书城外语英汉词汇对比研究
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第22章

[27]宝玉忙抢上参见,北静王从轿内伸手搀住。见宝玉戴着束发银冠,勒着双龙出海抹额,穿着白蟒箭袖,面如春花,目如点漆。北静王笑道:“名不虚传,果然如宝似玉。冶问:“衔的那宝贝在哪里?冶宝玉见问,连忙从衣内取出,递于北静王。北静王细细看了。又念了那上头的字,因问:“果灵验否?冶贾政忙道:“虽说如此,只是未曾试过。冶北静王一面称奇,一面理顺彩带,亲手与宝玉带上,又携手问宝玉几岁,现读何书。宝玉一一答应。(《红楼梦》第十五回)这一围绕宝玉身上佩带的一块玉在宝玉和北静王之间展开的一番对话,七次说到北静王,六次提到宝玉。但作者都不以代词替代,而是不厌其烦地用名词一一重复。现代汉语小说,运用代词指代人名的情况多了起来,但是在用代词指代无生命的东西或抽象概念时,还是倾向与原词重复,主要原因是当有两个以上可能充当先行词的时候,用代词往往会指代不清。而英语不管是指称人名、动物名、地名,还是指称无生命的东西或抽象概念,照样用代词,受影响不多。

[28]There will be a television chat show hosted by robots,and cars with pollution mo鄄nitors that will disable them when they offend.同时,将出现由机器人主持的电视访谈节目,和内有污染监测器的汽车,一旦汽车污染超标,监视器就会使其停驶。

显然如果译文是”……一旦它们超标,监视器就会使其停驶冶,就会产生理解上的困难。

[29]Its beginnings obscured by unemployment caused by the world economic slow鄄down,the new technological unemployment may emerge as the great socio鄄eco鄄nomic challenge of the end of the 20th century.新技术所引起的失业在开始时被全球性经济衰退所造成的失业掩盖了,但到了20世纪末,它却可能会成为重大的社会经济问题。

如果翻译成:“它一开始就由于全球性经济衰退所引起的失业而显得前景暗淡……。冶就会使读者不知所云。陆振慧(2002:325)对指称人物、动物、事物和概念时使用代词的情况统计表明:汉语在指称事物和抽象概念时,使用代词非常谨慎,只有7%和15%,而英语高达37%和49%。

下面我们再举一些例子:

[30]At last they came to a little river called the Rubicon.It was the boundary line of Caesar蒺s province of Gaul,on the other side of it was Italy.最后,他们来到了一条叫做卢比孔的小河边,这条小河是恺撒管辖的高卢省的边界线,河那边就是意大利。(James Baldwin,“Cross the Rubicon冶,徐栋良译)[31](黛玉嗑着瓜子儿,只管抿着嘴笑。)可巧黛玉的丫鬟雪雁走来与黛玉送小手炉。(《红楼梦》)Now her maid Hsueh鄄yen brought in her little hand鄄stove.

[32]Why are we ignorant of this gigantic,obvious truth?The main reason is surely that the Chinese themselves lost sight of it.If the very originators of the inven鄄tions and discoveries no longer claim them,and if even their memory of them has faded,why should their inheritors trouble to resurrect their lost claims?(Robert Temple:The West蒺s Debt to China)为什么我们对这个巨大而明显的事实全然不知呢?最重要的原因当然是中国人自己忘记了这个事实。如果发明者和发现者本人不再要求这些发明和发现的所有权,如果连他们对于这些发明和发现的记忆都已经逐渐消失,他们的继承人又何必费神要求恢复他们失去的所有权呢?(《21世纪大学英语教师参考书》第四册)[33]今天,人类最沉重的负担是军备竞赛,军备竞赛残酷地把我们带向灾难的边缘。“我们有责任制止并逆转军备竞赛,以防止军备竞赛扩散到外层空间。冶(陆振慧)Today,the heaviest burden on mankind蒺s shoulders was the arms race,which was inexorably bringing it to the edge of an abyss.“It is our duty to stop and then to reverse it,to prevent it from spreading to space.冶(Mikhai Gor鄄bachev,“Today,the Heaviest Burden on Mankind蒺s Shoulder Is the Arms Race冶)我们可以看到汉语在指称非生命事物尤其是抽象概念时基本不用代词,而英语基本不受影响。当然不同的语体,使用频率有差异。如说明文、议论文、法律和科技文体等代词的使用频率就低一些。同样在演说文体、广播新闻中,考虑听者的注意力和理解力等因素,代词使用也比较注意,凡是容易引起模糊的地方都用名词重复。

3.3.2.4同义词

同义词是音形不同但具有完全一样或非常接近的意思的一对或一对以上的词。就其分类上来说,同义词分为两大类:一类是完全同义词(perfect synonyms),另一类是相对同义词(partial synonyms)。所谓完全同义词是指不受(或较少受)语体、感情、对象和搭配等影响,能够随意替换的等义词,汉语中土豆马铃薯、维生素维他命、话筒麦克风,英语中的malnutrition undernourishment (营养不良)。这种情况比较少,因为如两个词语的语体、感情等各方面都一致的话,根据经济原则,必须有一个词语要从词汇系统中退出,这就是阻断效应。因此绝大多数同义词是相对同义词,即受语体、感情和搭配等影响,不能随意替换的同义词。从词语变化的角度,我们感兴趣的是:i)语言中同义词的数量,尤其是同义词群的大小;ii)受语体、感情、对象和搭配等方面影响较小,能够在一定语境中可以替换的同义词的数量。

我们知道英语在其发展中,不断吸收了各民族的词汇,借词达到90%以上。正如Baugh(1978)指出,”英语同义词丰富主要是由于拉丁语,法语和本族语的混合所致冶。来自各语言、表示同一意义的外来词,加上本族语词,形成了极为丰富的同义词群。如“格言冶的意思,英语本族语已有saying,又从法语、希腊语、拉丁语和意大利语中借入proverb、aphorism、precept、motto。外来词和本族词,外来词和外来词之间形成许多成对和三个一组的同义词:

answerreplyhideconceal

helpaidworlduniverse

buypurchasefriendlyamicable

mightpowerhousemansion

shareportionpartbreakseverseparate askinquireinterrogatefearterrortrepidation endfinishconcludetimeageepochrisemountascendfastfirmsecure wearyfatiguedexhausedyieldgrantconcede尽管这些词在语体上有一定的差异,但不是很大,绝大多数可以替换,可以出现在一个语体中。英语同义词群的丰富还由于外来词和本族词组成的动词短语形成的同义词:

choosepick upabandongive up

encountercome acrosspostponeput off

implementcarry outwithdrawpull out

disintegratebreak upsurrendergive in

explodeblow upinvestigatelook into

participatetake part inendureput up with

reducecut downdemandcall for

concentratebuild updispensehand out

promotemove uparrangementlayout

短语动词属于中性语体,语域宽度大,适应于从一般的口语语体到一般的书面语体,因此替换的价值也是较高的。这样随着英语词汇的不断发展,同义词群随之形成,形成有四五个,甚至更多个的同义词群。如:

动词类:

离开:leave,depart,quit,retire,withdraw 承认:admit,own,concede,confess,acknowledge 显示:reveal,show,indicate,exhibit,demonstrate提高:increase,boost,enhance,improve,upgrade,raise批评:criticise,blame,reprehend,censure,condemn,denounce,reproach,slash增长:grow up,mount,rise,go up,gain in发现:discover,disclose,ascertain,unearth,learn,identify,find,reveal,come upon描述:describe,portray,picture,recount,report,narrate,delineate得到:get,attain,obtain,acquire,gain,procure提供:give,supply,provide,offer,furnish结束:end,finish,terminate,cease,stall,bring sth.to a close完成:finish,end,conclude,complete,terminate,end up,wind up,finalize利用:use,employ,apply,make use of,take advantage of,utilize,make the most of,exploit,draw on,harness,capitalize on宣布:announce,declare,publish,proclaim保卫:defend,protect,guard,safeguard修理:mend,repair,patch,rebuild,remodel颤抖:tremble,shake,shiver,shudder,quiver,quake想要:want,wish,hope,desire,long,aspire,crave for,thirst for,yearn for,hunger for形容词类:

显然:clear,plain,distinct,obvious,evident,apparent 简洁:brief,terse,condensed,short,succinct 虚假:artificial,unnatural,affected,false,spurious笨拙:awkward,clumsy,ungraceful,ungainly,embarrassing,unskilful免费:free,gratuitous,gratis,complimentary,costless快速:fast,quick,rapid,swift

漂亮:pretty,handsome,beautiful,pleasant鄄looking 劳累:tired,weary,exhausted,fatigable 安静:quiet,calm,still,silent焦急:anxious,concerned,worried

肥胖:fat,obese,portly,plump,stout,corpulent特异:strange,odd,weird,unusual,unconventional,uncommon,unorthodox,offbeat,unique名词类。