中國學(xué)生在學(xué)習(xí)英語過程中大的障礙不是詞匯,不是語法,不是句型結(jié)構(gòu),而是英語的思維習(xí)慣。因?yàn)橐詰?yīng)試教育見長的中國學(xué)生,在記憶和邏輯方面是很有優(yōu)勢(shì)的,這點(diǎn)在中國學(xué)生的GRE成績能夠拿到高分甚至滿分,令美國學(xué)生都望塵莫及這一點(diǎn)中可見一斑。而對(duì)于英語的思維習(xí)慣,很多中國學(xué)生是把握不準(zhǔn)的,也是制約我們英語水平飛躍的一個(gè)瓶頸。
語言是思維的支撐和表達(dá)的工具,語言的背后更多的是隱藏的文化風(fēng)俗,思維習(xí)慣。每個(gè)民族都有其特定的歷史,文化,地理特征,因此體現(xiàn)的思維習(xí)慣千差萬別。如果我們?cè)趯W(xué)習(xí)英語過程中無法領(lǐng)會(huì)英語思維的話,而用我們的中國人思維去遣詞造句,必然只能說出來讓老外摸不著頭腦,只有中國人能聽得懂的Chinglish。于是我們很多同學(xué)會(huì)說,發(fā)現(xiàn)和中國人交流英語會(huì)容易很多,原因就在這里了。語言大師呂叔湘先生在《中國人學(xué)英語》(修訂本)中談道:“我相信,對(duì)于中國學(xué)生有用的幫助是讓他認(rèn)識(shí)英語和漢語的差別……讓他通過比較得到更深刻的領(lǐng)會(huì)。”那么如何說出一口純正地道的英語,真正地和老外達(dá)到深層次,高度融合地交流呢? 好在我們有新概念英語,從中我給大家總結(jié)了英語和漢語的思維差異,并以課文中的例子加以佐證。
一、 英語多用有靈主語,漢語多用有靈主語
“靈”即生命,英語思維比較客觀,以事物作主語較多,漢語思維較主觀,以人作主語較多。
例句: Lesson 1: When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.
譯文:當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說,在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí),這些報(bào)告并沒有受到重視。
在簡奧斯丁的小說Pride and Prejudiced的讓人印象深刻的第一句話:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
譯文:人們公認(rèn)這樣一個(gè)事實(shí),一個(gè)有錢的單身男子一定想要娶個(gè)妻子。
二、和對(duì)于英語語族的人來說,漢語族人喜歡用動(dòng)詞表達(dá)自己,而英語族人注重抽象思維,?;瘎?dòng)為靜,善用名詞。
例句:Lesson 45: As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty.
譯文:家里已有5個(gè)孩子,全家人常年在貧困中掙扎。
上課時(shí)我在講這句話之前,讓同學(xué)們先看這句話的譯文進(jìn)行翻譯。幾乎所有的同學(xué)的譯文結(jié)構(gòu)如下:
The family has five children and they have to struggle against poverty all year round.
譯文雖然不盡相同,但“在貧困中掙扎”都是用動(dòng)詞詞組。接著我再讓學(xué)生們看到我們?cè)闹械拿~形式,從而加深了他們對(duì)于英語中善用名詞結(jié)構(gòu)的印象。這個(gè)知識(shí)點(diǎn)也與25課《“卡蒂薩克”號(hào)帆船》中的,She serves as an impressive reminder of the great ships of the past. “reminder”這個(gè)名詞的活用而不用“remind sb of sth”結(jié)構(gòu)的用法是一致的。
三、表達(dá)邏輯不同。
漢語先講原因再講結(jié)果,英語先講結(jié)果再講原因。中國人的文化比較含蓄,在進(jìn)行了一些鋪墊闡述以后,認(rèn)為結(jié)果對(duì)方能夠揣測(cè)到,使這個(gè)結(jié)果或者要求自然而然。英國人思維方式直接,說話方式喜歡開門見山,把重要的信息放在前面。
當(dāng)我們問朋友借錢時(shí),我們會(huì)說:“我被老爸趕出了門,被女朋友踹了,現(xiàn)在又碰到了經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)找不到工作,你能不能借我100塊錢?”
但同樣的情況一個(gè)英國人會(huì)說:Could you lend me 100 yuan? You know I was expelled by my father, dumped by my girl friend and what is worse I am jobless due to the economic crisis.
例句:L15 George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.
按照我們漢語表達(dá)的思維我們會(huì)說: 糖果店的老板娘聽說了他遇到的麻煩后,賞給了他一大盒巧克力,才使這事情讓沒有使喬治過于傷心。
四、漢語先說細(xì)節(jié)再總結(jié),英語先說結(jié)論再展開細(xì)節(jié)。
舉例,L3 “An unknown goddess”中有這么一段話:
The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization. Houses ---- often three storeys high ---- were built of stone. They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls. The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow street.
這一段總共四句話。第一句講這座古城肯定很繁華,曾享有高度文明。第二句是講房子,房子很高,還是用石頭造的。第三句講房間,房間很大,房間里的墻壁裝飾華麗。第四句是講城市里的排水系統(tǒng)。我們細(xì)細(xì)分析一下不難發(fā)現(xiàn),其實(shí)第一句就是作者要表達(dá)的中心意思:城市很繁華。后三句不過是從三個(gè)不同角度(房子,房間,排水系統(tǒng))來論證作者要表達(dá)的中心意思。這幫助我們理清了英語寫作中一個(gè)重要的結(jié)構(gòu):就是主旨句 (topic sentence) 加支持性細(xì)節(jié) (supporting details)。主旨句表達(dá)全段的中心思想。支持性細(xì)節(jié)是支持主旨句的例子,解釋等,目的是幫助讀者充分理解作者在主旨句中所表達(dá)的含義。我們不妨再來欣賞一段ETS給出的托福范文,事實(shí)上這段文章嚴(yán)格遵循了這個(gè)格式,和新三的課文實(shí)在有異曲同工之妙。
Parents are the best teachers of their children. They teach their children to utter sounds when they are babies. They coach them hand in hand for walking. When their children begin formal education, parents tutor them in their homework. Apart from this, parents direct their children’s moral; they instruct and show their children what is right and what is wrong, which is not effectively taught at school.
五、諺語成語差異
“雨后春筍”英語則用“just like mushrooms”來形容同樣的意思,因?yàn)橛L不出竹子。
我們發(fā)現(xiàn)新概念三中有一樣?xùn)|西提到的次數(shù)多,一共有三篇課文都寫了這個(gè)主題。這就是船。L10, L25, L32 講的都是“ship”。英國是個(gè)島國,所以對(duì)于sea, ship,fish有著深厚的感情,這如同我們中國土地面積比較大,對(duì)于“土地,草”有感情一樣。所以在成語諺語的翻譯可以把這些思維差異考慮進(jìn)去,譯文就顯得符合對(duì)方的思維習(xí)慣從而更加清晰易懂。
舉些例子:好馬不吃回頭草
兔子不吃窩邊草
天涯何處無芳草
如何翻譯?“The horse never goes back to eat the grass”?老外問道: WHY ?
“The rabbit never eat the grass growing beside the rabbit-hole”?
老外問道: WHY/
我如此翻譯以后他們都明白了:
Don’t fish the fish you let go.
Don’t fish in your neighbor’s pond.
She’s not the only fish in the ocean.
語言是思維的支撐和表達(dá)的工具,語言的背后更多的是隱藏的文化風(fēng)俗,思維習(xí)慣。每個(gè)民族都有其特定的歷史,文化,地理特征,因此體現(xiàn)的思維習(xí)慣千差萬別。如果我們?cè)趯W(xué)習(xí)英語過程中無法領(lǐng)會(huì)英語思維的話,而用我們的中國人思維去遣詞造句,必然只能說出來讓老外摸不著頭腦,只有中國人能聽得懂的Chinglish。于是我們很多同學(xué)會(huì)說,發(fā)現(xiàn)和中國人交流英語會(huì)容易很多,原因就在這里了。語言大師呂叔湘先生在《中國人學(xué)英語》(修訂本)中談道:“我相信,對(duì)于中國學(xué)生有用的幫助是讓他認(rèn)識(shí)英語和漢語的差別……讓他通過比較得到更深刻的領(lǐng)會(huì)。”那么如何說出一口純正地道的英語,真正地和老外達(dá)到深層次,高度融合地交流呢? 好在我們有新概念英語,從中我給大家總結(jié)了英語和漢語的思維差異,并以課文中的例子加以佐證。
一、 英語多用有靈主語,漢語多用有靈主語
“靈”即生命,英語思維比較客觀,以事物作主語較多,漢語思維較主觀,以人作主語較多。
例句: Lesson 1: When reports came into London Zoo that a wild puma had been spotted forty-five miles south of London, they were not taken seriously.
譯文:當(dāng)倫敦動(dòng)物園接到報(bào)告說,在倫敦以南45英里處發(fā)現(xiàn)一只美洲獅時(shí),這些報(bào)告并沒有受到重視。
在簡奧斯丁的小說Pride and Prejudiced的讓人印象深刻的第一句話:
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
譯文:人們公認(rèn)這樣一個(gè)事實(shí),一個(gè)有錢的單身男子一定想要娶個(gè)妻子。
二、和對(duì)于英語語族的人來說,漢語族人喜歡用動(dòng)詞表達(dá)自己,而英語族人注重抽象思維,?;瘎?dòng)為靜,善用名詞。
例句:Lesson 45: As the parents had five children, life was a perpetual struggle against poverty.
譯文:家里已有5個(gè)孩子,全家人常年在貧困中掙扎。
上課時(shí)我在講這句話之前,讓同學(xué)們先看這句話的譯文進(jìn)行翻譯。幾乎所有的同學(xué)的譯文結(jié)構(gòu)如下:
The family has five children and they have to struggle against poverty all year round.
譯文雖然不盡相同,但“在貧困中掙扎”都是用動(dòng)詞詞組。接著我再讓學(xué)生們看到我們?cè)闹械拿~形式,從而加深了他們對(duì)于英語中善用名詞結(jié)構(gòu)的印象。這個(gè)知識(shí)點(diǎn)也與25課《“卡蒂薩克”號(hào)帆船》中的,She serves as an impressive reminder of the great ships of the past. “reminder”這個(gè)名詞的活用而不用“remind sb of sth”結(jié)構(gòu)的用法是一致的。
三、表達(dá)邏輯不同。
漢語先講原因再講結(jié)果,英語先講結(jié)果再講原因。中國人的文化比較含蓄,在進(jìn)行了一些鋪墊闡述以后,認(rèn)為結(jié)果對(duì)方能夠揣測(cè)到,使這個(gè)結(jié)果或者要求自然而然。英國人思維方式直接,說話方式喜歡開門見山,把重要的信息放在前面。
當(dāng)我們問朋友借錢時(shí),我們會(huì)說:“我被老爸趕出了門,被女朋友踹了,現(xiàn)在又碰到了經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)找不到工作,你能不能借我100塊錢?”
但同樣的情況一個(gè)英國人會(huì)說:Could you lend me 100 yuan? You know I was expelled by my father, dumped by my girl friend and what is worse I am jobless due to the economic crisis.
例句:L15 George was not too upset by his experience because the lady who owns the sweet shop heard about his troubles and rewarded him with a large box of chocolates.
按照我們漢語表達(dá)的思維我們會(huì)說: 糖果店的老板娘聽說了他遇到的麻煩后,賞給了他一大盒巧克力,才使這事情讓沒有使喬治過于傷心。
四、漢語先說細(xì)節(jié)再總結(jié),英語先說結(jié)論再展開細(xì)節(jié)。
舉例,L3 “An unknown goddess”中有這么一段話:
The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization. Houses ---- often three storeys high ---- were built of stone. They had large rooms with beautifully decorated walls. The city was even equipped with a drainage system, for a great many clay pipes were found beneath the narrow street.
這一段總共四句話。第一句講這座古城肯定很繁華,曾享有高度文明。第二句是講房子,房子很高,還是用石頭造的。第三句講房間,房間很大,房間里的墻壁裝飾華麗。第四句是講城市里的排水系統(tǒng)。我們細(xì)細(xì)分析一下不難發(fā)現(xiàn),其實(shí)第一句就是作者要表達(dá)的中心意思:城市很繁華。后三句不過是從三個(gè)不同角度(房子,房間,排水系統(tǒng))來論證作者要表達(dá)的中心意思。這幫助我們理清了英語寫作中一個(gè)重要的結(jié)構(gòu):就是主旨句 (topic sentence) 加支持性細(xì)節(jié) (supporting details)。主旨句表達(dá)全段的中心思想。支持性細(xì)節(jié)是支持主旨句的例子,解釋等,目的是幫助讀者充分理解作者在主旨句中所表達(dá)的含義。我們不妨再來欣賞一段ETS給出的托福范文,事實(shí)上這段文章嚴(yán)格遵循了這個(gè)格式,和新三的課文實(shí)在有異曲同工之妙。
Parents are the best teachers of their children. They teach their children to utter sounds when they are babies. They coach them hand in hand for walking. When their children begin formal education, parents tutor them in their homework. Apart from this, parents direct their children’s moral; they instruct and show their children what is right and what is wrong, which is not effectively taught at school.
五、諺語成語差異
“雨后春筍”英語則用“just like mushrooms”來形容同樣的意思,因?yàn)橛L不出竹子。
我們發(fā)現(xiàn)新概念三中有一樣?xùn)|西提到的次數(shù)多,一共有三篇課文都寫了這個(gè)主題。這就是船。L10, L25, L32 講的都是“ship”。英國是個(gè)島國,所以對(duì)于sea, ship,fish有著深厚的感情,這如同我們中國土地面積比較大,對(duì)于“土地,草”有感情一樣。所以在成語諺語的翻譯可以把這些思維差異考慮進(jìn)去,譯文就顯得符合對(duì)方的思維習(xí)慣從而更加清晰易懂。
舉些例子:好馬不吃回頭草
兔子不吃窩邊草
天涯何處無芳草
如何翻譯?“The horse never goes back to eat the grass”?老外問道: WHY ?
“The rabbit never eat the grass growing beside the rabbit-hole”?
老外問道: WHY/
我如此翻譯以后他們都明白了:
Don’t fish the fish you let go.
Don’t fish in your neighbor’s pond.
She’s not the only fish in the ocean.