two major systems that realize interpersonal meaning, and the data will be analyzed on the basis of various factors of mood system and modality system in both Chinese and English. Given the different linguistic conventions, logical thought and grammar rules between Chinese and English, all the sentences in dialogues of the two versions are counted, with the sentences in Chinese version as data counting standard.
..........................
Chapter 5 Textual Analysis of Dialogue Translation in To Live
5.1 Translation Strategies: Source-oriented vs. Target-oriented
Translation strategies have been the argumentation by different translation schools for a long time. When the issue of translation strategies is raised, dichotomy is often mentioned. For instance, literal translation and free translation are one of the most controversial pair of translation strategies in both Chinese and Western translation theories. Nida (1964) puts forward “formal equivalence” and “dynamic equivalence”, which roughly correspond with literal translation and free translation. Venuti (1995) proposes the dichotomy of “foreignizing translation” versus “domesticating translation”, which are extension of “literal translation” versus “free translation”. And Toury (1995) proposes the important concept of “initial norm”.
Translation is “a kind of activity which inevitably involves at least two languages and two cultural traditions, i.e.at least two sets of norm-systems”, which are often incompatible with each other. According to Toury (1995: 56-57), the basic choice made by the translators between them constitutes an “initial norm”. If the translator “subjects him/herself to the original text, with the norms it has realized, the translation will tend to subscribe to the norms of the text, and through them also to the norms of the source language and culture.” This tendency has often been characterized as the pursuit of “adequate translation”. On the other hand, if the translator adopts the other stance, “norm systems of the target culture are triggered and set into motion”. This subscription to norms originating in the target culture can be regarded as the pursuit of “acceptable translation”.
reference(omitted)
