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Table of Content

    20 November 2021, Volume 44 Issue 6 Previous Issue    Next Issue
    A Quantitative Analysis of the Semantic Relations Between Verbs and Constructions
    Qianwen CHENG,Qilong CHENG
    2021, 44 (6):  2-13. 
    Abstract ( 645 )   HTML ( 29 )   PDF(pc) (5851KB) ( 290 )   Save

    There exists some correspondence between verb-construction relations and their usage distributions.The verb-construction relations are mainly semantic in nature, and their usage distributions are manifested in terms of frequency of constructions in use.The integration of verb meaning and constructional meaning can be used to account for fully-matched and partially-matched constructions.But it is not applicable to unmatched constructions.Nor is it applicable to the tendencies of usage distributions.From the viewpoints of unification-based grammar, this paper argues that legitimate and acceptable constructions all adhere to the fine-grained "Semantic Property Coherence Principle".The coherent conceptual contents must also include unexpressed conceptual meanings.Following the view of usage-based grammar, the authors propose the Usage Distributions Hypothesis, which states that usage frequency is correlated with the tendency of usage distributions.The paper argues with rich quantitative data that the degree of verb-construction coherence via semantic properties is related with the frequency of their use.This research also supports the complementarity between the usage-based grammar and the unification-based grammar and the adequacy of Cognitive Event Frame.

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    A Typologically-Oriented Classification of Topic Constructions in Chinese
    SUN Chengjiao
    2021, 44 (6):  14-23. 
    Abstract ( 1261 )   Save
    This article classifies Chinese topic constructions in a more fine-grained way, based on new insights concerning relevant theoretical controversies.First, it looks at left-peripheral topic constructions, which comprise topicalization, left dislocation, Chinese-style and argument-splitting topic structures.It is shown that there can also be co-reference between left-dislocated topics and possessive modifiers within adjuncts and between Chinese-style topics and hidden contents in comments.In addition, it is demonstrated that argument-splitting topics are able to combine with formal subjects or objects if they are placed there.Next, mirror images of the four types of left-peripheral topic construction are shown to constitute right-peripheral topic constructions.Crucially, it is then argued that centrally-positioned topics include various types like patient-type, copying-type, splitting-type and adverbial-type.Moreover, a left-peripheral or centrally-positioned topic construction can also be embedded in the comment of another left-or right-peripheral topic construction.At the same time, it is possible that both left and right peripheries can hold more than one topic.Finally, it is shown that within comments, form-meaning mismatches might occur as regards subject-predicate structures, which yields many more types of topic construction.Arguably then, the typology of topic constructions in Chinese far exceeds the options that exist in English.In this respect, the prominence and intricacy of Chinese topic constructions represents a significant difference between Chinese and English syntax.
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    The Relationship Between Negation in Thinking and Temporal and Spatial Thinking in English and Chinese: Evidences from English and Chinese Negation Words “Not/No” and “Bu/Mei
    ZHANG Yuan
    2021, 44 (6):  24-32. 
    Abstract ( 611 )   Save
    Expressions of negation in a language, as the representations of negation in thinking, are deeply embedded in the basic ways of human thinking.The present paper examines the main negation words not/no in English and bu/mei in Chinese from a diachronic perspective.It is found that the original meanings of these negation words are all rooted in spatial thinking.However, with their evolution, the temporality in thinking has been gradually strengthened in English speakers, while the spatiality in thinking still maintains its superiority in Chinese speakers.Languages and thinking interact with each other, and evolve together by contributing to each other.With the mutual selection between negation in thinking and temporal and spatial thinking getting steady, the expressions of negation in English and Chinese also become entrenched.
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    The Syntactic and Semantic Function of Focusing Adverbs in Ellipsis Structure of Modern Chinese
    ZHANG Tianwei, WU Han
    2021, 44 (6):  33-43. 
    Abstract ( 723 )   Save
    In the study of the ellipsis structure of modern Chinese, very few researches were made on the role of focusing adverbs.This paper proposes that the semantic function of the focusing adverbs meets the focus anchoring condition and parts of the temporal anchoring conditions of the generalized anchoring principle (GAP), thereby improving the acceptability of ellipsis sentences.The different semantic functions and syntactic positions of the focusing adverbs "cai"才, "jiu"就, "ye"也, "dou"都 and "que"却 also affect the licensing and identity of ellipsis structures.As for the co-occurrence of different focusing adverbs, we suggest that different focusing adverbs have different syntactic positions, which is consistent with the one functional head in one focus projection assumption, while the semantic orientation of focusing adverbs is only an effect of the raising of noun phrases.
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    On the Translation of English “N+CM” Structures from the Perspective of Typology
    XI Jianguo
    2021, 44 (6):  44-51. 
    Abstract ( 642 )   Save
    That there exists opposite order difference of postpositional complex modifier(N+CM) vs prepositional complex modifier(CM+N) does not accord with the linguistic facts of English and Chinese."N+CM" correspondence and "N+CM" equivalence are dominant, while "CM+N" correspondence and "CM+N" equivalence are recessive between E-C CM.When translating English "N+CM", a corresponding order approach(COA) should be employed.All other things being equal, COA can maintain Chinese version equivalent, faithful to the greatest extent in the aspects of syntactic-semantic function, pragmatic-discourse function, prosody feature, and subjectivity degree to English "N+CM".Hence the "‘N+CM’ Correspondence⇒Best Functional Equivalence" translation strategy.The commonly accepted "CM+N" order approach is misleading translationese, resulting in no functional equivalence.This study shows that the theories/principles of linguistic typology can be applied to guide the translation of English "N+CM" structures and the functional equivalence is obtainable.
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    A Corpus-Based Diachronic Analysis of U.S.Media Reports of China During COVID-19 Pandemic
    Dingjia LIU
    2021, 44 (6):  52-64. 
    Abstract ( 2002 )   HTML ( 60 )   PDF(pc) (5972KB) ( 540 )   Save

    Under the theoretical framework of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this paper aims to reveal the construction of China's national image in the U.S. media and the diachronic changes during COVID-19 pandemic by using corpus-based Usage Fluctuation Analysis (UFA) method.It carries out a diachronic analysis of China-related news in U.S. web media in 2020, expecting to uncover the relationship between the longitudinal discourse change and the political, social and ideological background.The results are as follows: First, in the context of COVID-19, the U.S. media cover a variety of China-related topics, which are characterized by long-term stability, short-term focus and periodic repetitions, but the anti-China tone remains unchanged.Second, the dominant diachronic trend is mainly influenced by its domestic political activities and ideological changes.Usage Fluctuation Analysis method is effective for the description of discourse changes on a specific topic within a specific period of time.However, the qualitative analysis of underlying discourse semantics, pragmatic structure and socio-cultural background is still required to obtain a more explicit interpretation.

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    The Translation and Dissemination of Oscar Wilde in the Russian Silver Age (1892-1917)
    ZHENG Tiwu, YU Xiaoting
    2021, 44 (6):  65-72. 
    Abstract ( 640 )   Save
    Oscar Wilde, a representative writer of British aestheticism, won familiarity among Russian readers in the Silver Age.With him becoming one of the most popular foreign writers at that time, the translation of his works also reached its peak rapidly.Constrained and influenced by the cultural context of that era, it displayed the continuation of a dominant Russian literary translation tradition and formed an isomorphic relationship with the Russian literature development.This paper mainly studies the translations of Wilde's works in the Silver Age from the perspective of Medio-translatology.Being not only a retrospect of the translation history of his works in Russia, but also an exploration of the complex and subtle relationship between translation activities and other social and cultural factors, it intends to shed light on the study of translation in the context of world literature and international cultural communication.
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    A Study on the Government-Funded Translation of Chinese Ethnic Minority Literature During the Early Seventeen Years after the Founding of the PRC
    Weihong XIA
    2021, 44 (6):  73-82. 
    Abstract ( 821 )   HTML ( 3 )   PDF(pc) (8958KB) ( 173 )   Save

    The government-funded translation of Chinese ethnic minority literature is essentially a kind of institutional "exporting" practice.Its text production, distribution and reception took place in two different cultural systems: the original and the target cultural systems.This article investigates the translation of Chinese ethnic minority literature by state agencies during the early seventeen years after the founding of the People's Republic of China, and analyzes the characteristics and effects, aiming to reveal the problems in the process of translation, and enhance the understanding of the translation activities by Chinese government-affiliated institutions.It is hoped that this research will shed new light on translating Chinese ethnic minority literature into foreign languages.

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    Shifting the Focus from Learning from the West to Leaning on the Tradition: A Reflection on Constructing the Discourse System of Translation Studies with Chinese Characteristics
    ZHU Jianping, HUO Xing, HONG Yuan
    2021, 44 (6):  83-93. 
    Abstract ( 674 )   Save
    Great achievements have been made in Chinese translation studies, but problems still exist in the construction of the discourse system with Chinese characteristics.This paper analyzes the development of Chinese translation studies and finds that its theoretical discourse has been produced mainly by means of "borrowing chickens to lay eggs", or learning from the West.This, however, has led to some negative consequences, the most serious of which is that our theoretical discourse is short of distinctive Chinese characteristics.Therefore, the focus should be shifted from learning from the West to leaning on our tradition.Only by drawing more on the Chinese traditional philosophy, can we produce more distinctive theoretical discourses and build a more distinctive Chinese discourse system.Then several suggestions are offered for the construction of the discourse system, among which the role of Marxist philosophy is especially emphasized.
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    From Traditional to Modern—On the Concept, Methodology and Tasks of Descriptive Translation Criticism
    Daozhen ZHANG
    2021, 44 (6):  94-102. 
    Abstract ( 731 )   HTML ( 9 )   PDF(pc) (5628KB) ( 274 )   Save

    In comparison with traditional translation criticism, descriptive translation criticism (DTC) has launched a pursuit of reason and objectivity in the analysis of data and facts, aiming to discover the operational laws that govern translation as process, product and function.This paper, based on a review of the essence and function of the traditional criticism, explores the descriptive and scientific aspects of DTC, providing a strategic construction of the interpretative and explanatory aspects of it.It concludes that the transformation from the traditional to modern criticism is one from the conservative prescriptivism towards the open descriptivism.

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    From Genetic Criticism to Genetic Translation Studies
    Xingzhong GUAN,Jia LI
    2021, 44 (6):  103-112. 
    Abstract ( 1039 )   HTML ( 12 )   PDF(pc) (5821KB) ( 221 )   Save

    Genetic criticism refers to the reconstruction of writing process based on the examination of miscellaneous information resources that bear the trace of a text's creation, such as author's notes, correspondence letters, annotations, plans, sketches, drafts, papers, manuscripts and typesets, etc. Significant in terms of epistemology and methodology for translation studies, it was introduced into the field to discuss translation process and translator's subjectivity. To break new path for translation studies, scholars in China are advised to learn from their foreign colleagues in text encoding initiative, manuscript digitization and manuscript forensics, and put efforts in developing computational analyzing tools, starting academic journals, holding conferences and establishing manuscript research organizations.

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    An Empirical Study on Translators' Allocation of Cognitive Resources in Different Translation Directions
    WANG Lyu, WANG Xiangling
    2021, 44 (6):  113-121. 
    Abstract ( 688 )   Save
    This study investigates whether different translation directions can affect student translators' allocation of cognitive resources by triangulating eye-tracking, screen recording, retrospective protocols, and questionnaires.Our observation of the data reveals three significant findings:1) their average fixation duration and fixation count were fewer in direct translation, indicating that direct translation is less cognitively demanding than inverse translation; 2) they had a more global orientation in direct translation, allocating more cognitive resources for reading and revising.In contrast, they displayed a more locally-oriented style in inverse translation, allocating more cognitive resources for drafting; 3) those with a globally-oriented style were more likely to produce a higher quality translation in direct translation, while a more locally-oriented manner would generate better products in inverse translation.This article provides empirical support for ongoing research on cognitive processing in different translation directions.
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