从英译汉的实例分析看英汉思维方式差异
[Abstract] Due to different cultures, English and Chinese people have formed their own modes of t hought, which influence their living ways greatly, especially their own languages. Mode of thoug ht is a very complicated abstract conception connected closely to philosophy. In this paper I will mainly concern on English individualism and Chinese entirety, because their difference is the most distinct one existing in modes of thought. English people prefer individualism, which leads them to subordinate the recognized objects into small parts. While Chinese people like entirety, they pr efer to take the world as a whole. Thinking patterns have been clearly reflected on languages, as a result of which English is hypotactic and Chinese is paratactic. This paper centers on the differen ces of hypotactic and paratactic characteristics in languages and their forming reasons—modes of thought. English people prefers to make good use of the hypotactic markers to link the sentence c omponents, while Chinese usually try to understand the world by their own intuition. In this paper the differences are explained through English-Chinese translation and the statistics are also given to prove them.
[Key Words] comparison; mode of thought; languages; English; Chinese
[摘要] 根源于不同的文化渊源,英汉两族人民形成了他们各自的思维模式。这种思维模式的差异深深地影响了他们的各种生活方式, 尤其体现在语言上。思维模式是一个非常复杂抽象的概念,与哲学密切相关。在这篇论文中我将主要阐释英民族的个体性思维和汉民族的整体性思维,因为它们之间的差异是思维模式中最突出的一面。英民族偏爱个体性思维,这使他们在认识世界时惯于将认知对象划分为小个体。然而,汉民族偏爱整体性思维,将世界看成一个整体。语言深刻地反映了思维模式的这种差异,因此就形成了英语的形合特征和汉语的意合特征。这篇论文侧重阐述语言中的形合和意合特征以及它们各种的形成原因----思维模式。英语民族的人民惯于利用形合标志连接句子成分,而汉民族却常常应用自身的直觉来体会世界。这篇论文将通过英译汉的翻译和统计数据来证实此观点。
[关键词] 英汉思维；对比；语言；英语；汉语
1. Introduction
The famous Whorf hypothesis thinks that languages have determining effects on modes of thought , which is formed relatively to languages and different languages will bring on different thinking p atterns.[1]p35 Liu Miqing(刘宓庆) holds the opinion that modes of thought has controlled over languages [2]p35, and languages a re the concrete manifestation of modes of thought. In my opinion, modes of thought decide the us e of languages, and the reasons how languages are influenced by modes of thought should be exa mined from their relationship.
Modes of thought and languages influence and reflect each other closely. “Thinking patterns, thou ght characteristics and thinking styles are the philosophical mechanism of language production. L anguage actually attaches closely to the thought that is the profound mechanism.”[3] p166 Thinki ng patterns are the deep-rooted mechanism of the forming and developing of languages, and on th e other hand languages help to promote the forming and developing of modes of thought. Langua ge is the carrier of thinking and abstraction of reality, and mode of thought is the conscious activit y in which people’s minds reflect and realize the objective reality.[4]p36 The differences between thinking patterns are the main reasons that result in the differences of language forms, so I think th e study of the features, the transition and the relationship of languages should be started with the st udy of modes of thought which connect closely with the cultures and the languages. English-Chin
