英语本科毕业设计（论文）英语委婉语语用分析及其在文学翻译中的运用.doc

本科生毕业论文（设计）题 目： A Pragmatic Analysis of English Euphemism and Its Application to Literary Translation 英语委婉语语用分析及其在文学翻译中的运用 院 系： 专 业： 英语（翻译） 学生姓名： 学 号： 指导老师： （职 称）二九年 四月ABSTRACTEnglish euphemism is very popular in our daily communication, especially in dialogues. As we can see from dictionaries, it refers to a way of speaking good words so that speakers can achieve the goal of communication instead of offending others. As regards English euphemism, we focus on the reflection of politeness in a speech environment. Developing from a cultural background in English countries, English euphemism has its distinctive formation, pragmatic functions and other relevant features. With a comprehensive analysis of these aspects, the author will try to apply the findings to translation studies. Euphemism can be found in literature, which calls for a correct understanding of its functions and usage. Without proficient knowledge of euphemism, readers cannot taste the deep feeling of speakers or narrators in literature. For a translator of literary works, it is very important to compare different pragmatic functions between English and Chinese versions. Only in this way can he achieve a good translation of euphemism. Led by the previous studies of English euphemism, this dissertation will continue with the discussion about its application to literary translation from the perspectives of culture, grammar, lexis, context and rhetorical effects. Then based on the results, suggestions are proposed to achieve a better understanding of literary works and above all to improve the quality of literary translation. Key Words: English euphemism, pragmatic function, literary translation摘要英语委婉语普遍出现在人们的日常交流中，尤其应用于对话。通过查阅委婉语的含义，我们可以发现，说话人采用婉转言辞表达事实或个人看法，以便达到交际目的，避免冒犯他人。谈及英语委婉语，我们关注它在言语环境中所体现的礼貌原则。英语委婉语在英语国家的文化背景下产生，因而有其独特的构成、语用功能以及其它特征。通过对这些领域进行全面分析，笔者尝试把相关知识应用到笔译研究领域。文学作品经常会出现委婉语，这一现象要求我们正确理解它的功能和使用方法。倘若缺乏委婉语的相应知识，读者无法体会文学作品中说话人或讲述人的深层含义。对于文学翻译的工作者，他们更需要比较文学作品中英两个版本委婉语的语用功能。只有这样，他们能打造出更为完善的翻译作品。基于前人对英语委婉语的研究，本文将继续深入讨论，从文化、语法、语境以及修辞效果等方面探究英语委婉语在文学翻译中的应用，并根据分析结果，提出一些建议，从而帮助读者更好地理解文学作品，更重要的是提高笔译质量。关键词: 英语委婉语 语用功能 文学翻译CONTENTSChapter One Introduction11.1 Background Information.11.2 Research Questions.11.3 Organization of the Dissertation.2Chapter Two Literature Review32.1 Definitions of English Euphemism32.2 Formation of English Euphemism32.2.1 Phonetic Device42.2.2 Lexical Device42.2.3 Grammatical Device42.2.4 Figurative Device42.2.5 Pragmatic Device52.3 Euphemism and Pragmatic Functions52.3.1 Taboo52.3.2 Avoiding Vulgarity62.3.3 Beautification62.3.4 Concealing62.3.5 Humor72.4 Principles of Using Euphemism72.4.1 The Cooperative Principle72.4.2 The Politeness Principle9Chapter Three Research Methods123.1 An Analysis of Various Sources123.2 Case Studies and Contextual Analysis123.3 Research Process13Chapter Four Case Studies and Discussion144.1 Case One: A Dream of Red Mansions144.2 Case Two: Pride and Prejudice204.3 Results and Summary224.3.1 Summary of Pragmatic Functions224.3.2 The Cooperative Principle and the Politeness Principle234.3.3 Summary of Factors in Translating Euphemism234.3.4 Suggestions for Translating Euphemism24Chapter Five Conclusion255.1 Summary255.2 Limitations25Bibliography26Acknowledgements28Chapter One Introduction1.1 Background KnowledgeEnglish euphemism is often used in our daily communication, where inoffensive words are used to replace the offensive ones so that communication can be harmonized. The word “euphemism” originates in ancient Greek, with “eu” meaning “well, pleasant, good” and “-pheme” meaning “speech, saying”. Thus the word “euphemism” literally means “pleasant speech”. English euphemism is a way of expressing facts and opinions in the process of social communication. Without a proper use of euphemism, effective communication in English would be difficult or even impossible. This is regarded as the communicative function of English euphemism. Also, we can find many examples in written works. Take literature as an example. In order to harmonize the interpersonal relationship, people in the stories often employ euphemism during their talks. As for the narration part, writers tend to use it as a tool to convey a message for readers to guess. Literary translators, while constrained by the rules of literary translation, should pay special attention to the euphemisms in literary works and try to produce proper translations, which requires a study of linguistic devices, pragmatic functions, cultural differences and other related aspects. 1.2 Research QuestionsThe aim of this dissertation is to examine the formation, principles and functions of English euphemism in order to evaluate the quality of literary translation. A research will be conducted to find out the answers to the following questions:(1)What factors contribute to the formation of English euphemism?(2)What pragmatic functions are fulfilled in euphemism?(3)How can pragmatic analysis of euphemism be applied to literary translation? 1.3 Organization of the DissertationThis dissertation consists of five parts. Chapter One is a brief introduction to English euphemism including why and how it occurs. In Chapter Two, the previous studies on euphemisms will be presented: (1) existing studies of English euphemism in terms of its definitions and formation; (2) theoretical researches presented with pragmatic analysis including violation of the Cooperative Principle and adaptation of the Politeness Principle. In Chapter Three and Chapter Four, the author will try to correlate the findings in Chapter Two with literary translation. Case studies will be taken as the major research method in this part. In the research, we find that translation of English euphemism should be based on its pragmatic functions in a sense. During the process, the research will be conducted with the following factors taken into consideration, including grammatical, lexical, cultural, rhetorical and contextual factor. Then the author will summarize the results of the discussion and analysis. Suggestions will be given to better comprehend the euphemisms found in literary works and evaluate the quality of target texts.In the end, a conclusion will be drawn from the studies above. The author believes that the pragmatic analysis of euphemism will contribute to assessing and improving the quality of literary translation.Chapter Two Literature ReviewIn this chapter, a comprehensive review of existing theories related to English euphemism will be presented with relevant examples. The first section will state different definitions of English euphemism and summarize its significant purpose. The second section will focus on its formation, which will be divided into five devices. The third section will analyze the pragmatic functions of English euphemism. The last section will state two principles which are related to the use of euphemism. 2.1 Definitions of English EuphemismDifferent people have different ideas about what English euphemism is. Some of the definitions are listed as follows. According to Wikipedia, “a euphemism is a substitution of an agreeable or less offensive expression in place of one that may offend or suggest something unpleasant to the listener, or in the case of doublespeak, to make it less troublesome for the speaker” (Net.1.). Enright (1985) submits, “Euphemizing is generally defined as substituting an inoffensive or pleasant term for a more explicit, offensive one, thereby veneering the truth by using kind words”. From the definitions were exposed to the significance of using English euphemism. The use of euphemism can make unpleasant things sound better and leave a good impression on listeners in the course of communication.2.2 Formation of English EuphemismGuo Yuhong (2007) and Chen Haiyan (2007) have summarized several devices. Basically, five devices contribute to the formation of euphemism, including phonetic, lexical, grammatical, figurative and pragmatic device. 2.2.1 Phonetic Device Phonetic device refers to the method of neglecting or changing the sound of a word. For example, we use “JC” to replace “Jesus Christ”, “G-man” for “garbage men” and “SAM” for “surface to air missile”. This can be defined as abbreviation. Whats more, we use “Pee-pee” for “piss” and “blurry” for “bloody”. This can be defined as phonetic distortion. 2.2.2 Lexical Device Lexical device refers to the use of vague expressions, synonyms and loan words. It is considered to be the most common method to create euphemism. We use “a growth” instead of “cancer” and we use the phrase “three sheets in the wind” to imply someone is drunk. In the sentence “He is tight with his money” the word “tight” is used instead of “frugal” so that the speaker can reach the goal of euphemism.2.2.3 Grammatical Device Grammatical device includes negation, ellipsis and other devices in English. “You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.” From this sentence in Pride and Prejudice we know the speaker is actually unwilling to hear it. The writer adopts the negation device to express her implied meaning. 2.2.4 Figurative DeviceFigurative device refers to the use of metaphor, analogy, metonymy and periphrasis, etc. If a person is a cleaner, we tend to say he is a “sanitary engineer”. When someone is “in a stew”, he is very angry and anxious. As for periphrasis, we can say someone is “visually retarded”, implying hes blind. There are some other methods like synecdoche and metaphor. For example, “His father was buried under this stone” (cemetery). 2.2.5 Pragmatic Device Pragmatic device refers to delivering an indirect speech. For example, we say “Can you close the window?” to indicate the imperative “Please close the window”. Based on the devices mentioned above, we tend to conclude that people try to use these devices to make a polite statement so that the communication is conducted in a better way.2.3 Euphemism and Pragmatic FunctionsEuphemism is frequently introduced on formal and informal occasions to avoid unnecessary embarrassment and maintain a comfortable atmosphere. Zhu Guiping (2001), Lu Changhuai (2003), Zhang Li (2005), Deng Fang (2006) and Guo Yuhong (2007) have listed several pragmatic functions of euphemism. Basically, there are five pragmatic functions including taboo, avoiding vulgarity, concealing, beautification and humor. 2.3.1 TabooDifferent cultures in different countries lead to the existence of their own linguistic taboo. In this part, two aspects will be presented to briefly introduce the first function. Taboo of deathThousands of expressions can be found to replace the meaning of “die”. Here are some examples: “to go to sleep”, “to pass away”, “to be gone to a better place”, “to be at rest”, “to be with God”, “to be safe in the arms of Jesus”, “to close ones days”, “to be no more”, “to pay the debt of nature”, “to lay down ones life”, “to do ones bit”, “to make the ultimate” and “to fire ones last shot”, etc. Taboo of ageUsually old people are gently called “senior citizens” and old teachers are given the title of “experienced professors”. We can also find many other expressions like “golden ager” and “seasoned men”. 2.3.2 Avoiding VulgarityIf we say she is “plump”, actually she is “fat”. Similarly, if someone says she is “plain and homely”, she may be “ugly” in fact.2.3.3 BeautificationMen usually say a girl is “slender” or “slim” to imply she is “skinny”. If a teacher finds a student cheating in class, she may say “the student is depending on others to do his work”. The purpose of using euphemism in this situation is to avoid the violation of the students dignity and to educate the student in a positive way. In this way, the student will not feel hurt or discouraged. 2.3.4 ConcealingThis function means that we change a bad thing into a totally good one, which can be found especially in political issues because governments or politicians often take it as their political means. For example, during World War II, “slaughter of the Jews” was called “depopulation”. Similarly, “genocide” was taken as “final solution”. Moreover, “Iraq War” was demonstrated by the US government with the banner of “Free Iraq Operation”.In our daily life words like “engineer” and “officer” are employed to enhance the status of their positions in their mind. Here are some examples. We use “automobile engineer” for “mechanic” and “footwear maintenance engineer” for “bootblack”. 2.3.5 HumorThis function enables people to accept the unpleasant reality. For example, a man is in jail and his cellmate comforts him by saying “It doesnt matter, because we are living at governments expense”. “To live at governments expense” reveals a kind of humor in this context.2.4 Principles of Using English EuphemismBased on the analysis of pragmatic functions of English euphemism, we can find that they have much to do with the following two principles: the Cooperative Principle and the Politeness Principle. 2.4.1 The Cooperative Principle“The American philosopher Grice (1975) noticed that in our daily communication people do not usually say things directly but tend to imply them” (see Hu 2006:190). He raises the Cooperative Principle or CP for short, arguing that speakers and listeners stick to some rules in order to reach their communication goals. Grice points out the Cooperative Principle, which means that you should “make your conversational contribution such as is required, at the stage at which it occurs, by the accepted purpose or direction of the talk exchange in which you are engaged” (1975:45). In order to explain this theory, he introduces four categories of maxims as follows: quantity, quality, relation and manner. QUANTITY MAXIM1. Make your contribution as informative as is required (for the current purposes of the exchange). 2. Do not make your contribution more informative than is required. However, as we learn the usage of English euphemism, we seem to find out its opposite opinion in our daily communication. As is mentioned above, we use “JC” to replace “Jesus Christ”. In a sense, this usage violates the quantity maxim. Here is another example. Piggy: David, do you think we can win the match tomorrow?David: If we