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20 September 2023, Volume 46 Issue 5 Previous Issue    Next Issue

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A Review of Shi Guangan's Endocentric and Exocentric Constructions in Contemporary Chinese Jiaxuan SHEN 2023, 46 (5):  2-12.  Abstract ( 232 )   HTML ( 20 )   PDF（pc） (6377KB) ( 117 )   Save The author agrees with Shi's criticism (1988) of Zhu's revision (1985a) of Bloomfield's definition of endocentric construction which tries to solve the problem that zhebenshu de chuban 'the publication of the book' in Chinese violates the definition. Zhu's revision is unsuccessful and brings about further contradictions and inconsistencies. The author emphasizes the importance of Shi's critique and opposes settling the problem by leaving it unsettled. Shi (1988) proposes to return to the nominalization solution or the gerund solution, both of which however will also get nowhere in the author's opinion. The author instead suggests the adoption of Shen's theory (2016) of super-noun category and the idea of 'isomorphism in a broad sense'. This review is also a response to Lu's criticism (2022) of the super-noun theory. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Nouns and Verbs Yicheng WU 2023, 46 (5):  13-23.  Abstract ( 257 )   HTML ( 12 )   PDF（pc） (6439KB) ( 118 )   Save Based on some usages of nouns and verbs, two claims, viz."Chinese as a Language of Nouns Including Verbs" and "Chinese as a Language of Spatiality", have been made over the past decade. Having delineated the universality of linguistic values, grammatical weight, semantic attributes as well as cognitive properties of nouns and verbs, the author points out in this particle that (ⅰ) the two categories have the same grammatical weight in the configuration of a grammatical sentence, and there is thus no such distinction between nucleus and periphery; (ⅱ) referentiality is essentially specific to nouns, whereas predication is particular to verbs and adjectives; it is therefore a false claim that all predicates are also referential expressions; (ⅲ) the two claims, viz. "Chinese as a Language of Spatiality and English as a Language of Temporality", are the results of mistaking usage for grammar and also the outcomes of selective perception, on the ground that they only select some evidence supporting their claims while neglecting the abundant counterevidence. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Expressions of Peripheral Categories: The Example of "Ban Ge NP" Yu ZHAO 2023, 46 (5):  24-34.  Abstract ( 139 )   HTML ( 6 )   PDF（pc） (5836KB) ( 80 )   Save "Ban Ge NP" is a polysemantic construction that can express both objective measures and subjective perceptions, with a series of formal differences. Past research has focused only on objective measures, with little attention to subjective perceptions. This paper explores the cognitive basis for the subjective semantics of "Ban Ge NP" based on construction grammar and the categorization theory of cognitive linguistics. The paper holds that the subjective NP highlights perceptual attributes and has prototype effects, which is different from the objective NP that highlight measures and references. The constructional meaning of "Ban Ge NP" can be summarized as "the category membership of the object is between the NP and non-NP", that is to say, the object is a peripheral member of the NP category. From objective measures to subjective perceptions is a process of constructionalization, involving mechanisms of subjectification and categorization. The paper also finds that the ability to categorize peripheral members is our general cognitive ability and that English and Chinese have an inherent cognitive consistency. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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A New Account of Chi (Le) ta san ge ping guo Based on Cognitive Grammar JIA Guangmao 2023, 46 (5):  35-43.  Abstract ( 237 )   Save It remains controversial whether Chi (Le) ta san ge ping guo(eat+particle+him+three apples) is a double object construction or a single object construction.This study investigates the construction based on Cognitive Grammar and presents the following points.The construction is a double object construction.The fact that ta may not refer to the subject in the clause can be explained by the mechanism of conceptual reference point and the accessibility of the pronoun.The phenomenon that the direct object in the construction cannot be moved may be ascribed to not only inheritance links but also categorization in the integration of component structures into a composite structure.The subjectification of ta mirrors various dimensions of construal, the shift of perspective from object to subject in particular. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Roles of Linguistic Comprehension Skills, Decoding Skills and Metalinguistic-Cognitive Skills in Chinese-Speaking Children's English Reading Comprehension LI Guangze, LI Rongbao 2023, 46 (5):  44-55.  Abstract ( 183 )   Save This study comprehensively examines the roles of linguistic comprehension skills, decoding skills and metalinguistic-cognitive skills in English reading comprehension among 103 Chinese fifth and sixth graders.Specifically, the linguistic comprehension and decoding skills involved comprise English listening comprehension and oral vocabulary, as well as word reading, respectively, and the metalinguistic-cognitive skills involved include English phonological awareness, morphological awareness, orthographic awareness, and rapid naming.Results from multiple regressions and path analysis show that linguistic comprehension skills, decoding skills and metalinguistic-cognitive skills account for a large proportion of variance in English reading comprehension of Chinese children, with metalinguistic-cognitive skills affecting English reading comprehension either directly or indirectly via the mediation of linguistic comprehension skills and decoding skills, and morphological awareness and oral vocabulary being two core component skills as final predictors of Chinese children's English reading.The findings suggest that reading English as a second language in Chinese children has universal properties of reading as well as its own specificity, providing significant implications for English reading teaching, reading acquisition and reading assessment at the stage of China's basic education. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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On the Generation of Legal Image in Translated Literature: A Comparative Analysis of Buck's and Shapiro's Translations of Shuihu Zhuan ZHAO Junfeng, LONG Xinyuan 2023, 46 (5):  56-65.  Abstract ( 206 )   Save Shuihu Zhuan, one of the four Classic Chinese Novels translated and disseminated worldwide presents an intertextual system.Among all the translations, Buck's All Men Are Brothers and Shapiro's Outlaws of the Marsh are respectively recognized as the first full English translation and the best English translation existing though not without dissenting opinions.This paper, assuming the emerging imagological approach in translation studies, focuses on the reconstruction of legal image in translated literature.It is shown that both translators, inspired by the stories of heroes' violation of imperial courts' feudal system, consciously or unconsciously employed the same or similar Western chivalry and Christian elements when translating Chinese legal culture, manifesting a homogeneous thinking of legal image reconstruction.Compared with Buck's hope for the representation of the novel's linguistic style, Shapiro tried to reshape the very essence of traditional Chinese legal landscape, reflecting his heterogeneous approach.In a nutshell, Buck reconstructed the holistic literary image of the outlaws and Shapiro the cultural image of the moral code of the outlaws, epitomizing multi-dimensional historical and socio-cultural factors and the interaction between auto-and hetero-images in context. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Reconstruction of China's Image in Science Policy Translation Xuan LEI,Wei ZHANG 2023, 46 (5):  66-78.  Abstract ( 173 )   HTML ( 6 )   PDF（pc） (7637KB) ( 91 )   Save Science policies issued by governmental organizations are a significant lens to understand China's scientific and technological planning, and also an indispensable component of the scientific language. Compared with other political discourses, science policies have few official translations, drawing insufficient attention of translation studies. This research proposes an integrated analytical framework based on Critical Discourse Analysis so as to explore the translation of "The Outline of the Nationwide Scientific Literacy Action Plan (2021-2035)" by Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET). Based on the comparison with the original text as well as relevant official translations, this study finds that though the information of the original science policy has been maintained to a large extent, CSET's translation of core concepts and expressions isolated from specific contexts with ideological orientation, and intentional backgrounding of speech roles functioning as the Subject, both contribute to a misinterpreted image of China as a great power with hegemonic ambition and estranged from its people. Such a down-graded stereotype in the Western context is dramatically different from China's commitment to international scientific cooperation for the benefits of people throughout the world prominent in the self-shaped national image. This research concludes that science policy translation holds an ideological significance for the construction of China's national image, indispensible to studies on national image and S&T translation. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Distance Between the Self and the Other—The Translation and Identification of Lin Tao-ching's Image in The Song of Youth ZHOU Xiaomei 2023, 46 (5):  79-89.  Abstract ( 530 )   Save Within the framework of literary imagology, this paper makes an analysis of the image features of Lin Tao-ching in The Song of Youth, as a case study on the writing, translation and identification of female intellectual images in revolutionary or red classics.It is found that in the source text, Lin's auto-image is characterized by diversified personalities, while in the target text, her hetero-image as a revolutionary has been intensified.Due to their differences in core values, cultural identities, political contexts, image identity approaches, etc[JP10]., researchers abroad made differentiated interpretations of Lin's hetero-image, hence far distanced from her self-image.The present study highlights the importance of image formation and social identification in translating red classics. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Mapping the Structure of Cognitive Machine Translation Post-Editing Studies (2011—2021) Xiangling WANG,Guangjiao CHEN,Xiangyan ZHOU 2023, 46 (5):  90-100.  Abstract ( 206 )   HTML ( 8 )   PDF（pc） (5882KB) ( 99 )   Save Machine translation post-editing is an important form of human-machine interactive translation. The methodology of post-editing studies overlaps with that of cognitive translation studies. This paper reviews and synthesizes cognitive post-editing studies from 2011 to 2021 with NVivo. The findings demonstrate that the number of publications in this field exhibits vigorous growth despite some fluctuations. Cognitive post-editing studies focus on measuring and assessing the post-editing process and product and its causal factors related to tasks and the environment. They rely heavily on mixed-methods approaches and combined use of subjective and objective data in empirical research. This paper acknowledges the contributions of existing documents, pinpoints their drawbacks, and draws a research map of cognitive post-editing studies. The map features three significant themes: post-editing cognitive processing, post-editing measurement and assessment, and post-editing pedagogy. Also, interactions of themes and variables included in the research map are analyzed. Mapping the structure of cognitive post-editing studies has implications for further research on human-machine interaction, cognitive translation, and translator training. Figures and Tables | References | Related Articles | Metrics

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On Culture-specific Words in Chinese-English Dictionaries: A Corpus Translatology Approach HU Wenfei 2023, 46 (5):  101-111.  Abstract ( 184 )   Save Culture-specific words are difficult to translate in Chinese-English (C-E) dictionaries.Based on the framework of corpus translatology and compilation practice of C-E dictionaries, the present study analyzes the translation of their culture-specific words.After stratified sampling and comparative analysis, the present study indicates that the lexical diversity of culture-specific words is characterized with hierarchy, simplification, and abstractness.Furthermore, the transformation of structure is asymmetrical and featured with expansion in definition but constriction in exemplification.Finally, the present study reconstructs the translation framework based on initial and operational norms reducing facilitation and simplification in the translation of culture-specific words in C-E dictionaries for the improvement of the dictionary compilation. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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Languages, Symbols and Science: Wording of Mathematical Terms in Science Translations in Ming and Qing Dynasties ZHANG Bisheng 2023, 46 (5):  112-120.  Abstract ( 244 )   Save The translation of mathematics in Ming and Qing Dynasties introduced a new theoretical system to Chinese mathematics, promoted the evolution of traditional Chinese mathematics, and laid a foundation for the formation of a new knowledge system of Chinese mathematics.In those translations, wording of mathematical terms is not only the core issue of the translation, but also a complex issue involving three major themes of languages, symbols and science.This paper discusses the selection of the words used in the Chinese translation of mathematics in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, and sorts out the differences between Chinese and Western languages, the selection of mathematical terms and the formation of the terminology system.It explores the symbol conversion in the wording in such translations and focuses on the analysis of the mathematical ideas in symbolic expressions.From the perspective of the history of scientific thought, the paper analyzes the theoretical expression of Chinese and Western mathematics, the integration of scientific ideas, and the evolution of Chinese mathematics.It concludes that the wording in the Chinese translation of mathematics in the Ming and Qing Dynasties is a profound enlightenment for modern scientific translation in introducing advanced scientific ideology, forming a scientific translation system with Chinese characteristics, and creating a Chinese scientific discourse system. References | Related Articles | Metrics

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The Original Aspiration and Pursuance of Translators: An Interview with Professor Xu Jun ZAO Binji, XU Jun 2023, 46 (5):  121-128.  Abstract ( 180 )   Save Translators play a significant role in exchanges and mutual learning between China and other civilizations, and their rich spiritual world is worthy of exploration.In this interview, Professor Xu Jun, as a translator and translation studies theorist, shares his experience and expresses his opinion on translators' view on translation and spiritual pursuance, translators' role in Sino-foreign cultural communication, translators' mission and responsibility in the new era, and so forth.His remarks profoundly demonstrate the original aspiration and pursuance of a translator, which provides great spiritual guidance for young translators and translation studies scholars to make progress. References | Related Articles | Metrics