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【摘要】:由于定语从句的句子结构独特而又复杂,因此它在日常生活中的运用也更加广泛和频繁,已经成为人与人交流的必不可少的工具。然而,对定语从句的早期研究主要集中在词汇和句法层面。近年来,随着研究的不断深入,一些语言学家开始逐渐发现定语从句的语篇功能。本文将进一步讨论并总结定语从句的语篇功能来帮助读者更好地实现成功交际的目的。
【关键词】:定语从句;语篇功能;成功交际
语言学家Halliday曾提出语言的功能之一即语篇功能。首先,语篇是实际使用的语言单位,是一次交际过程中的一系列连续的语段或句子构成的语言整体。其次,语篇功能是用语篇的知识来完全理解整篇文章。最后,语篇功能的运用有助于我们找到理解语篇的线索。
然而,一方面定语从句作为英语中的复合句,其复杂的句型结构对英语学习者来说既不好理解更不容易掌握,因此成为人们成功交际的障碍;另一方面,定语从句作为日常生活中最常用的语法之一又不可避免要用到。所以本文着重研究定语从句的语篇功能,从而促进人们成功交际。
定语从句包括限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句。然而,以前的研究却只关注限制性定语从句而忽视了非限制性定语从句。所以本文从限制性和非限制性定语从句两方面出发,旨在帮助英语学习者更好地理解并运用定语从句的语篇功能。
一、定语从句的两大基本功能
Schachter(1971), Fox(1987), Thompson(1990), and Nugsamee(2003)曾对此讨论并表明其两大基本功能:
1.定位:定语从句可用来定位所指并帮助听者或读者确定先前的话语所指(王思涵,2010)2.描述:定语从句可用来描述、修饰在前文中引入的作为新信息流的所指。
Eg1: They went to Zhejiang last week where they met Alisa, their foreign teacher.
Eg2: More accurate information about the moon has been gained by astronomers who have used advanced telescopes.
二、定语从句在复合句中的功能
1.因果关系:
Eg:Thomson arrived from Poland to deliver the book of his ancestor to the Library Company which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the book. (李一恩,2008).
2.对比关系:
Eg:I happened to meet Mrs. Susan in the campus, whom I didn’t recognize at once.(杨桂芳,2011).
3.结果关系:
Eg:Many cars and buses are jammed at the crossing, which made it impossible for us to go to work on time.
4.目的关系:
Eg:The Southern States set up a separate state of their own, in which they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves.
5.让步关系:
Eg: She insisted on buying another new house, which she had no use for(李悦,2006).
6.条件关系:
Eg: The past experience, which is not forgotten, is the guide for the future.
7.解释、补充
Eg1:Despite his glorious past, he has become the people’s enemy at last, which is a good lesson for all of us.
Eg2:He lived in Russia, during which time he learned Russian.
8.时间关系:
Eg: It was an extreme disappointment when I had to put off the visit which I had intended to pay to Korean in July (卢洁, 2013).
9.空间关系:
Eg: The particles move faster in the place where the body is being heated.
三、定语从句在语篇中的功能
1.引入新信息作为主题从而提高结构上的连贯性
众所周知,定语从句用来修饰句子中的先行词,所以定语从句中的主句可以引出旧信息,从句可以引入新信息。如此,通过定语从句的运用,被引入的新信息充当了整个语篇的新主题。同时从结构上讲,新主题被自然引入的过程也避免了英语语篇的重复从而提高了语篇结构的连贯性。
Eg: The only student who was late for the math class was John. He slipped into the classroom, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t notice him. (解析:第一句引入新信息John,第二句中用he代替。)
2.避免重复,力求简洁
英语强调形合,形合为了避免重复要求词汇和短语必须足够简洁。因此,定语从句可以起到避免重复的功能。
Eg: The cat killed the rat that ate the cake that was put on the table that Tom made.
(解析:例句中主句后扩展了三个定语从句来分别引入新信息,可以被拆开变成四个简单句。)
3.提供背景信息
有时我们会看到文章开篇第一段的一个句子里面包含了好几个定语从句,它们引入了不同的信息来修饰不同的先行词,并且后面的句子会对前面句子所引入的信息作进一步详细的讨论。因此,我们可以认为定语从句提供了背景信息。
Eg: Rogue’s wife in the film was Alice who was brave enough to resist her husband who could not control himself with beauties and money.
(解析:例句引入了主人公Alice,并描述了她的性格特点,因此我们不难想到后文会解释为什么他足够勇敢去反抗他的丈夫。)
4.扩展句子
英语是右分支语言,因而它可以通过在主句后不断增加从句从而达到扩展句子的目的。如此一来,这个被扩展的句子在结构上会变得更加复杂,但同时也给读者提供了理解语篇的更多信息。
Eg: One of the ugliest fight of Lister’s career was with the Glassgow Infirmary where he had started his practice of antiseptic surgery, for they bitterly resented an attack upon the position of their building, which happened to be built a few feet above a cholera pit where hundreds of bodies were still decaying (牛双虹,2004)!
(解析:例句的主句后虽有一系列连续的定语从句,但整个句子被扩展的同时也详细地描述了事件内容。)
5.加强交际
定语从句的使用是如此广泛且频繁以至于成为人们生活中必不可少的一部分。所以我们学好定语从句从而加强人际沟通就变得很有必要,因为它不仅仅是书面上更是语言上的交流。
Eg: A: What kind of universities do you like?
B: I like the universities that are equipped with more modern devices.
A: That sounds great.
B: Yes. Universities are places where we can broaden our horizons.
(解析:从这个简短的对话中,我们可以知道主人公用两个定语从句表明自己喜欢何种类型的大学及其原因,从而实现了成功交际。)
从语篇功能的角度来讲,有关定语从句的研究还不够具体和详细。本文全面分析了定语从句的语篇功能,希望英语学习者可以运用到日常生活中,最终达到成功交际的目的。
参考文献:
[1]李一恩.which定语从句的语法特点及语用功能.[J] .《时代英语》.2008.
[2]李 悦.初探英语翻译中定语从句的翻译技巧.[J] .《科技视界》.2013.
[3]卢 洁.从“功能对等”理论看英语定语从句的多变状语翻译.[J] .《蚌埠学院学报》.2013.
[4]牛双虹.汉译英:英语定语从句的使用. [J] .《中国科技翻译》.2004.
[5]王思涵.英语限定性定语从句的语篇功能. [J] .《东北财经大学》.2010.
[6]杨桂芳.《从语义视角看英语定语从句的翻译》.[J] .吉林广播电视大学学报.2011.
【关键词】:定语从句;语篇功能;成功交际
语言学家Halliday曾提出语言的功能之一即语篇功能。首先,语篇是实际使用的语言单位,是一次交际过程中的一系列连续的语段或句子构成的语言整体。其次,语篇功能是用语篇的知识来完全理解整篇文章。最后,语篇功能的运用有助于我们找到理解语篇的线索。
然而,一方面定语从句作为英语中的复合句,其复杂的句型结构对英语学习者来说既不好理解更不容易掌握,因此成为人们成功交际的障碍;另一方面,定语从句作为日常生活中最常用的语法之一又不可避免要用到。所以本文着重研究定语从句的语篇功能,从而促进人们成功交际。
定语从句包括限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句。然而,以前的研究却只关注限制性定语从句而忽视了非限制性定语从句。所以本文从限制性和非限制性定语从句两方面出发,旨在帮助英语学习者更好地理解并运用定语从句的语篇功能。
一、定语从句的两大基本功能
Schachter(1971), Fox(1987), Thompson(1990), and Nugsamee(2003)曾对此讨论并表明其两大基本功能:
1.定位:定语从句可用来定位所指并帮助听者或读者确定先前的话语所指(王思涵,2010)2.描述:定语从句可用来描述、修饰在前文中引入的作为新信息流的所指。
Eg1: They went to Zhejiang last week where they met Alisa, their foreign teacher.
Eg2: More accurate information about the moon has been gained by astronomers who have used advanced telescopes.
二、定语从句在复合句中的功能
1.因果关系:
Eg:Thomson arrived from Poland to deliver the book of his ancestor to the Library Company which he and his wife considered to be the best home for the book. (李一恩,2008).
2.对比关系:
Eg:I happened to meet Mrs. Susan in the campus, whom I didn’t recognize at once.(杨桂芳,2011).
3.结果关系:
Eg:Many cars and buses are jammed at the crossing, which made it impossible for us to go to work on time.
4.目的关系:
Eg:The Southern States set up a separate state of their own, in which they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves.
5.让步关系:
Eg: She insisted on buying another new house, which she had no use for(李悦,2006).
6.条件关系:
Eg: The past experience, which is not forgotten, is the guide for the future.
7.解释、补充
Eg1:Despite his glorious past, he has become the people’s enemy at last, which is a good lesson for all of us.
Eg2:He lived in Russia, during which time he learned Russian.
8.时间关系:
Eg: It was an extreme disappointment when I had to put off the visit which I had intended to pay to Korean in July (卢洁, 2013).
9.空间关系:
Eg: The particles move faster in the place where the body is being heated.
三、定语从句在语篇中的功能
1.引入新信息作为主题从而提高结构上的连贯性
众所周知,定语从句用来修饰句子中的先行词,所以定语从句中的主句可以引出旧信息,从句可以引入新信息。如此,通过定语从句的运用,被引入的新信息充当了整个语篇的新主题。同时从结构上讲,新主题被自然引入的过程也避免了英语语篇的重复从而提高了语篇结构的连贯性。
Eg: The only student who was late for the math class was John. He slipped into the classroom, hoping that the teacher wouldn’t notice him. (解析:第一句引入新信息John,第二句中用he代替。)
2.避免重复,力求简洁
英语强调形合,形合为了避免重复要求词汇和短语必须足够简洁。因此,定语从句可以起到避免重复的功能。
Eg: The cat killed the rat that ate the cake that was put on the table that Tom made.
(解析:例句中主句后扩展了三个定语从句来分别引入新信息,可以被拆开变成四个简单句。)
3.提供背景信息
有时我们会看到文章开篇第一段的一个句子里面包含了好几个定语从句,它们引入了不同的信息来修饰不同的先行词,并且后面的句子会对前面句子所引入的信息作进一步详细的讨论。因此,我们可以认为定语从句提供了背景信息。
Eg: Rogue’s wife in the film was Alice who was brave enough to resist her husband who could not control himself with beauties and money.
(解析:例句引入了主人公Alice,并描述了她的性格特点,因此我们不难想到后文会解释为什么他足够勇敢去反抗他的丈夫。)
4.扩展句子
英语是右分支语言,因而它可以通过在主句后不断增加从句从而达到扩展句子的目的。如此一来,这个被扩展的句子在结构上会变得更加复杂,但同时也给读者提供了理解语篇的更多信息。
Eg: One of the ugliest fight of Lister’s career was with the Glassgow Infirmary where he had started his practice of antiseptic surgery, for they bitterly resented an attack upon the position of their building, which happened to be built a few feet above a cholera pit where hundreds of bodies were still decaying (牛双虹,2004)!
(解析:例句的主句后虽有一系列连续的定语从句,但整个句子被扩展的同时也详细地描述了事件内容。)
5.加强交际
定语从句的使用是如此广泛且频繁以至于成为人们生活中必不可少的一部分。所以我们学好定语从句从而加强人际沟通就变得很有必要,因为它不仅仅是书面上更是语言上的交流。
Eg: A: What kind of universities do you like?
B: I like the universities that are equipped with more modern devices.
A: That sounds great.
B: Yes. Universities are places where we can broaden our horizons.
(解析:从这个简短的对话中,我们可以知道主人公用两个定语从句表明自己喜欢何种类型的大学及其原因,从而实现了成功交际。)
从语篇功能的角度来讲,有关定语从句的研究还不够具体和详细。本文全面分析了定语从句的语篇功能,希望英语学习者可以运用到日常生活中,最终达到成功交际的目的。
参考文献:
[1]李一恩.which定语从句的语法特点及语用功能.[J] .《时代英语》.2008.
[2]李 悦.初探英语翻译中定语从句的翻译技巧.[J] .《科技视界》.2013.
[3]卢 洁.从“功能对等”理论看英语定语从句的多变状语翻译.[J] .《蚌埠学院学报》.2013.
[4]牛双虹.汉译英:英语定语从句的使用. [J] .《中国科技翻译》.2004.
[5]王思涵.英语限定性定语从句的语篇功能. [J] .《东北财经大学》.2010.
[6]杨桂芳.《从语义视角看英语定语从句的翻译》.[J] .吉林广播电视大学学报.2011.