双关语及其翻译.docx

1、双关语及其翻译双关语及其翻译 Abstract English pun is one of the important figures of speech, and it is widely used in various literary works, such as poems, novels, stories, advertisements and riddles, etc. Based on the definitions of English pun, this paper points out that homonyms, homophones, and homographs ar

2、e available to construct puns. According to the characteristics and functions of their formation, Lv Xu divided English pun into three types, they are homophonic puns, homographic puns, puns on both pronunciation and meaning. English pun takes advantage of its distinctive features in nature and trie

3、s to produce ambiguity on purpose in order to get the effect of aiming at a pigeon and shooting at a crow. English puns can achieve many effects: humor, satire, vivid expression of the characters feelings, which can increase the beauty of language and improve readability in order to attract the read

4、ers interest. However, the translation of English pun is always considered to be extremely difficult. Many people even consider puns as “untranslatable”. Since there is much difference between Chinese and English in phonology and morphology, it is difficult to find equivalence both in sound and in m

5、eaning in the target language for a translator. But there is no source text that is absolutely untranslatable; the translation of puns is possible to a certain extent. This paper introduces 3 main types to translate English puns. They are literal translation, free translation, and annotated translat

6、ion. Key Words English pun; classification; characteristics; function; translation 【摘 要】 英语双关语是重要的修辞格之一,这种修辞格广泛运用于各种文学作品,如诗歌、小说、故事、广告及谜语中。本文在英语双关的定义基础上提出了同形同音异义词、同音异义词、同形异义词,这3种词可构成双关。并根据其结构成分所起的作用,再仔细地探讨了吕煦把英语双关主要分为三类:同音双关、同词双关、音义双关。英语双关利用其特有的本质特点,故意造成歧义,来达到言在此而意在彼的特殊效果。英语双关语的应用能起到一种诙谐幽默,冷嘲热讽,形象生动的

7、作用并能充分体现人物的性格特征,加强语言的美感,提高该作品的可读性来引起读者的兴趣。然而,英语双关语的翻译又是极其困难的,很多人甚至认为是不可译的,因为英汉两种语言的语音不同,两种语言的多义词并不能一一对应,但英语双关语还是存在一定的可译性。本文主要介绍3种主要翻译方法:直译法,意译法,注释法。 【关键词】 英语双关语;分类;本质特点;作用;翻译 1. Introduction In a certain context, a word or phrase that is relevant to two or more conceptions, ideas or feelings is ofte

8、n employed to make an expression more effective or humorous. This is achieved when there exists identity or similarity between certain words in such aspects as pronunciation, formation or meaning. This identity or similarity produces double meanings, which enables people to connect naturally the lit

9、eral meaning with the implied meaning. Of these two meanings, the implied meaning is the principal part. This is what we call the use of pun. “The use of pun dates back to ancient days. Shakespeare favored pun particularly. It is estimated that there are about 3000 puns employed in Shakespeares work

10、s 1.” The employment of pun in English novels, poems, speeches, advertisements and riddles makes them highly readable and prompts people to appreciate the beauty of language. And the translation of English puns into Chinese enhances the charm of the original works and the understanding of the versio

11、n. 2. Definition and classification of puns 2.1 Definition of puns Looking at the same issue from different perspectives, we may often come up with different definitions of the thing under discussion. And, not surprisingly, pun can be thus defined in many ways. There is such a humorous explanation a

12、bout pun: “punning to torture one poor word ten thousand ways (John Dryden)”2. In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, pun is defined as “An amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meanings, or words with the same sound but different meanings”3 . According to The Oxford English Dictionar

13、y, pun is defined as “the use of word in such a way as to suggest two or more meanings or different associations, or the use of two or more words of the same or nearly the same sound with different meanings, so as to produce a humorous effect”4. In Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics, pun i

14、s defined as “A figure of speech depending upon a similarity of sound and a disparity of meaning”5. From the above definitions, we can see that homonyms, homophones, and homographs all are available to construct puns with. 2.1.1 Homonyms A homonym is a word that is identical to another word in pronu

15、nciation and spelling but not in meaning 6. For example: (1) Can: n. & v. Put something in a container sp; Be able to (2) Change: v. To become different Change: n. Money in the form of coins (3) Bear: v. Sustain responsibility; endure difficulty, etc Bear: n. A kind of animal, having thick fur and w

16、alking on its soles (4) Book: n. A written or printed work Book: v. Engage (a seat etc.) in advance; make a reservation of 2.1.2 Homophones A homophone is a word that is identical to another word in pronunciation but not in spelling and meaning. For example: (5) Bale: n. A large bundle Bail: v. To r

17、emove water from a boat (6) Knew: v. Past of know New: adj. Of recent origin or arrival (7) Soul: n. Spiritual or immaterial part of man, held to survive death Sole: n. Lower surface of human or other foot (8) Pair: n. A set of two persons or things used together or regarded as a unit Pear: n. A yel

18、lowish or brownish-green fleshy fruit, tapering towards the stalk 2.1.3 Homographs A homograph is a word that is identical to another word in spelling but not in pronunciation and meaning. For example: (9) Minute: n. Sixtieth part of an hour Minute: adj. Very small; trifling (10) Digest: v. To chang

19、e food in the stomach into a form your body can use Digest: n. A short piece of writing that gives the most important facts from a book, report etc (11) Lead: v. Guide by the hand, direct movements of Lead: n. A kind of metal (12) Wind: n. Air in more or less rapid natural motion Wind: v. Go in circ

20、ular, spiral course 2.2 Classification of English puns Concerning the classification of puns, different linguists have different standpoints. As He Shanfen states in “Contrastive Studies of English and Chinese-Languages”, puns can be roughly divided into three kinds. They are named antalaclasis, par

21、onomasia and syllepsis 7. Here the author uses two examples to explain the first two parts. Antalaclasis refers to a word used twice or more, but each time with a different meaning. For example: (13) To England will I steal and there Ill steal. The first “steal” means “to go to England secretly with

22、out being noticed”, while the second “steal” is used in its most commonly used meaning. Paronomasia is the use of two words, which are similar in pronunciation but different in meaning. For example: (14) Catch the Raincheetahs and cheat the rain. Here “raincheetahs” is the brand name of the product.

23、 It is pronounced similarly to “raincheater” which echoes to “cheat the rain”. In “English Writing and Rhetoric” written by Prof. WenJun, a more specific means of classification brings about five categories of puns 8 : homophonic pun, paronomasia, antalaclasis, Sylletic pun and asteimus. However, ac

24、cording to Li Xinhua, in his work, “A Detailed Study of Figures of Speech in English”, he points that those five categories classified by Prof. Wenjun are clear but over-elaborate. In summary, it is clearer to divide into these two types: one is homophonic pun, the other is homographic pun. He also

25、points out that, in those five categories, No1 and No2 belong to the homophonic pun; the others belong to the homographic pun, which is the wayto bring complication into simplicity. And it is easier to master the characteristics of figure of speech. However, as Lv Xu states in “Practical English Rhe

26、toric”, according to the characteristics and functions of their formation, puns can be divided into three types9: homophonic puns, homographic puns, puns on both pronunciation and meaning. 2.2.1 Homophonic puns It is the use of words with the same or similar pronunciation but different spellings and

27、 meanings. It also called phonetic puns, and phonetic pun is the basic form of English pun. In our daily communication, phonetic is the carrier of transferring information. According to psycholinguistics, speech communication is a process of psychological activities from encoding to decoding. When s

28、peakers employ the order of thinking-meaning-voice to transmit outside, it is called encoding; when listeners employ the order of voice-meaning-thinking to process and try to understand, it is called decoding. The inter-processing only relies on hearing, lacking visual sense, and it will cause ambig

29、uity in understanding. For example: (15) “How is bread made?” “I know that!” Alice cried eagerly. “You take some flour” “Where do you pick the flower?” The white Queen asked. “In a garden or in the hedges?” “Well, it isnt picked at all.” Alice explained. “Its ground” “How many acres of ground?” said

30、 the white Queen.10 (Lewis Carrol: Alices Adventures in Wonderland) In this example, “flower” and “flour” have the same pronunciation but quite different in meaning. The adoption of the homophonic pun makes the dialogue more vivid, humorous. Moreover, “ground” can be understood as “solid surface of

31、the earth”, and also can be understood as “the past of grind”. (16) Drunk drivers often put the quart before the hearse. Here, “quart” is similar to “cart” in sound, while “hearse” is similar to “horse”. This sentence can construct homophonic pun by borrowing from the idiom “put the cart before the horse”, which means “put or say things in the wrong order”. This pun is driving at warning the addicting drivers that