不同社会文化背景的人,会有不同的思维方式和思维习惯,在学习新的语言时,人们会很自然地把这种习惯带到新的语言里去,产生这样或那样的不良结果。
值得一提的是,中国人与西方人看问题的方法的确在许多方面存在着差异,而且这种差异的的确确在束缚着中国学生,成为他们英文写作中的拦路虎,使他们不能畅所欲言,不能准确而简洁地表达思想。因此,本文就大学英语写作中常出现的问题谈谈英汉表达的几种差异。
一、首先,让我们关注一下英美人与中国人思维方式的不同。英美人的思维方式是直线式的,他们在遣词造句谋篇上遵循着从一般(general)到具体(specific),从概括(summarize)到举例(exemplify),从整体(whole)到个体(respective)的原则。请看短文:
Soccer is a difficult sport.(1)A player must be able to run steadily without rest.(2)Sometimes a player must hit the ball with his or her head.(3)Players must be willing to bang into and be banged into by others.(4) They must put up with aching feet and sore muscles.
上面的这则短文中,主题句(main idea sentence)也就是文章的中心是第一句,(1)(2)(3)(4)句是用来说明主题句的。
而在汉语中,我们习惯于先分后总,先说原因后说结果,即所谓的“前因后果”,如果要表达相同的意思,我们通常这样说:
足球运动员必须能不停地奔跑,有时得用头顶球,撞别人或被别人撞,必须忍受双脚和肌肉的疼痛,所以说,足球运动是一项难度大的运动。
再比如写下面一则便条,因你母亲突然生病,周末你不能和汤姆去跳舞了,你找了舞跳得很好的时黛来代替你,并表示抱歉。
此英语便条为:
July 6,2012
Dear Tom,
I am sorry to inform you that I won't be able to go to dance with you this weekend. My mother is suddenly takenill.In order not to disappoint you,I have asked Shi Dai to take my place.She is a better dancer,I think.My regrets.
Joe
从便条中可以看出,英语表达先“果”—I won't be able to go to dance with you this weekend后“因”—my mother is suddenly
taken ill,即所谓的“先果后因”。
一般来说,在单个句子中,英语句子也是先中心,也就是将主要思想、结果放在句首,放在主句里表达;而汉语正相反,一般为后中心,主要的观点、信息往往放在句末。如:
He had to stay at hom e yesterday because he was ill.因为他病了,昨天他不得不呆在家里。
Tragedies can be written in literature since there is tragedy in life.生活中既然有悲剧,文学作品就可以写悲剧。
所以说,大学生用英文写作时,就要按照英美人的思维模式进行思考,也就是说要学会用英语进行思维,避免写出中国式的英语。
二、接下来,让我们看一下英汉句子结构的特点。英语属印欧语系,汉语属汉藏语系,两种语言相距甚远,英语结构紧凑,汉语结构松散。语言学家以“竹节句法”来比喻英语句子,即英语句子是由断不可缺的各种连接词衔接而成,宛如节节相连的竹子;而汉语句子则被比喻为“流水句法”,所谓的流水指少用乃至不用连接词仍行文流畅。所以说,英语重形和,汉语重意和。英语句子中如果少了连接词如or,but,if,so,because,when,although , in order that,so that,所要表达的意思就支离破碎了,而汉语如没连接词,只从句子本身的意思就可以把概念或关系表达清楚。如:
Conquer the desires,or they will conquer you.你如不能战胜欲念,欲念将要战胜你。
An Englishm an who could not speak Chinese was once travelling in China.一个英国人,不会说中国话,有一次在中国旅行。
三、就是因为英语中各种连接词与替代词的广泛使用,使得英语中出现“多枝共干”式的长句,复合句;汉语则常用短句,简单句。请看下面一个英语长句以及其汉意。
It was on a Sunday evening,when he was lying in the orchard listening to a blackbird and composing a love poem,that he heard thegate swing to,and saw the girl coming running among the trees,with the redcheeked, stolid Joe in swift pursuit.一个星期日的傍晚,他正躺在果园里,一面在听画眉鸟的啁啾,一面在写一首爱情诗,忽然听得大门砰地关上,接着看见那姑娘从树丛里奔出来,后面飞跟着那呆头呆脑的红脸的乔。
这是个英语强调句,其重心是:he heard the gate swing to and saw the girl com ing running am ong the trees.,而when he was ly- ing in the orchard listening to a blackbird and com posing a love poem是一个时间状语从句,这两个句子通过itwas...that...这个强调句型巧妙地合为一个复合长句,整个句子简单明了,结构紧凑,若用汉语表达则须分成好几个短句。再如:
The president said at a conference dominated by questions on yesterday's election results that he could not explain why the Republicans had suffered such a widespread defeat,which in the end would deprive the Republican Party of long-held superiority in the House.在一次记者招待会上,问题集中于昨天的选举结果,总统就此发了言。他说他不能理解为什么共和党遭到了这样大的失败。这种情况最终会使共和党失去在众议院长期享有的优势。
这个英语长句是由一个带有分词短语的主句,两个宾语从句和一个非限制性定语从句组成,整个句子的主干简单明了:The president said...that....,若用汉语来表达,须把此长句拆开分成三个单句来分别叙述。