安悅悅
(寧夏大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院)
中國英語在林語堂《蘇東坡傳》中的體現(xiàn)
安悅悅
(寧夏大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院)
作者通過閱讀林語堂的《蘇東坡傳》發(fā)現(xiàn)中國英語在該作品中的使用非常明顯且普遍,具體體現(xiàn)在詞匯、句法、語篇、語用和修辭等方面。中國英語在文學(xué)作品中的使用表明中國英語是可理解的,而且它承載著中國特色文化,是對外傳播中國文化的有效工具。
中國英語 文化身份 文化傳播
中國英語在英語的全球化與本土化過程中應(yīng)運(yùn)而生。英語越來越多地被中國人創(chuàng)新地使用在中國語境中,且尤以中國人的英語文學(xué)創(chuàng)作為甚。在本土文學(xué)作品中挖掘中國英語的文化身份,可以拓展人們對中國英語的認(rèn)識,說明中國英語的使用可以凸顯出中國文化特色,對外它可以傳播中國文化,對內(nèi)其繼承著中國本土文化。在 《蘇東坡傳》(The Gay Genius: The Life and Times of Su Tongpo)中可以找到很多中國英語的表達(dá),作者通過閱讀和分析,發(fā)現(xiàn)中國英語的使用覆蓋了詞匯、句子、語篇等層面。中國作者的英語作品可以反映中國文化氣候和中國人的思維習(xí)慣。一些諺語、習(xí)語、古語、稱呼語等的表達(dá)都可以傳達(dá)中國文化特色和價(jià)值觀。
在林語堂《蘇東坡傳》中,一些中國特色的人名、地名、建筑物等名稱都能反映出中國作家對英語的創(chuàng)造性使用。例如:
朝代名稱:Sung Dynasty宋朝,“Yuanyu”(1086-1093)元祐,Southern Sung Dynasty南宋,Chiayu嘉祐, Chou Dynasty周朝,Warring Kingdoms戰(zhàn)國……
帝王名稱:Huitsung徽宗,Shiaotsung孝宗,Jentsung仁宗,Shining熙寧,reign of Shentsung神宗,Ingtsung英宗,the first emperor of Chin秦始皇,Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty漢武帝……
人名:Tu Fu杜甫,Szema Kuang司馬光,Wang Anshih王安石,Huang Tingchien黃庭堅(jiān),“Literary Patriotic Duke”文忠公,Ouyang Shiu歐陽修,Su Shun蘇洵,Su Cheh(Tseyu)子由,F(xiàn)an Chungyen范仲淹,Chiang Taikung姜太公,Grand Imperial Tutor太師,hanlin翰林,Chuko Ling諸葛亮,Liang Chichao梁啟超……
地名:Hankow漢口,Szechuen四川,Hopei河北,Shantung山東,Chengtu成都,Loyang洛陽,Shensi陜西,Anhuei安徽,Honan河南,F(xiàn)engshiang鳳翔,Shangchow商周,Kansuh甘肅,Yangchow揚(yáng)州,Nanking南京,Canton廣東,Hangchow杭州……
建筑物名稱:Wenteh Palance文德殿,Tamingfu大明府,Tuan Gate端門,Red Sparrow Gate朱雀門, national college國子監(jiān),imperial temples太廟,Chenshing Temple真興寺,Pavilion of Joyful Rain喜雨亭,the great wall(third century B.C.)長城……
交通工具:officials’horse官車,bull carts牛車, sedan chairs轎子,two-wheeled carts二輪車……
文人級別:chinshih進(jìn)士,literati士林……
山河湖海等名稱:Omei Mountain峨眉山,Yangtse River長江,China Sea東海,Loshan樂山,frog’s Jowl Hill蟆頤山,Yangtse Gorges三峽,Chutang Gorge瞿塘峽,Wu Gorge巫峽,Wei River渭河,Tsiling Mountains秦嶺,Taipo Mountain太白山,Black Water Vally黑水盆地……
特定時(shí)期的中國文學(xué)作品名:All Men are Brotheers《水滸傳》,Later Han History《后漢書》,Sung History《宋史》,F(xiàn)airy Girl《神女賦》,Tang History《唐史》,Record on the Terrace for Stepping on the Void 《凌虛臺記》,Pien Chien Lun《辨奸論》,Mirror of History《資治通鑒》……
中西方文化差異也體現(xiàn)在宗教信仰方面。在《蘇東坡傳》中出現(xiàn)的此類詞語,如:bodhisattvas菩薩,Buddha Julai如來佛,the Goddess of Mercy觀音娘娘,God of Wisdom勢至菩薩,the ruler of the skies天藏王,the Ruler of the Earth謝冤王,Great Stone Buddha四川大佛,Dragon God龍王……
其他中國特色的英語詞匯表達(dá):palace examination殿試,In years of good crops (豐收年),Taoist道士,Kin(Manchrurian)金人,Grand Imperial Tutor圣旨,fine/good writing佳作,confucianist poetry儒詩,scholar painting文人畫,Eight Great Prose Master of the Tang and Sung Dynasties唐宋八大家,big-hearted and generous豪邁慷慨,“hourglass”更漏,Taoist priest道士,Kins金,Liao遼,Shishia西夏,Siberian契丹,belles-lettres文壇,Three Kingdoms三國,the yang and the yin陽和陰,mourning period守孝期,the worship of Heaven in spring春祭,paochia保甲法,national treasury國庫,Seedling loans青苗法貸款,price equalization granaries常平倉,draft-aid tax助設(shè)金,Wang Anshih's reforms王安石變法,new excise tax新商稅,secret agents特務(wù),people cried with joy感激涕零,making pictures,imperial censor御史,friend of everybody老好人,monopolist exploiters壟斷剝削者,imperial house皇室,bodily mutilation肉刑,greatfriend好友,Western Capital西京……
通過以上各類中國特有文化事物名稱我們發(fā)現(xiàn),為了讓讀者能夠理解中國文化,中國作家在其英文文學(xué)作品中通常將中國文化與英語語言混合使用,漢語拼音與英語的混合使用是中國英語最大的特色之一。
由于意識形態(tài)及文化的差異,不同的民族對比喻、諺語及慣用語的運(yùn)用也各有不同,在《蘇東坡傳》中,如:
(1)“Literature is like genuine gold and good jade,”Su wrote to Shieh Minshih.(文章如精金美玉)(林,14)
(2)Fat and soft in appearance,he had the strength of steel in his character.(內(nèi)心堅(jiān)如磐石)(林,145)
(3)Roughly,good writing is like the sailing of clouds or flowing of water,moving forward where it is natural flow of thoughts and language arises its wayward,abundant charm.(文章如行云流水)(林,14)
(4)Such is the factual manner in which many of the Taoist recluses were supposed to have“ascended to Heaven”.(升天)(林,34)
(5)The palace occupied the center of the city,beginning in the south with a long stretch of stone and brick wall below the Shuantch Tower,with an elaborate bas-relief of dragons and phoenixes,while above showed the glittering roofs of the palaces,made with glazed titles of variegated colors.(龍鳳)(林,51)
(6)Such is the Chinese religion of common sense which made a writer in the earliest classic say,“Consult the oracles after you have made up your mind what to do.”(盡人事,聽天命)(林,98)
(7)He wanted to equalize wealth by “taking it away from the rich and giving it to the poor.(劫富濟(jì)貧)(林,109)
(8)It was the basis of Chinese political philosophy that a good government“kept the channels of opinion open”and a bad government did not.(廣開言路)(林, 112)
(9)“An expression lacking literary beauty cannot survive very long”said Confucius.(孔子曰:“言之不文,行之不遠(yuǎn)?!保?林,14)
(10)Su Shun characterized him in a rhetorical flourish as“dressed in a barbarian’s robe and eating the food of pigs and dogs,”(衣臣虜之衣,食犬髭之食)and said that,“he discussed history and poetry with a convict's unshaven head and unwashed face.”(囚首喪面) (林,97-98).
(11)The government took away the burden of military service from the people with one hand(一手)by making them pay for the “exemption,”and put it back on the people with the other.(另一手)(林,116)
(12)Some fifty items of Wang Anshih's etymology have survived to this day,chiefly as after-dinner pleasantries.(飯后談資)(林,119)
(13)Duanquan is remembered by posterity as the author of the famous saying,“Let them all laugh who want to laugh,a good official post is mine.”(笑罵從汝,好官我自為之)(林,131)
(14)Can we talk in a calm and dispassionate manner?By all Confucian standard,Wang lost face and left ashamed of himself.(丟臉)(林,133)
(15)There was,therefore,a long exchange of letters between Han Chi and the court,and the retired premier specifically pointed out that what the state capitalist of the Han Dynasty had done in squeezing the life blood of the people in order to fill the emperor’s war chest could hardly be considered a measure to “enrich the country”.(人民的血汗)(林,135)
(16)The Emperor refused to listen to Wang's advice,and permittee Fu Pi to keep his small job.(小官)(林,157)
(17)What the beautiful legend seems to say is that Chiang was a kind and fair person,and if a fish jumped three feet out of the water to be caught by his hook,it was the fish's own fault.(姜太公釣魚,愿者上鉤)(林, 81)
(18)He was the big frog in a little puddle.(井底之蛙)(林,100)
通過對林語堂的《蘇東坡傳》的粗略閱讀與分析,作者發(fā)現(xiàn)中國英語在中國人創(chuàng)作的英語文學(xué)作品中的創(chuàng)造性使用完全可以證明中國英語的客觀存在。它是英語適應(yīng)中國文化的必然結(jié)果。中國英語中的直譯和音譯等語言現(xiàn)象都是用來表達(dá)中國特有文化事物的必要語言技巧。
英語作為國際通用語,是屬于全世界的語言財(cái)富。英語的全球化與本土化加速了各類英語變體的出現(xiàn),從而促進(jìn)了世界文化的交流。英語越來越多地承載著世界各種特色文化,成為傳播全球地域文化的載體。中國英語作為世界英語大家庭的一員,它是中國文化的載體,是中國民族身份的象征。中國英語能以其可理解性與可接受性將中國特色文化繼承并傳播。
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