中式英语之鉴第十二部分

Examples of missing links
• This part will concentrate on some examples about missing links in Chinese writers’ writings. Lacking these links, our writings cannot achieve articulation, coherence and cannot be well understood by readers. We Chinese writers should pay more attention on the common but important links. And the examples will focus on three aspects: addition or amplification; contrast and opposition; cause or effect.
What we said is only a little of the logical connectives. In order to establish the principle of when and why they required, we have to consider some examples of each of them, and try to use them correctly.
Types of logical connectives
Classified according to the different relations, they have following categories: • addition or amplification: and, moreover, in addition • contrast or opposition: but, on the contrary, instead • cause or effect: because, thus, hence • similarity: likewise, similarly, in the same way
An example of adverbs used in Chinese publications :
In new China, men and women– especially women, who suffered most from feudal oppression– have gained freedom of marriage and equal rights. Thus, in our new society they are taking a greater part in all kinds of political activities and in all fields of construction.
Addition or amplification
• Analysis: • The passage contains two sentences, and they hold that in the stage of strategic defensive, the Chinese force is weak. The first sentence talks about the Kuomintang troops; the second one the people’s anti-Japanese forces. The two sentences have different subjective but they serve one topic -- the Chinese force. They are coordinately connected, and should have link between them to make the paragraph more coherent and natural.
We are going to analyze it in the following aspects: Examples of logical connectives Types of logical connectives Examples of missing links Dubious logical connectives Wrong logical connectives Examples of revision
• • • • • • • •
purpose: in order that, to this end, for this purpose time sequence: after, then, meanwhile logical sequence: in the first place, next, finally Illustration: for instance, as an example, specifically concession: granted, to be sure, of course intensification: in deed, in fact, surely restatement: this is, in other words, as has been said conclusion: to sum up, in short, in conclusion
Examples of logical connectives
The logical link can be adverbs. E.g. Zinsser goes on to cite other short adverbs that are equally efficient at conveying complex meaning: ― ‗Instead I took the train.‘ ‗Still I had to admire him.‘ ‗Thus I learned how to smoke.‘ ‗It was therefore easy to meet him.‘ ‗Meanwhile I had talked to john.‘ ‖ and he gratefully concludes, ―what a vast amount of huffing and puffing these pivotal verbs save!‖
Examples of logical connectives
The logical link can be adverbs phrases. E.g. According to local statistics, the province now has green areas averaging 3.2 square meters per person. In addition, there 29 scenic spots and nature reserves, covering a total area of 3088 square kilometers.
Addition or amplification
• E .g. • As for Chinese, in the stage of strategic defensive, the Kuomintang troops staged one retreat after another in front-line battlefields. Although the people’s anti-Japanese forces had expanded, they were far from being able to carry out a strategic counter-offensive; before they were ready to that they would still have a long, hard struggle to go through.
The problem of Chinese translators is that running less risk of sprinkling a text with too many ―however‖s and ―moreover‖s than of failing to insert enough of conjunctions to provide coherence.
The Translator’s Guide to Chinglish
ΧΙΙ. Logical Connectives
制作人： 李洁 宋锦霞 李雨涵 刘天凤 刘思雨
We talked many about unnecessary words and sentence structure before. Then, let‘s think something about the logical connectives. A logical connective (also called a logical operator) is a symbol or word used to connect two or more sentences (of either a formal or a natural language) in a grammatically valid way, such that the sense of the compound sentence produced depends only on the original sentences.
Examples of logical connectives
Two sentences needed to be connected logically require coordinating conjunctions. E.g. Luo‘s art is based on traditional techniques, but he does not allow himself to be restricted by tradition. (two independent clauses) Luo‘s art is based on traditional techniques. But he does not allow himself to be restricted by tradition. (two sentences)