英语毕业论文：汉英语颜色词对比分析.doc

1TheContrastofColorTermsbetweenEnglishandChineseInbothChineseandEnglishThereareagreatnumberofcolortermsexpressingthecolorsintheworldColortermsareapartoflanguageandcolortermstranslationisimportantintodayssocietyLotsofclassicworksarerichwithcolortermsCorrectandaccuratecolortermstranslationhelpstotransmitthemeaningofthesourcetextLanguagebelongstocultureCulturalbackgroundscausesdifferencesbetweenEnglishandChineseColortermsareendowedwithvariousemotionsbetweenEnglishandChineseItisnecessarytolearntheculturalconnotationofcolortermsbeforelearningthenationslanguageThisthesisfirstlygivethedefinitionofcolortermsInthispartitisemphasizedtheclassificationandthefunctionofcolortermsFromthepartofclassificationwewillintroduceitonebyoneAsthepartoffunctionitsmainlyintroducethreefunctionsnamelyinformativefunctionemotivefunctionandperformativefunctionSecondlyitgivetheappropriateapplicationintranslatingbasiccolortermstheappropriateapplicationplayanimportantrolesintranslationWeillustratethispointbytheusagesandculturalconnotationofbasiccolortermsThirdlyweintroducethetranslationtechniquesofcolortermswemainlyintroducefourkindsoftranslationtechniquestheyarecreativetranslationliberaltranslationliteraltranslationandannotationFromOxfordadvancedLearnersEnglishandChineseDictionarycoloristheappearancethatthingshavethatresultsfromthewayinwhichtheyreflectlightAndallofthosetermsusedtodescribecolorsarecalledcolortermsBothEnglishandChinesehaveabundantvocabularyofcolorwordsThecolortermsplayanimportant颜色词中的中英对比翻译2roleincultureandcommunicationTheyhavethespeciallinguisticfunctionsandculturalimplicationsTheyintroducetheconsciousnesstothecolorineachnationsanditstraditionalcultureThesamecolorhasdifferentmeaningsindifferentcontextswhichisdecidedbytheculturalbackgrounds11ClassificationofColorTermsItsmainlywehavetwokindsofcolortermsBasiccolortermsmeanwordsusedtodescribethecolorofobjectswhentheyappearBasiccolortermsoriginatedfromAngloSaxonincludingsevenkindsofcolorsInEnglishthereareredorangeyellowgreenblueindigoandvioletHoweverduringthesesevencolorwordseachhasdifferentsymbolicmeaningsbetweenthetwocountriesbecausedifferentlanguagemightusedifferentcolortermstodescribethesameobjectorphenomenonNowIdliketointroducethemonebyoneARedRedistraditionallyusedbyChinesepeopletoexpresshappinessluckandprosperousnessaswellastheEnglishspeakingcountriesSotherearelotsofsimilaritiesinusingitItusuallyappearsinvariousfestivalsforexamplepeopledecoratetheirhouseswithredlanternsanddoubletsOnweddingceremonypeopleputuptheredcharacterxithebrideisdressedinredthebridegroomwearsaredfloweronhisbreastTheredflagmeansdignityEnglishpeopleusearedcarpettowelcomeaVIPAredcarpetvisitor上宾TheredletterdaymeansholidayssuchasChristmasandotherspecialdaysThesedaysareprintedinredoncalendarsratherthaninblackforordinarydaysitoftenconnectswithsuccessandimportanceThephrasegivesomebodyaredcarpetofreceptionmeansmakeawarmwelcometosomeimportantpersonRedalsomeanssomeoneishealthyandsanguinebothinChinaandtheEnglishspeakingcountriesForexampleafineoldgentlemenwithafaceasredasaroseThesesentencemeansthattheoldgentlemenisveryhealthyandsanguineRedisoftenusedtoshowsomeemotionsinEnglishandalsoassociatedwithangeranddangerForexamplebecomeredfacedturnredandseeredFireengineandalarmareprintedasredtoshowdangerinChinaTheexpressionredbottlemeanssong3winerybottleandtheexpressionredvengeancemeansrockingofbottlevengeanceTheseexpressioncanfindthecorrectvocabularybothinEnglishandinChineseBBlackBlackisnotagoodwordbothinChineseandinEnglishspeakingcountriesInChinesetraditionalcultureblacksymbolizessorryanddeathForexampleinChinesefuneralpeopleusuallywearablackarmbandtoshowtheirmournstothedeathrelativeBlackontheonehandisusedtodescribeevilandreactionarylike黑心肠meanssomebodyisveryeviland黑帮isagrouppfpeoplewhodothingsopposedtolowBlackontheotherhandstandforsolemnityChinesepeopleusuallywearblackinsomeformalsoccasionsBlackalsostandsforillegalnessforinstance黑店isthehotelwhichdoesillegaldealsInwesterncountriesblackisatabooedcolorwhichstandsfordarknessitmeanshopelessnesssadnessormelancholyForinstanceblackfuturemeanshavenofutureblackdespairmeansverygreatdespairablackdaymeansveryangryablackmoodisinbadmoodBlackmeansevilorwickedforexampleablackdeedmeansdoingsomethingagainstonesconscienceBlackalsostandsforsolemnityanddignityinthisaspectitissameasChineseblacksuitisthewesternersfavoritetraditionaldressInsolemnoccasionstheofficialsandcelebritieswouldbeprettytodressinblackCWhiteWhenthecolorwhiteisusedexpressthemeaningspotlesslyThereareextremelysimilarpointinEnglishandinChineseTherearephrasesasreturnmepure还我清白andquiteclear清清白白inChineseThewhitealsosymbolizesthepurethingsForexamplewhengettingmarriedthebridealwayswearsthelongwhiteskirtandveilbecauseitshowsthatbrideispureandtheweddingisscaredWhiteinChinesetraditionalcultureisabasictaboocolorItmeansbereavementandstandsfordeathandillomenPeoplewholostrelativesusewhitepaperwearwhiteclothesandwhitecapsandthefuneraliscalled白事InChinesefeudalsocietythecommonpeoplewereforbiddentodressinanyotherdressexceptwhitesotheywerecalled白衣thepersonwithnopositionare白丁or白身theirhousesare白屋WhiteinwesterncountriesisanesteemedcolorItstandsforpurifyhonesty颜色词中的中英对比翻译4uprightnessandluckForexampleatweedingallthebrideswearwhiteawhitedaymeansaluckydayawhitegirlmeansaninnocentgirlwhitemanmeanstrustymanHoweverwhitealsohasderogatorymeaningsForexampleshowthewhitefeatherwhitelippedafacewhitewithfearaswhiteasasheetareallexpressionsofactinginacrowardlywayWhiteflagsymbolizesgivinguponsomethingDYellowInChinesetraditionalcultureyellowisthesymbolofoldchina黄袍istheemperorsdress黄屋istheprodamationpublishedbyhimand黄道吉日meansanauspiciousdayHoweveryellowinmodernChinahasderogatorymeaningsuchas黄色书刊黄色录像hereyellowhasanextendedmeaningofobscenityandpornographyYellowinthewesterncountriesmostlyhasnegativemeaningsherearesomeexamplesyellowalertmeansalertinadvanceayellowdogmeanscomtemptiblepersonYellowlooksmeanssuspiciouslooksyellowstreakmeanstendingtobecrowdandchickenheartedYellowinEnglishspeakingcountriesalsohassomeparticularmeaningswhichhavenorelationshipwithmoodforexampletheyellowpagesisthetelephonedirectoryEGreenIntheChinesetraditionalcultureGreensymbolizeseverythingthatgrowsInthefeudalsocietythedressofthegovernmentofficialonalowerlevelwasregularizedtobegreensoitalsosymbolizeshumble青山绿袍isasymboloflowpositionintheofficialcareerAndinChineseifwesayamanwearsagreencapitmeansthathiswifeisntloyaltohimGreeninwesterncountriesusuallystandsforimmaturityinexperiencedandeasilybeingfooledForinstanceagreenhandoragreenhornreferstoasimpleandinexperiencedandeasilydeceivedpersonGreenisoftenusedtodescribeextremeenvygreeneyedmeansjealousGreenisthesymbolofflourishingvigorForexampleagreenoldageisassociatedwithanoldbutvigorousmanorwomantoremaingreenforevermeanstokeepfreshandvigorousforeverFPurpleInChineseculturepurplesymbolizesnobilityanddignityItismore5oftenadoptedbythefeudalemperorsandtheTaoismTheemperorspalaceis紫禁城theforbiddencity紫气meansauspiciousairTheTaoismbookare紫书theplacewhichthedeitylivesinis紫台InmodernChinawehave红得发紫todescribepopularityInEnglishpurplesharesalmostthesameconnotationasChineseIntheeyeofwesternerspurpleisthesymbolofemperorandpowertobeborninthepurplemeanstobeborninaroyalfamilytoberaidedtothepurplemeanstobepromotedtothepositionasapopemarrytothepurplemeansmarrytoafamilyofhighsocialposition陈亚平LanguageTeachingandLinguisticstatus北京语言学院出版社purplecanbealsouseddescribeliteraturesuchaspurplepatchesmeanspompouspassagesGBlueItseemsthatChineseusuallyassociatebluewithseaandskyItindicatespeaceandserenityandcanarouseustoyearnforabetterfutureForexampleweoftenhearthepoliticalwords蓝图whichmeanstheplanhopeandhasbroughtfutureHoweverinthewesterncountriesblueisoftenusedtodescribeonesemotionsitdoesnotassociatewithhappinessandimaginationbutgloomanddepressionLookatthefollowingsentencesitwasblueMondaymeansitwasboringMondayIaminabluemoodmeansIamsadorgloomyBluealsomeansindelicacyobscenitysuchasbluefilmbluetalkBlueisalsooftenassociatedwithhighsocialstatusorbeingaristocraticForexampleheisarealbluebloodmeansheisfromanaristocraticfamilyInadditioninUSabookwiththenamesoffamousfiguresespeciallytopgovernmentofficialsiscalledbluebookObjectcolortermsmeantermsusedtoindicatecolorswhicharethenamesofobjectsLotsofthesekindsofwordsexistinanykindsoflanguagessuchasgoldsilverorangeinEnglishand金黄色米色银色inChinese12FunctionsofColortermsCommonlyacolortermhasitsownfunctionInsourcelanguagetheauthoralways颜色词中的中英对比翻译6usesthecolortermstoexpresstheimageofthetext121InformativeFunctionForexamplethecolortermsusedinthefollowingtextformthelandscapeofanautumneveningThegroundwasacarpetofdeepreddishbrownintheglowofanautumneveningsuntemperedbythetreesYongbirchessprangupcaughtlightononesideandweresparklinggreentheretheshadowysidesofthestemswerewarmdeepblackgreenBehindthespalingsbehindthebrownishredsoilwasaverydelicateskybluishgreywarmhardlyblueallaglowAgainstitwereahazyborderofgreenandanetworkoflittlestemsandyellowishleavesAfewfiguresofwoodgatherswerewanderingaroundlikedarkmassesofmysteriousshadows122EmotiveFunctionThesecondfunctionofcolortermsisemotivefunctionItisacceptedthatdifferentcolorsgivepeopledifferentfeelingsExperiencesshowthatcolortermsarethebestwaytodescribeonesemotionAnexampleisquotedbelowthenthemourningcloudsintheeastturneddeepredandskyaboveshowedbluetheredcloudswerepiercedbygoldenraysinterweavingtospinamajesticglitteringwebinthesoutheasternskywiththecloudsaswefttheraysaswarpFieldstreesandwildgrasschangedtheircolorsfromdarkgreentobrightemeraldThisparagraphwastranslatedfromtherickshawboywrittenbyLaoSheThecolortermsdescribeXiangZisfeelingspecificallyafterhehadescapedfromdangerObviouslywithoutcolortermstheoriginallyimagescanhardlybereproducedintheversion123PerformativeFunctionItisfirstusedinLinguisticStudywrittenbyAustinandSearleColortermsindifferentlanguageshavedifferentsocialconnotationTwoexamplesaregivenasfllows7ThegovernmenthasgiventhegreenlighttoSundaytreading政府已经允许星期日贸易2Therewasnoquestionoftherepublicansthrowinginthetowelorshowingthewhiteflag共和党人不会认输这是毫无疑问的InthefirstexampletheEnglishtermgreeninthephrasegivesomebodythegreenlightmeansallowingandadmittingsomethingInthesecondexamplethephraseshowsthewhiteflagmeansacceptingdefeatRenderingtheEnglishtermgreenandwhitesimplybytheChineseequivalentsof绿and白wouldresultintoasignificantlossofthemetaphor21TheUsagesofBasicColorTermsEitherinEnglishorChinesebasiccolortermscanbeusedasnounsverbsadjectivesandadverbsinthecontextForexample这是一个高大身材长头发眼球白多黑少的人Thespeakerwasatallburlyfellowwithlonghairandmorewhitethanblacktohiseyes姑太太说到这里一顿轻轻吁了一口气眼圈儿也像有点红了MrsTupausedandsignedslightlyhereyesreddeningattheedgesObviouslybasiccolortermsaretranslatedindifferentformsaccordingtothecontextInthefirstexample白多黑少isrenderedintomorewhitethanblackwhichsoundsmoresmoothlyInthesecondexample红isputintoreddeninginsteadofturningredInthefourthexamplewithrenderingtheEnglishtermgreyblackintoChinesecolorterm灰黑thestyleandthemeaningbecomesimilarintwolanguagesBasiccolortermscanalsobeputtogetherwithotherwordstoindicatethestateofcolor我们的船向前走两岸的青山在黄昏中都装成了深黛颜色连着退向稍去颜色词中的中英对比翻译8AswesetoffthegreenmountainsonthetwobankbecamedeepblueintheduskrecedingtowardsthesternoftheboatFromthetranslationversionsabovebasiccolortermsareusedinthreedifferentkindsofformsshowingthedifferentkindsofsourcelanguageIncertaininstancestheselectionofanappropriatecolortermtofitthecontextinvolvesanumberofsubtlefactors22BasicColorTermsCulturalConnotationinChineseandEnglishDifferentnationshavedifferentculturesandtakedifferentcolorsasspecialAwellknownlegendWangAnshiagreatpoetscholaroftheSongDynastywasoncetravelinginaremotepartofChinaandhesawapoemwrittenbyayoungauthorWangAnshiunderstoodonecoupleofthepoemwhichreadsAmoonissingingintheskyAndayellowdogliesintheflowerHeassumedthattheremustbeamistakeinthepoemsohequicklytookouthiswritingbrushandcorrectedthelinesasthefollowingThemoonisshiningintheskyAndtheyellowdogliesintheflowersWangAnshicorrectedtheliessothattheycouldbereadmoresensiblyandhethenshowedhiscorrectionstohisfriendslivinginthelocalityHesoonfoundouthoweverthathiscorrectionhadbeenquitemistakenforthewordwhichhehadinterpretedasThemoondidnotreallymeanmooninthelocallanguagebutreferredtoabirdintheareaSimilarlythetermforyellowdogintheoriginallypoemwasreallythenameofatypeofinsectWangAnshihadmadetwomistakesFirstlyhedidnotcheckthemeaningofsuchwordsinthelocaldialectsecondlyhewasperhapstooanxioustomakepoetrycompletelylogicalandreasonableButthefactisthatpoetryoftendoesseemillogicalandanomalous9AsapartofvocabularycolortermshavedifferentconnotationsintwodifferentlanguagesItiscertainthatcolorisrelatedtothehistoryChineseterm黄hasmanysymbolicmeaningintraditionalChineseculture黄asthehonorablecolorcanonlybeusedinanimperialfamilyEnglishtermpurplehasthesamemeaningas黄inChineseForinstancethephrasetobeborninthepurplemeansthatthepersonislivinginanimperialfamilyTraditionallythetwomajortranslationorientationshavebeenliteraltranslationandfreetranslationThiscontrasthasbeenprimarilyamatteroffocusSometranslatorshavebeenquitewillingtosacrificetheformalelementsofthetargetlanguageandeventheintelligibilityofthetargetlanguagetextforthesakeofpreservingwhatisregardastheintegrityofthesourcetextBecauseofthecomplexityandvarietyofbothkindofcolortermsthedispositionofcolortermsintranslationfromChineseintoEnglishandviceversaisundoubtedlyamatterofimportanceInthisthesisweemphasisfourkindsoftranslationtechniquesforcolortermstheyarecreationliberaltranslationliteraltranslationandannotation31CreativeTranslationCreativetranslationreferstothetranslationwhichistotallydifferentfromtheoriginaltextinordertosatisfytheneedsoftargettextsreadersItisalsoakindoftranslationwhichabandonstheformbutkeepsthefaithtothecontextoforiginaltextThismethodisalwaysusedintranslatingthecolortermswithnonequivalenceinreferentialmeaningForexample1上面是铅色的天Abovewasthesaltysky2他很想换一份套子换上土黄或月白色儿的或者足以减去一点洗净劲颜色词中的中英对比翻译10儿Hefeltlikechangingthemetalworktosomethingbronzeormilkyincolortoliveitupabitinthefirstinstance铅色cannotbetranslatedintoleadcoloredOtherwisetheoriginalimagemayhaveachangeInthesecondinstancemoonandmilkrefertothesamecolorbutmilkismorefamiliartoEnglishspeakersFaithfulnessshouldbethefirstchoicewhenatranslatormeetsdifficulties32LiberalTranslationLiberaltranslationisalsocalledfreetranslationwhichdoesnotadherestrictlytotheformorwordorderoftheoriginalFreetranslationmeansthatthetranslatorfocusesonthemostsignificantpartofthetextwhileleavingouttheinsignificantpartforflexibilityInawordfreetranslationdoesnotpayattentiontothestyleoftheoriginaltextincludingthestructureofthesentencetheuseofwordsmetaphorandothertropesInviewofcolorphrasetranslationtheexpressionformofsomecolorsentencesdiffersgreatlyAndthemetaphorusedinoriginallanguagedoesnotaccordwiththeusageoforiginallanguagewordTakelookattheworldthroughrosecoloredglassesfromthesentenceWhenAnnagraduatedfromhighschoolshelookedattheworldrosecoloredglassesforexamplethephraselookattheworldthroughrosecoloredglassesmeansseetheproblemstoooptimisticallyliteraltranslationwillbetohaveontherosecoloredglassesreadersdonotunderstandwhatitmeansIfthissentenceistranslatedinliteraltranslationreaderswillbelostandunabletograspthekeypointsormainideaThereforewemustadoptfreetranslationandshowreadersclearlytherealmeaningfortheexpressionontheotherhandsomecolorwordshavetheamplifyingmeaningForthispurposewecantotallyneglectthecolorexpressionoftheoriginaltextandtranslatethemwithproperwordsaccordingtothemeaningoftheoriginaltextForinstanceagreenhandandpinksliparecorrectlytranslatedIncontrastifunderacertainlinguisticcontextthesymbolicmeaningofacolorexpressionbearsdifferentimplicationsintwolanguagesweneedtotaketheapproachoffreetranslationintheprocessofourtranslatingHervisitcameoutoftheblue11ThestoreisrunningintheblueAndheisasblackasheispaintedThesethreesentencesarethetypicalsamplesAstocolorexpressiononsubjectsusuallyusedinonekindoflanguageratherthaninanotherkindoflanguagewecannotfindanothercolorexpressiononobjectstoexpressthemintargetlanguageAtthistimewedbettertakefreetranslationorexpressthembymajorcolorexpressionsAlltheseexamplesneedtobetranslatedinfreetranslation33LiteralTranslationLiuChongdeaprofessorpointedoutliteraltranslationmeanstoreappearthecontentandstyleoftheoriginalatthesametimeitshouldkeeptheformoftheoriginalsuchaswordorderandsentencestructureGenerallyspeakingliteraltranslationhelpstokeepthestyleoftheoriginalandpromotetheinterchangebetweenculturesForinstance天下乌鸦一般黑Crowsareblackallovertheworld晴天霹雳aboltfromtheblue红卫兵theRedGuard群山绿油油的真美丽Themountainswerebeautifullygreen你再多说一句咱们白刀子进去红刀子出来SayonewordmoreandIllburyawhitebladeinyouandpullitoutredOntheotherhandliteraltranslationmeansthattranslatorsshouldtrytheirbesttokeepthelanguagestyleoftheoriginalworkMeanwhileitrequiresthetargetlanguagetobesmoothandeasytounderstandTakethemajorcolorsasanexamplethemeaningofthemintwolanguagesarequitesimilarinthenaturalworldRedyellowbluegreenblackwhitepurplecanbetranslatedinliteraltranslationForinstancetheblueskyisthesameasitisarrangedinChineselanguageAnotherexampleisthathewearsablackcoatThisEnglishsentenceisexactlyarrangedintheorderofChineseexpressionWhiletranslatingthesymbolicmeaningofthemajorcolorexpressions颜色词中的中英对比翻译12translatorscandealwiththeminliteralformifacertaincolorwordhasthesamesymbolicmeaningintwolanguagesinacertainlinguisticcontextCiteanexampleAfricannationsgoingredThisEnglishsentencecanbearrangedinthewordformationinChineseindifferentorderRedpowerThisEnglishphraseisexpressedexactlyinthesameorderofChineseone34AnnotationAnnotationispossiblewhenthetranslationlosesthemeaninginsourcetextWhitegoodsconsume80percentoftheelectricityinhisapartment他家的白色家电消耗的电量占到80人人都说她是个白骨精EverybodysayssheistheWhiteBonedDemonanevilspiritwhooftentooktheguiseofacharmingyoungwomaninthenovelPilgrimagetothewestByannotationtheimpliedmeaningofcolourtermsintwoinstancesaremoreaccurateandclearInthefirstinstancetheterm白色doesnotmeanthegoodswithwhitecolourbutreferstosomespecificelectricalappliancesInthesecondinstancealthoughtheboneiswhiteherethephrasewhiteintheBonedDemonreferstoanevilpersonGenerallyspeakingnomistakewouldcreepintotheversionifadefiniteequivalenceexistsintargetlanguageThusitismoreimportanttofindasuitabletranslationtechniquefordifferentcolourtermsColortermsisthemostactivepartinlanguageItcandirectlyreflectthesocialchangesandculturaldevelopmentMoreovercolortermsisthemirrorofsocietyandcultureThroughtheanalysisofcolortermsdefinitioninEnglishandChineseweshouldchoosesuitableformstotransmittheaccurateculturalconnotationsofbasiccolorterms13masterthecharacteristicsofbasiccolortermsWiththedevelopmentofglobalizationandtheintensifiedinternationalcontactsitismoreandmorenecessarytolearnculturesofdifferentcountriesColourtermsinChineseandEnglishareinfluencedbytheculturaldevelopmentintheirsocietiesBecauseofthecomplexityandvarietyofbothvocabulariesthedispositionofcolourtermsintranslationfromChineseintoEnglishandviceversaisundoubtedlyamatterofimportanceMoreovermasteringcolourtermstranslationimprovestheabilitiesoftranslationpracticeandpromotecrossculturalcommunication颜色词中的中英对比翻译141JiMingpingThesocialculturalmeaningofEnglishcolorwordisanalyzedJ郑州大学学报19972包惠南文化语境与语言翻译M北京中国对外翻译出版公司20013范仲英实用英语翻译M北京外语教学与研究出版社19944简易民汉语和英语颜色词的文化分析J大理学院学报5朱海媛汉英色彩的文化内涵及翻译J柳州职业技术学院学报2006066熊婷英汉语言中颜色词的对比翻译J南宁职业技术学院学报2006037卢红梅华夏文化与汉英翻译M武汉大学出版社20068毛荣贵廖晟译朝译夕M北京中国对外翻译出版公司200515AcknowledgementsIwanttoexpressmysincerethankstoQinghaiNationalitiesUniversitytotheSchoolofForeignLanguagesinparticularfortheirmotherlynurturingandselflessinstructionduringmyfouryearsstudyMygratitudegoestoProfessorXiaoHuaZhangmysupervisorforherconsistentassistancevaluablesuggestionsgreatencouragementandenlightenmentintheprocessofmyessaywritingMyheartfeltthanksalsogoestotheotherteachersfortheirpatientguidancewhichbenefitmealotduringtheyearsofmystudyinghereIreallylearntalotfromthemMythanksalsogoestothoseauthorsandwhoseworkshadbeenreferredtoandwhosewordsandideasbeenquotedinmyessayFinallyIamalsogratefultomyfriendsandclassmateswhoseencouragementandhelpwillalwaysberememberedandcherished