黑名单英文-釉下五彩
7 Pragmatic Equivalence
Coherence
7
Pragmatic Equivalence
7.1 Coherence
7.2 Coherence and processes of
interpretation: implicature
7.3 Coherence, implicature, and
translation strategies
What is pragmatics?
Pragmatics
is
the
study
of
language
in
use.
It
is
the
study
of
meaning,
not
as
generated
by
the
linguistic
system but as conveyed and manipulated by
participants in a communicative situation. P217
Coherence
Implicature
Coherence
:
连贯
A network of
relations which organize and create a text; the
network of conceptual
relations which
underlie the surface structure. (p218)
[The way in which the content of
connected speech or text hangs together, or is
interpreted as
hanging together, as
distinct from that of random assemblages of
sentences.]
7.1 Coherence
7.1.1 Coherence
vs Cohesion
Cohesion
—
surface
objective
device
< br>Coherence
—
conceptual
subjective
aim
Both
concern
the
way
stretches
of
language
are
connected
to
each
other.
In
the
case
of
cohesion,
stretches of language are connected to
each other by virtue of lexical and grammatical
dependencies.
In
the
case
of
coherence,
they
are
connected
by
virtue
of
conceptual
or
meaning
dependencies
as
perceived by language
user. p218
A highly
cohesive text which is nevertheless incoherent:
I bought a Ford. The car in which
President Wilson rode down the Champs Elysees was
black. Black
English has been widely
discussed. The discussions between the presidents
ended last week. A week
has seven days.
Every day I feed my cat. Cats have four legs. The
cat is on the mat. Mat has three
letters.
7.1.2 Is coherence a feature of text or
situation?
Is
coherence a feature of text?
It is not
a feature of text, because:
Texts are
neither coherent nor incoherent by themselves.
Whether a text coheres or not depends on the
ability of the reader to make sense of
it by relating it to what s/he already knows or to
a familiar world,
whether this world is
real or fictional. p221
[Thus]
Coherence is not a feature of text but of the
judgement made by a reader on a text. p222
What does it mean to
translators?
As far as translation is
concerned, this means that the range and type of
difficulties encountered will
not so
much depend on the sourc
e text itself
as “on the significance of the translated text for
its readers
as
members
of
a
certain
culture,
or
of
a
sub-group
within
that
culture,
with
the
constellation
of
knowledge, judgement and perception
they have developed from them.
Like any
writer, a translator has to take account of the
range of knowledge available to his/her target
readers and of the expectations they
are likely to have
about such things as
the organization of the
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-
world,
the
organization
of
language
in
general,
the
organization
and
conventions
of
particular
text
types, the structure of social
relations, and the appropriateness or
inappropriateness of certain kinds of
linguistic and non-linguistic
behaviour, among other things. p222
7.2 Coherence and processes of
interpretation: implicature
Supplemental coherence
Explanatory coherence
Implicature
—
we
come to understand more than is actually said.
Implicature: what the speaker means or
implies rather than what s/he literally says.
e.g.
1. A: Shall
we go for a walk?
B: Could I take a rain check on that?
No implicature
Take a rain
check (idiom)=refuse and would accept later
2. A: Shall we go for a
walk?
B: It?s raining.
Implicature:
a. No, we?d better not because it?s
raining.
b. OK, but we?d better take an
umbrella.
c. Yes
—
we both
like walking in the rain.
Context-
dependentp223-224
We
assume
that
both
addressor
and
addressee
are
operating
the
Co-
operative
Principle,
and
in
particular
the
maxim
of
Relevance.
→
interpretation
based
on
the
presupposition
that
the
text
is
coherent
Co-operative Principle
（
H. P.
Grice
）
1. Quantity
(a.)
Make your contribution as informative as is
required (for the current purposes of the
exchange).
(b.) Do not make your
contribution more informative than is
required.
2.
Quality
?Try to make
your contribution one that is true?,
specifically:
(a.) Do not
say what you believe to be false.
(b.)
Do not say that for which you lack adequate
evidence.
3.
Relevance
Make your contributions relevant to the
current exchange.
4.
Manner
Be
perspicuous, specifically:
(a.) Avoid
obscurity of expression.
(b.) Avoid
ambiguity.
(c.) Be brief (avoid
unnecessary prolixity).
(d.) Be
orderly.
1
）
Maxim of quantity
E.g.1
?I
dislike Mr. Brocklehust; and I was not alone in
the feeling. He is a harsh man;
at once
pompous
and meddling: he cut off our
hair; and for economy’
s sake bought us
bad needles and thread, with
which we
could hardly sew
.? (
Jane
Eyre
)
“
我不喜欢勃洛克赫斯特先生，
而且像我这种心情的人还不止我一个。
他是个冷酷无情的人。
”
- 2 -
E.g.2
“Don?t trouble yourself to give her a
character,” returned Mr. Rochester: “eulogiums
will not bias
me; I shall judge for
myself. She began by felling my horse.”
“Sir?” said Mrs. Fairfa
x.
“I
have to thank her for this sprain.?
The
widow looked bewildered. (
Jane
Eyre
)
“
不必费心给她作品行鉴定啦，
”
罗切斯特先
生拦住费尔法克斯太太的话说道：
“
颂词可左右
不了我，我要自己来判断。她一开始就让我的马摔了一跤。
”
< br>
“
什么？先生？
”
费尔法克斯太太听了吃惊得睁大了眼睛。
“
我扭伤了脚还得感谢她呢。
”
费尔法克斯太太此时真被弄迷糊了，她看看我又瞧瞧罗切斯特
先生，似乎要从我们的脸上
找到答案。
2
）
Maxim of
Quality
E.g.1
November, December, and half of
January
passed away.
Christmas and the New Year has been
celebrated at Gateshead with the usual
festival cheer. (Jane Eyre)
十一月
、十二月和半个正月都过去了。圣诞节和新年，在盖兹海德和往年过节一样，欢欢
喜喜庆
祝过了。
E.g.2
“I?m afraid you do not like
your
pen
. Let me mend it for
you. I mend pens remarkably well.”
“Thank you—but I always mend my own.”
(
Wuthering Heights
)
“
恐怕你不大喜欢你那支笔。让我给你修修吧。我修的好极啦。
”
“
多谢
——
我一向都是自己修理。
”
3) Maxim
of Relevance
E.g.
谁知凤姐之女大姐儿病了，正乱着请大夫来诊脉。大夫便说：
“
替夫人奶奶们道喜，姐儿发
热是见喜了，并非别病。
”
It so happened that Xifeng?s daughter
Dajie was ill, so the household was upside down. A
doctor
had just been summoned and after
examining the child he announced:
“
I am happy to
inform
Her Ladyship and
Madam Lian that the little girl?s fever
is simply due to
smallpox.”
（
Yangs
）
Xi-
feng?s
baby
daughter
was
ill.
The
doctor
had
been
called
and
had
just
finished
taking
her
pulses.
?
Convey my
congratulations
to Her
Ladyship and Mrs Lian?—
the
doctor?s
diagnosis was couched
in
the strange language
which custom decrees in such cases
—
?I am happy to
inform them that the
little girl?s
sickness is the small
-
pox!?
（
Hawkes
）
4) Maxim of Manner
E.g.
刘老老道：
“
这样螃蟹，今年就值五分一斤
，十斤五钱，五五二两五，三五一十五，再搭
上酒菜，一共倒有二十多两银子。阿弥陀佛
！这一顿的银子，够我们庄家人过一年了。
“Crabs that
size cost five silver cents a catty this year,”
put in Granny Liu. “That?s fifty cents for
- 3 -
ten
catties.
Five times fifty
makes two
taels fifty; three
times five
makes fifteen. Together with
the
wine and eatables,
that
adds up to more than twenty taels of silver.
Gracious Buddha! That?s enough to
keep
us country folk for a whole year.”
(Yangs)
?Good crabs like that are selling at a
pennyweight a catty this year,? said Granny Liu.
?If one
catty is a pennyweight, fifty
catties is two taels ten, and another thirty is
one and ten; ten and two is
twelve and
twice ten is a tael, that?s thirteen; and then
there?s the wine and the other dishes. It couldn?t
have cost less than twenty taels in
all. Bless us and save us!
That?d keep
a farmer and his family for a
year!?
（
Hawkes
）
7.3
Coherence, implicature, and translation strategies
7.3.1 The
conventional meaning of words and structures and
the identity of references
7.3.2 The Co-operative Principle and
its maxims
7.3.3 The
context, linguistic or otherwise, of the utterance
7.3.4 Other items of
background knowledge
7.3.5
The availability of all relevant items falling
under the previous headings
--Factors which can contribute to our
success or failure in working out implicature.
7.3.1
The
conventional
meaning
of
words
and
structures
and
the
identity
of
references
7.3.1.1 The conventional meaning of
words and structures
Conventional
meanings
of
words
are
essential
for
the
interpretation
of
a
text
—
translators
should
interpret the text
correctly
Differences exist
between the conventional structures and
expressions of
languages
—
translators
should be aware of the differences and
make necessary adjustments.
7.3.1.2 The identity of any references
that may be involved
Identify references;
Bridge the gap between the
textual world and the world of the target reader;
Interpret references to contribute to
the continuity of sense or coherence of a text and
to enable the
reader to draw any
intended implicatures.
7.3.2 The Co-operative Principle and
its maxims
The
maxims
have
different
values
in
different
cultures,
e.g.
maxim
of
politeness
in
Japanese
and
Chinese cultures
E.g.
甲：<
/p>
“
时间不早了，我们一起吃顿饭吧。
”<
/p>
乙：
“
那多不好呀。
”
A. It?s time to eat. Let?s have dinner
together.”
B. That is not good.
7.3.3 The context,
linguistic or otherwise, of the utterance
Real reality context
Ordering strategies
Appropriateness (e.g. calendar, modes
of address)
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