英语思维与汉语思维

英语思维与汉语思维

翻译：我已经结婚了，去年结婚的，到现在结婚一年多了。

I am married. I got married last year. I’ve been married for over a year.

英文中有“动作action”与“状态state”的区分。

以及时态方面的问题。

英语的静态特征

“静态与动态”，英语倾向于多用名词，因此呈静态，汉语倾向于多用动词，因而呈动态。英语的静态特征具体说来有四点。

第一，名词化是英语常见的现象。

“他很不开心，引起大家也不开心”

He was unhappy, so others felt unhappy too.

His unhappiness made/infected others unhappy.

He arrived so early, and I was quite surprised. → His early arrival surprised me. 同时汉语常用人作主语而英语多用物作主语。

比如一篇六级模拟题范文中有这样一句话： Video games could do us harm without our knowing it，If proper attention is not paid to their side effects.

“他最终失败了”

At last he failed.

At last all his efforts were in vain.

He was outstanding among his colleagues because he worked very hard.

→ His hard work/ efforts made him outstanding among his colleagues.

第二，用名词表示作动作的发出者（施事者），以代替动词。

“他七十多了，但能吃能睡。”

He still could eat and sleep.

He was still a good eater and a good sleeper.

“这位老师上课上得不好，我们都盼着早点下课。”

This teacher is not a good one, so we are eager to finish his class as earlier as possible.

In this teacher’s class, we are all clock-watchers.

所以下次你要夸别人篮球打得好，记着可以怎么写： He is a good/professional basketball player.

第三，名词的优势造成介词的优势。

“有人给他撑腰。”

Someone supports him.

He has someone behind him.

“说完这些话，她就走开了。”

After she finished her words, she went away.

With these words she went away.

“这本书太难了，我看不懂”

“This book is too difficult for me to understand it

“The book is totally beyond/above me .”

第四，动词的弱化与虚化。我们可用一些虚化动词（have, make, take, do）加上它的名词意义。

比如 look→ have a look, take a look

walk→have a walk, take a walk

visit→ pay a visit to

attempt→ make attempts

damage→ do some damages to

比如：“Tom与老板吵架之后，就辞职了。”

After Tom had a quarrel with his boss, Jack quit.

After Tom quarreled with his boss, Jack quit.

喜用名词，是现代英文固有现象。但千万切记，名词的使用要适当，并非所有地方名词优于动词，万不可滥用。况且，近年来英美不少学者认为名词的滥用造成英语缺乏生气。如果考生能够把握分寸，适当使用名词确也不失为写作之上策。

“win"和“beat"都可表示“赢”，但“赢了一场比赛”应用“win"，而“赢了某人”则应用“beat"。

句法方面

英语动词的时体范畴极为丰富。英语句子的人称、数量、时态、语态、情态均受制于时空，在句子结构上有比较严格的规则、次序，而且要求形式一致；而汉语语言形式是根据表达的需要来建构句式，要求并不严格（熊沐清，2001）。

Ted: Where did you learn to Rollerblade(轮滑）?

Anna: Here in the park. This is only my second time.

Ted: Well, it’s my first time. Can you give me some lesson?

Anna: Sure. Just follow me.

(after a while)

Ted: Hey, that was fun. Thanks for the lesson!

连接词的问题

英语重形合，即注重运用各种有形的连接手段达到语言形式的完整，句法功能呈外现形；

而汉语重意合，即语言表现形式由意念引导，句法功能呈隐含形式。

在英语和大多数印欧语言中，句子的从属关系大多是用连接词if，because，although，while等明确表达出来。

例如，People learn English to use it. Some learn it to study or work abroad. Others learn it to read books and magazines in English or have something to do with English-speaking foreigners.

则改进为：People learn English for practical purposes: some learn it to study or work abroad, while others learn it to read or communicate in English.文章读起来就通顺很多。

Li & Thompson（1976）认为，形合的英语是主语突出（subject-prominence）的语言，主题往往就是句子的主语，英语句子的主语通常指人或事物，由名词、代词或名词词组来担任；而汉语是主题突出（topic-prominence）的语言，句子的主语则大不相同，它们可以各种形式出现。除人或事物外，地点、时间、行为方式都可以作主语。在词性方面，除名词、名词词组和代词外，动词短语、介词短语，甚至句子都可以作主语。