Abstracts of Papers in This Issue

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s of Papers in This Issue

A cognitive theory of culture-specific word(p. 1)

ZHENGJianwei(School of Foreign Languages, Wuhan Institute of Technology, Wuhan 430205, China)

After revealing the defects of the definitions of traditional culture-related words in previous literature, this paper proposes the concept of “culture-specific word” based on cognitive theory of cultural meaning and according to the tertium comparationis of natural semantic metalanguage, which stresses the unique lexicalization of collective conceptual cognition and sensational cognition of a language community. It also presents the analytical method of culture-specific words, i.e., semantic molecule equation, as well as their interlingual classification, for the purpose of contributing to the study of cognitive sociolinguistics and contrastive cognitive linguistics.

Cognitive study ofchuiniupiword family(p. 10)

LIAOGuangrong&YINBochun(Foreign Studies College, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410081, China)

The members amongchuiniupiword family have connections in their forms. The generating mechanism ofchuiniupiword family is metonymy;chuiniubioriginates fromchuiniupiand evolves intoniubi. Their iconicity of formal structure and conceptual structure is poor. They are rich in pragmatic functions.

Re-approaching Chinese inter-clausal anaphora: The case of conditional sentences(p. 15)

CHENShunting(School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 201620, China)

This research, based on Xu Yulong’s (2003) research of Chinese inter-clausal anaphora, verifies Xu’s hypothesis with a new research of conditional sentences in CCL corpus. The new generalization predicts that reference patterns have a tendency within a chosen structure pattern, which is not corresponding to the previous prediction of choosing a structure according to a reference pattern. Corpus plays a vital role in the present research and different perspectives of data would lead to different results.

Dialogism and intertextuality: Bakhtin’s ideas in critical discourse analysis(p. 22)

YOUZeshun(Foreign Languages Department, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China)

A historical review reveals that Bakhtin has developed, with a kind of internal unity, his architectonics, metalinguistics, dialogism, and theory of intertextuality. Those theories all leave traces in the theoretical discussion and practical research of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), yet they, instead of being used dogmatically, are expanded innovatively, in accordance with the latter’s research purposes, to be an operational approach for the exploration and analysis of intertextuality at the micro level.

Comparative interpretation of cognitive semantic characteristics of the negative form in modal predicates between Russian and Chinese(p. 30)

XIEKun(School of Russian Studies, Xi’an International Studies University, Xi’an 710061, China)

This paper investigates the cognitive semantic characteristics of the negative form of modal predicates in the context of alethic, epistemic and deontic modalities in Russian and Chinese. Based on the comparison it reveals the aspect characteristic of the infinitive used with the modal predicate in Russian, the matching principle of aspect markers and the modal predicates in Chinese and the restriction of selecting Chinese negative adverbsbuandmeiin the modal context. At last, based on the theory of dynamic evolutionary model it tries to explain the origin of modality.

From input to output: An analysis of the cognitive factors affecting L2 oral production(p. 37)

LUYanhua(School of Foreign Studies, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710048, China)

After briefing the three models of SLA under the cognitive framework, this paper analyzes the major cognitive factors in SLA processes from input to output that influence L2 oral production within the framework of VanPatten’s process-focused model. It discusses such cognitive factors as notice, input processing approach, working memory and automaticity to explore not only their influences on different stages of SLA and oral production but also their implications on oral language teaching.

Assessing pragmatic competence in the context of ELF(p. 43)

LONGYumei(Department of Foreign Languages, Sontan College, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 511370, China)

XIAOKunxue(School of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China)

This paper first surveys the current perspectives on pragmatic competence and its assessment， summarizes its recent development, and then redefines it and reexamines its assessment in terms of assessment standards, contents and methods in ELF settings, aiming to reveal that the traditional pragmatic competence assessment can not meet the needs of global multi-dimensional context and to call for the rethinking of pragmatic competence assessment in the ELF context, thus promoting the reform of English teaching．

Orienting English textbooks to the strategy of Chinese culture diffusion(p. 51)

ZHAOChenhui(School of Foreign Languages, Changzhou College of Information Technology, Changzhou 213164, China)

With the implementation of the strategy to diffuse Chinese culture, China-foreign cultural exchange is taking a turn, which sets a new demand on our English teaching. Under the new context, the English expression of Chinese culture becomes the important part of English teaching. However, the Chinese culture is rudely ignored in the current English textbooks, which cannot satisfy the new requirements of talent cultivation and serving the state’s strategy. It has become important and urgent to compile new English textbooks. Under the requirements of the changed intercultural communication, the paper puts forward some detailed suggestions for compiling new English textbooks, including the structure of the compiling team, the guidelines for compiling new textbooks and the selection of content for new textbooks, etc.

Samuel Beckett’s “journey to China” revisited: After readingSamuelBeckett’sNovelsof“Failure”(p. 57)

ZHANGHelong(Institute of Literature, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 200083, China)

SamuelBeckett’sNovelsof“Failure”is a full discussion of the thematic concerns and artistic features in Samuel Beckett’s major novels. As a refreshing critical response to Samuel Beckett, the monograph is enlightening in terms of post-psychoanalytic perspectives, argumentation, narrative analysis and logical proof. After reading it in retrospect to the reception history of Samuel Beckett in China, the author of this paper thinks it conducive to understanding the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese critical approaches. For Beckett scholars in China, more indigenous innovation than foreign influences will be increasingly indispensable.

“Camel” and “desert”: Political metaphors of Egyptian Coptic revitalization inTheAlexandriaQuartet(p. 61)

WANGBo(School of English Studies, Dalian University of Foreign Languages, Dalian 116044, China)

XUBin(School of Foreign Languages, Central China Normal University, Wuhan 430079, China)

Lawrence Durrell has metaphorized Coptic national revivalist Narouz as a “camel” in the novel, who lives in the desert far from the European colony Alexandria. And the desert also has the political metaphorical efficacy in the postcolonial context. This paper demonstrates the indomitable struggle of the “camel” and the creative miracle of the change from desert to oasis, and examines the Coptic elite’s profound feelings of national revitalization by analyzing Narouz’s national consciousness and spirit. The transition from bleak desert to vibrant oasis is symbolic of the Coptic aspiration from decadence to revitalization. Durrell reveals the hope and light of the Coptic revitalization through the elaborate description of the “camel” in the desert.

Between autonomy and heteronomy: Toward the origin of Coleridge’s theory of imagination(p. 66)

DONGYi(School of Foreign Languages, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China)

The contradiction between literary autonomy and heteronomy disabled Coleridge in balancing muse and institution, and finally dejected him. InDejection:AnOde, a poem composed in his middle stage, Coleridge gained a power that mediated the contradiction by identifying a dichotomy of mental power, i.e. imagination and fancy. In order to reveal the mediating power, he rearranged the contradictory dichotomy into a mutually-overlapping trichotomy, i.e. primary imagination, secondary imagination and fancy, which appeared later inBiographiaLiteraria. The contradiction provided basis that nurtures his theory of imagination, of which the secondary imagination dissolved the dichotomy, and therefore, the contradiction insofar as writing is concerned.

The folk narration in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s works(p. 73)

RENLixia(School of Foreign Studies, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu 241002, China)

Influenced by the key elements of folk literature, the writing of Dostoevsky is a treasure house of folk literature.PoorFolkandTheHouseoftheDead, two of his early works, not only directly use the form of folk literature, but also draw on a large number of words from the folk lexicon.BrothersKaramazov, the masterpiece of his last days, pays closer attention to the form of folk narratives that advocate directly the ethical ideas of folk religion. Drawing on various poetic presentations of folk literature, the works are in accordance with the author’s religious and moral principles and also reveal the theme of his writing: paying close attention to reality, uncovering the secrets of the Russian soul and popularizing the folk belief.

A probe into the English translation ofChangshengdian(p. 79)

ZHANGQihai(School of Foreign Languages, Binzhou University, Binzhou 256600, China)

WANGHong(School of Foreign Languages, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China)

Changshengdianis the masterpiece of Hong Sheng, the famous Chinese dramatist in the Qing Dynasty and receives an excellent reputation both at home and abroad. In this paper the authors, while probing into the history of the English translation ofChangshengdian, pay special attention to the three versions by Yang Xianyi and Gladys Yang, by Xu Yuanchong and Xu Ming, and by He Yubin, and analyze the translation strategies adopted by translators. In view of the new situation of Chinese culture going global, the authors argue that the adoption of both domesticating and foreignizing methods, and mixture of various translation skills are of great significance to the spread of traditional Chinese culture far and wide.

The construction of scientific-technical translation thinking in the perspective of linguistic adaptation theory(p. 86)

LUODijiang&JINGXiu(School of Foreign Languages, Guangxi University of Science and Technology, Liuzhou 545006, China)

Under the framework of linguistic adaptation theory, the thinking of scientific-technical translation is a scientific-technical information-guided and scientific-technical clue-perspective“idea-driven”cognitive thinking activity, which is a complex psychological cognitive process involving the dynamic interaction of scientific-technical factors, scientific-technical agents, linguistic structures and code transformation. This information thought process contains scientific-technical meta-pragmatic awareness, scientific-technical mind and scientific-technical language ideologies, which views lexical compensation, grammatical compensation and pragmatic enrichment as translation strategies for the sake of the appropriate recreation of scientific-technical translation.

New research methods in second language psycholinguistics: Review ofResearchMethodsinSecondLanguagePsycholinguistics(p. 92)

JIAGuanjie(School of Foreign Languages, Soochow University, Suzhou 215006, China)

This paper covers two parts. The first part gives a brief introduction toResearchMethodsinSecondLanguagePsycholinguistics, which discusses the most important and new research methods of psycholinguistics in the world today. The comments on the book are presented in the second part. The book will play a very important role in the future study of psycholinguistics.

Review ofLinguisticFundamentalsforNaturalLanguageProcessing(p. 95)

YANGChunlei(School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai 201620, China )

From a cross-linguistic perspective,LinguisticFundamentalsforNaturalLanguageProcessingdiscusses how to build a more sophisticated and descriptive language system by analyzing the relationship between parts of a sentence (mainly morphological and syntactic structures) to lay a foundation for more successful natural language processing systems.

Review of “Institutional power in and behind discourse: A case study of SARS notices and their translations used in Macao”(p. 99)

LIUJia(School of English Studies, Sichuan International Studies University, Chongqing 400031, China)

This is a review of Zhang Meifang and Pan Hanting’s article “Institutional power in and behind discourse: A case study of SARS notices and their translations used in Macao”, published inTarget, 2015. In this review, a systematic introduction is made with regards to the authors’ analytical framework based on the integration of critical discourse analysis and systemic functional linguistics. In the meanwhile, the results of the case study are also analyzed in detail with an aim to point out the new perspective and methodology of discourse analysis in translation studies.