英语谚语中的修辞手法研究

英语谚语的修辞手法研究

摘要：谚语是语言中的精华，是人类智慧的结晶。它是熟语的一种，是流传于民间的比较简练而且言简意赅的言语形式。多数反映了劳动人民的生活实践经验，而且一般都是经过口头传下来的。谚语对于人民的生活起着重要的指导作用。

英语谚语是英语中非常重要的一部分，本文将从语音、语义、句法三个层次分析修辞在谚语中的使用特点，并据此揭示英语谚语在思想、智慧、语言、艺术等方面的突出成就。英语谚语大量使用修辞格, 使之精练简洁、形象鲜明、韵律优美, 从而产生强烈的艺术感染力。由于篇幅所限，本文只讨论了几种常见的修辞手段，还有其他对谚语有重要美学意义的修辞未曾涉及到，例如矛盾修饰、拟物、提喻、讽刺等。因此本文只是关于修辞手段的的部分讨论，其余还有待今后进一步研究。

关键词：英语谚语; 修辞格; 艺术感染力

Alliteration

Feng Cuihua(1983:91) defines alliteration as “alliteration is a rhetorical device that has more to do with sound than the sense of words for effect. It is a device that repeats the same sound at frequent intervals and since the sound repeated is usually the initial consonant sound, it is also called front rhyme.”

Alliteration, though, is not always used for such artistic purposes. It can also be used simply to impress something on one’s memory through sheer repetition of like initial sounds. For instance, we remember proverbs and wise sayings like “Penny wise, pound foolish” and “practi ce makes perfect” (Feng Cuihua,1983:92) because they are short and the sounds easy to remember. In present-day writing and advertisements, writers make use of this aspect alliteration quite frequently.

Alliteration is used in English proverbs more often than in English poems, and it makes the proverb to be read more smoothly and easy to remember. The main rhetoric function of alliteration is to increase the rhythm of language, besides which, alliteration is sometimes used to imitate some sound in life to make the language more vivid and impressive.

We can find the effects of alliteration in proverbs like:

(1) Time tries truth. 时间检验真理

(2) Seeing is believing. 眼见为实。

(3) Several men, several minds. 千人千品

(4) Safe bind , safe find. 藏得好，容易找。

(5) Out of sight, out of mind. 眼不见，心不烦。

(6) Past cure, past care. 听之任之。

(7) Money makes the mare go. 有钱能使鬼推磨

(8) Willful waste makes woeful want. 肆意挥霍，家徒四壁。

(陈明华, 2007:15-297)

We could identify the rhythm and vividness of these proverbs and realize the smoothness of the short sentences easily.

Consonance

“Consonance, the counterpart of assonance, refers to partial or total identity of

consonants in words or syllables whose main vowels differ. It is the close repetition of identical consonant sounds before and after different vowels. For example: slip/slop; creak/croak; black/block; shadow/meadow; pressed/past. This figure is often used in poems”. (王玉龙,张德玉,2006:248)

As a matter of fact alliteration and consonance are often employed together to a speech or writing more rhythmic and appealing. Consonance used in English proverbs often gives us an impression of completeness and makes the proverbs more persuasive. It also enables us to read the proverbs in one rhythm, and displays the uniqueness of the cultures embodied in the proverbs. Here are some examples:

(1) Birds of a feather flock together. 物以类聚人以群分

(2) Man proposes, God disposes. 谋事在人成事在天

(3) No bees, no honey.无蜂则无蜜

(4) No pains, no gains.不劳则无获

(5) Seeing is believing.眼见为实

(6) One man，no man.孤掌难鸣

(7) First thrive, and then wives先立业，后成家。

(8) East or west, home is best走遍天下路，还是家最好

(9) A friend in need is a friend in deed.患难识知己

(10) Good health is above wealth.健康胜于财富

(11) When the cat' a away，the mice will play.山中无老虎，猴子称大王

(陈明华, 2007:15-297)

Simile

A simile makes a comparison, but is different from an ordinary, literal comparison. When we say “Jim looks like his brother Billy”, we are making an ordinary, literal comparison, for:

a) We are comparing two like elements- Jim and Billy are both human beings;

b) We mean Jim is literally like his brother in appearance.

But when we say “Jim and Billy are as like as two peas”, we are using a simile, for:

a) We are comparing two unlike elements- human beings and peas;