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« 英汉思维方式比较及语言表达方式的不同 之一The difference between English and Chinese »

英语和汉语的主要区别

         汉语的流散与英语的聚集

         Written by Cindy, a  Shanghai interpreter  from interpretersky.com

正是由于汉语意合、不用或少用关联词的特点,汉语多短句。一个句群里的句子,会按照时间和逻辑顺序,由远及近、由因到果、由先到后、层层铺垫、逐层展开;而且汉语句式复杂多样,灵活多变,组句成篇时,意随心动,句子如行云流水,自然流动,所以,我们说汉语句型有流散性特点。关于英语和汉语的句式特点,前人已有诸多总结。有人说汉语句子是竹式结构,没有枝蔓,精悍短小;还有人讲汉语句子如大江河水,后浪推前浪。而英语句子,人们认为它们像一棵棵参天大树,枝繁叶茂。我们来对比一下英汉这两种句式,看是不是这样。
“月光如流水一般,静静地泻在这一片叶子和花上。薄薄的青雾浮起在荷塘里。叶子和花仿佛在牛乳中洗过一样。虽然是满月,天上却有一丝淡淡的云,所以不能朗照。月光是隔了树照过来的。高处丛生的灌木,落下参差的斑驳的黑影,峭椤椤如鬼一般;弯弯的杨柳的稀疏的倩影,像是画在荷叶上。塘中的月色并不均匀;但光与影有着和谐的旋律,如梵婀铃上奏着的名曲。”[1]
这段话的句子短而散,像散落盘子的珍珠,珠子间没有线连。作者写景完全是“句随意到”,随性而发。从“月光”到“叶子和花”再到 “青雾”;从“满月”到 “黑影”再到“柳树”等这些写景句句子分散,没有清晰的逻辑顺序,不过是复制了作者“看到景物时的感受”,呈现出非常感性的特点。这正是大多数汉语句子的特点。
而英语是形合语言,每句话有明确的主谓结构,也就是说每句话的主语和谓语都不可缺少。主谓结构像一颗树的主干,其它的修饰成分则相当于树枝,按照一定的“规则”井然有序地生长延伸。这里的规则指的是英语中保持人称、数、时态、意义等一致的各种语法规则;正是由于这些规则统治着,英语句子虽多虽长,但是形式严谨规范,不会零乱和流散。那么在汉英翻译中,最关键的是找出汉语句子的主干,即主语和谓语,再把其它的修饰成分按照英语的“语法规则”团聚在主干周围。现在我们可以看下上面例子的英译,体会一下是不是这样。
“Moonlight was flowing quietly like a stream down to the leaves and flowers. A light mist overspread the lotus pond. Leaf and flower seemed washed in milk. It was a full moon, but a pale cloud hanging overhead made it lose some of its brilliance. Moonlight was glowing from behind the trees, and the dense shrubs above cast down gloomy ghostlike shadows of varying lengths and shades of color. But the beautiful sparse shadows of the arching willows were like a picture etched on the lotus leaves. Uneven as was the moonlight over the pond, there was a harmony between light and shade, rhythmic as a well-known melody played on the violin.”[2] 在我们的日常生活中有更多这样的例子,很多时候需要用英语长句表达的时候,汉语都倾向于用短句表达。如“电影很短,让我们很失望。”译成英语应该是“We were quite disappointed that the film is too short.”但是由于受汉式思维的影响,我们倾向于说“The film is too short. It made us very disappointed.”
 
 汉语的人称和英语的物称
 
以上我们讨论汉英思维方式差异时,曾说过汉语重主体思维,也就是以人为中心和对象观察分析客观世界,所以汉语句子多以人为主语,描写人的行为或状态。这可以解释汉语多主动句的现象。而英语就不同,因为把客体当做研究对象,英语民族习惯客体思维,所以英语句子较常用物称表达法。也就是说,用非人称、无生命的事物做主语,和表示行为动作的动词连用。而在汉语看来,这类谓语动词只能跟“有灵主语”搭配。所以有时我们看到这些句子会觉得不习惯,如:
1.A bus came into my view.
2.1949 saw the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
3.This year’s federal deficit will come in at $ 296 billion.
可在英语国家,这些表达要比“I saw a bus”,“The People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949”等自然。
因为英语民族习惯物称表达,倾向于让事物事件客观自然地呈现,所以我们也不难理解为了保持客观的语气,英语多使用被动句了。而在汉语中,主动句的使用远远多于被动句。很多时候,汉语中理所当然的主动表达,在英语中要用被动句才算地道,如,“有人告诉我…”汉式思维的英语表达是“some person told me…”,而地道的英语应是“I was told …”。另外,汉语中,由于习惯了主动表达,在主语不言而喻时,还往往被省略,所以汉语中的省略句,无主句俯拾皆是。在一些优秀的文学作品中,甚至出现整个段落都是无主句的现象,如《儒林外史》第十六回的一段话:
“次日清早起来,拿银子到集上买了几头猪,养在圈里,又买了斗把豆子。先把猪肩出一个来杀了,烫洗干净,分肌劈理的卖了一早晨;又把豆子磨了一厢豆腐,也都卖了,钱拿来放在太公床底下,就在太公跟前坐着。见太公烦闷,便搜出些西湖上景致以及卖的各样的吃食东西,又听得各处的笑话,曲曲折折细说与太公听。太公听了也笑。”[3]
杨宪益和戴乃迭把这段话译成英文时,每句话都补上了主语,我们可以对照看一下:
“The next morning he got up early, took the silver to the market and bought about a bushel of beans and several pigs which he kept in a sty. He killed one pig, cleaned it, cut it up and sold it during the morning; and after that he made beancurd which he also sold. Then, having put his takings under his father’s bed, he sat by the old man’s side and, to cheer him up, described the scenery of the West Lake and the different sweet meats sold there. He also repeated jokes he had heard in various places until his father was laughing.”[4]
那么在汉英翻译中,如果不补足原来省掉的主语会怎么样呢?据说余光中在给美国学生上课时把《寻隐者不遇》(松下问童子,言师采药去。只在此山中,云深不知处。)这首诗按语序直译为英文,台下没有人听懂。于是他把五言改为七言:我来松下问童子,童子言师采药去。师行只在此山中,云深童子不知处。然后再直译给学生,他们就都明白了。这个例子再次证明,英语中的主语是统筹全局、举足轻重、不可或缺的。


[1]陆钰明. 汉英翻译指导[M]. 上海:上海远东出版社,1995. P218.
 
[2] 陆钰明. 汉英翻译指导[M]. 上海:上海远东出版社,1995. P218.
[3] 吴敬梓[著],杨宪益,戴乃迭[译]. 大中华文库之《儒林外史》[M]. 长沙:湖南人民出版社;北京:外文出版社,1999.
[4] 吴敬梓[著],杨宪益,戴乃迭[译]. 大中华文库之《儒林外史》[M]. 长沙:湖南人民出版社;北京:外文出版社,1999.
 

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