语篇中的母语负迁移现象
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母语文化负迁移现象对英语专业低年级学生英文写作的影响及克服
之语篇篇对语篇的研究分为语篇衔接与连贯、语篇模式。
1、语篇的衔接和连贯
1)重要性:
众所周知,中国文化深受儒家思想的影响,形成了“天人合一”、“万物一体”的哲学观,这种文化延续千年,使得人们崇尚自然、追求与自然的和谐相处,相信主客体的一致,重伦理、重直觉、重整体、重简约、重形象思维。
而英美人的祖先则受其独特的海洋型地理环境的影响,将自然作为人的对立面,形成了观察分析、探求控制自然的习惯,形成了重认知、重实证、重个体、重逻辑、重逻辑的思维习惯。
这些文化的巨大差异反映在各自语言中,则又形成了迥然不同的两种语言。
英汉语研究结果表明,英语重“形合”(Hypotactic) ,汉语重“意合”( Paratactic) 。
英语更多地求助于形合手段,如使用大量的逻辑连词: and , but , since ,in addition , because ,meanwhile ,if ,also , then , nevertheless ,instead , otherwise 等以取得逻辑上的衔接与连贯,从而实现句子、段落与篇章的组合。
而汉语则强调“意义的连贯”、“以意统形”,不注重形式标记,所以中国学生受这种母语特点的影响,在英语行文中往往也采用简单句堆砌,不顾长短句结合,不采取任何衔接连贯手段,缺乏句际间逻辑性词汇等,从而违反了英语文体规则,且整篇文章完全是由简单句一贯到底,显得零散、单调、苍白、乏味,从而形成篇章结构层次上的“中国式英语”。
2)具体问题
通过分析英语低年级学生的习作,我们发现上述问题十分突出。
如:
例1:“Different persons have different hobbies. My hobbies are reading and writing○1.……Our university has very beautiful tree avenues and many benches and a very large library○2. I like going to library very much, especially when it is sunset, I often sit in the library by a window and read book quietly○3.”——“My
Hobbies”
在笔者看来,此篇文章中至少有三处衔接和连贯不当的地方,在列出的第一处,两句话都是短句,显得零散单调,主题不够突出,并且过渡地也很不自然,中间缺乏进一步的阐释,形成了句意上的“跳句”,如果改成:“Different persons have different hobbies, like dancing, watching movies, playing basketball, playing computer games and so on, but my hobbies are reading and writing”,这样通过添加了很多“hobbies”的下义词,使得意思更加连贯,过渡更加自然,而添加“but”将两句连成一句,加强了对比,主题也得以强化了;第二处的主题似乎成了“our university”,与整篇文章似有脱节,不妨改成“My
hobbies of reading and writing get enhanced in our university,where there are very beautiful tree avenues, many benches and a large library”,这样就通过重复主题“My hobbies of reading and writing”,加强了与主题呼应的效果,同时也将关于“our university”的次重要信息加以弱化,使得保持了主题的一致性;第三处问题更加突出:作者似将两句话杂糅在了一起,或者试图用逗号连接两个独立的句子,给读者理解带来了歧义——作者是喜欢尤其在日落时去图书馆呢,还是喜欢尤其在日落时坐在窗前静静读书,根据我个人揣度,可改成“I quite enjoy sitting by the window and reading quietly in the library, especially when it is sunset”,既避免了歧义和重复,语意也较为连贯,还保证了合乎英语的语法规则和表达。
又如:在一篇名为“I Want to Change”的习作中,有这样一段“Thinking the past whole year, I was busy every day but I felt more regret than satisfied. Before I went to university I never do much work. Last year I joined many clubs and student union.
I should do this and do that every day every time, often miss the eat time and climbing
21 stairs……”
同样上述选段中汉语式思维严重,句内和句间都缺乏有效的衔接手段,使得逻辑性不强,语义很不连贯,表现力不够强。
笔者提供一个改后的版本供参考:
“During the past whole year, I was busy every day, but I felt more regretful than satisfied. I had much more work to do after I entered the university than before. Since I joined student unionand many clubs, I often had to do this and that. And the bonus was often that I missed the dining time or that I had to climb 21 stories of stairs when the lift had already been out of electricity at night.”
3)克服方法
结合上述例子,我们不妨总结一下有助于语篇衔接和连贯的一些方法(例子可参照上述几个语篇的改善):
指称方面包括1)对原词的重复;2)使用人称代词等;3)使用近义词或同义词;4)使用上义词或下义词;
过渡方面包括使用1)表时间顺序的信号词,如first, then, next, meanwhile, finally 等;2)表转折的连接词,如but, however, yet, in contrast, although, otherwise等;3)表原因或结论的连接词,如therefore, consequently, accordingly,thus, in sum, to conclude等,4)表举例的词或短语,如 for example, for instance, specifically, as an illustration 等等。
其他还包括像主语尽量使用整篇文章的主题词,尽量少更换主语(而可使用一些指称手段),句子之间有足够的阐释过渡等等。
2、语篇模式
1)重要性:
中西两种文化的差异也反映在语篇模式上。
语篇是一些意义相关的句子通过一定的承接手段合乎逻辑地组织起来的语义整体。
一定的语篇总反映出主体的文化背景,因为说话人在组织语言时总是以其独特的文化视角去采取符合其所在群体文化中的各种方式谋篇布局。
中文篇章写作习惯采用“归纳型”逻辑,先原因后结果,先作说明后得出结论,然后再反复证明这一结论,呈螺旋形表述,比较迂回;而英文中习惯采用“演绎型”的主题导入方式,即先在文章开头道明主旨,再一一陈列理由或论据,每段须先有“topic sentence”,再层层
展开“supportive sentences”,最后得出符合逻辑的“conclusion”,文章布局也呈直线型,很直截了当。
由此可见,英汉语篇结构有很大区别,学生在英文写作中要尽量克服母语语篇思维模式带来的负迁移。
2)具体问题:
我们针对我院英语专业大一年级的学生,进行了关于母语负迁移现象的问卷调查,在语篇部分,我们设置了如下选择题:“您更倾向于如下哪段表达?
A、In the city, I will have more opportunities for good education and well-paid
jobs. I can also enjoy more convenient transportation, good health service and various kinds of entertainment. So I prefer to live in the city.
B、I prefer to live in the city, because I will have more opportunities for good education and well-paid jobs. Besides, I can enjoy more convenient transportation, good health service and various kinds of entertainment.”(显然A、B两段分别代表汉语的“归纳型”语篇模式、英语的“演绎型”语篇模式。
)
据我们统计,70份有效问卷中,有14份问卷选择的是A,也就说明20%的同学英文写作语篇模式意识淡薄。
而在问及“您希望在谋篇布局的逻辑方面得到指导的程度是非常,一般或者是没有问题?”时,没有一个人觉得自己不需要在这方面加以提高的,而且多达71.2%的同学选择了“非常”,也就是说绝大多数人都觉得自己在英文写作中谋篇布局方面是存在很大的问题的,而这多是由于受母语思维负迁移的影响。
下面仅列举用汉语语篇思维模式进行英文写作的学生习作中的一篇(节选):
“Dreams can be an accelerator to push you doing some challenging things.And during the process of reaching of reaching your dreams, you can experience new things which you’ll never meet for the second time, so that it can help broaden your horizon. And the most important thing is that you cannot fail to enjoy the moment when you finally realize your dream. So having dreams is really a wonderful thing.”
因为之前已经对英汉两种语篇模式的区别阐述得很清楚了,所以对上述习作的问题就不加赘述了,谨希望通过笔者的改动,读者就能知道在英文写作时如何注意语篇模式的构建: “Having dreams is really a wonderful thing. First, dreams can be an accelerator to push you doing some challenging things. They can also broaden your horizon, because in chasing dreams you can experience new things which you’ll never meet for another time. Above all, dreams bring you great sense of accomplishment and enjoyment the moment they’re realized by you.”
3)克服方法:
在此研究的基础上,笔者认为要完全谙熟英文写作的语篇模式,并在写作中有意识地避免汉语式的语篇模式,则需要多读地道的英语文章,并从中了解英语国家的社会文化及人们的思维模式等等,同时在日常的专业课程学习中,可尝试多翻译一些课文并参考相关翻译,当然最后在英文写作中更要有意识地反复训练自己用真正的英语语篇模式写作,并请教同学或老师,听取他们的意见等等。
参考文献
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