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Abstract
An English discourse, to a big degree, manages to achieve its cohesion and coherence through thematic progression in certain patterns, which, nevertheless, may not play as important a role in a Chinese text that is formally less strict but depends more on the inner logic for its fluency and integrity. Therefore, in the practice of Chinese-English translation, if one simply copies the Chines flow of the discourse, in the English version the thematic progression may become confused, and so will the English reader; on the other hand, if adaptations can be made with consideration of the English thematic progression patterns, it will certainly make a difference.
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Custom Essays on The English Pattern of Thematic Progression and Chinese-English Translation
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Every English sentence has its theme-rheme structure, which is closely linked with the themes and rhemes in the neighboring clauses so that the fluency and integrity of the discourse may be achieved. This kind of relations and variations of the themes and rhemes of the clauses in the same structure is called progression, which shows how the discourse develops until a meaningful unit of text is produced. Research shows that there are a certain number of patterns of such kind of progression that works behind the seemingly contingent discourses, and some linguists have found four basic patterns of thematic progression in English, namely
A. Common -theme mode, in which two clauses share the same theme
T1-----R1
¦
T(=T1) ---R
Tn (=T1) -----Rn
For example
The brain contains 10 billion nerve cells, making thousands of billions of connections with each other. It is the most powerful data processor we know.
B. Common -rheme mode, in which two clauses share the same rheme
T1----R1
¦
T---R(=R1)
Tn---Rn(=R1)
For example
England is a country; France is a country; Turkey is another country; Egypt, Italy, Poland are other countries.
C. Continuing mode, in which the rheme of the first sentence serves as the theme of the second.
T1-----R1
¦
T(=R1)------R
Tn(=R-1)------Rn
For example
Outside my window is a big lawn. In the middle of the lawn is a flower bed. This bed is full of daffodils.
D. Overlapping-mode, in which the theme of the first sentence serve as the rheme of the second.
T1-------R1
¦
T ---R(=T1)
Tn----Rn(=Tn-1)
The play was interesting, but I didn't enjoy it. A young man and a young woman troubled me. I turned around and looked at them, but they didn't pay any attention to me.
Actually, most texts develop in a more complicated manner, combining more than one single mode of thematic progression. Nevertheless, the general tendency to follow certain mode or modes of thematic progression in a clear way is always obvious, and this tendency is so strong to a native English speaker that it is only natural for him to expect such patterns in his reading so that he will not be confused.
On the other hand, the Chinese is different in this respect. It is a language more free in form. What serves most to keep the whole discourse cohesive is the central idea underneath the words, or, as the Chinese critics often put it, the Chinese writings may be loose in the form but they must never be loose in the spirit. So the kind of strict requirement of thematic progression in English texts are not a must in Chinese texts. Therefore, in Chinese-English translation, if this looseness in a Chinese text is transplanted into English without any adjustment, the version will very likely cause difficulties to the English reader's easy understanding.
The following is a Chinese text with its two English versions
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Version1
The Chinese nation is a big family composed of 56 nationalities. Since time immemorial,
T1 R1 T
people of all nationalities have established closely-knit political, economic and cultural links
R
and have joined hands in developing the vast land of our country. China became a huge
T R
unified country more than ,000 years ago. The deep-rooted Chinese culture became a strong
T4 R4
bond preserving ethic harmony and national unity. Solidarity and unity have been inscribed
T5 R5
in the hearts of the Chinese people as part of their national identity. Despite occasional
T6
divisions in Chinese history, ethnic harmony and national unity have remained the
R6
mainstream of the history of the Chinese nation and an important guarantee of China's
development and progress.
The thematic progression of this version might be described in chart as follows
T1---------R1
¦(?)
T-------R
¦(?)
T--------R
T4----R4
¦
T5 ------R5
¦
T6------R6
Clause tries to be connected with clause 1 through the phrase ¡°people of all nationalities in its rheme, but the connection is doubtful as this phrase is not finite and may not be able to hang on to the phrase ¡°the 56 nationalities in the rheme of the previous clause.
The connection between clause and clause is also shaky, as the theme in clause , ¡°China, and the phrase in the rheme of clause , ¡°the vast land of our country, are not in the same category, so clause seems to be talking of an irrelevant matter.
Clause has nothing to do with clause 4, which reaches back to the rheme of clause to seek coherence in its phrase ¡°closely linked political, economic and cultural links.
In addition to these dubious or false progression steps, the translator, following closely to the structure of the original, uses two marked themes, in clause and clause6, where it is not only unnecessary but also unwelcome. The use of marked thematic structure, or the thematic fronting, is an obvious divide line between English and Chinese. While it can be easily proved that this structure is of normal order in Chinese, it certainly produces some kind of unusualness to native English speakers and is used only when calling for more attention. These two phrases, though foregrounded in the original, do not try cause any extra attention to a Chinese reader. But when their positions are copied in the English version, they attract more attention, and, at the same time, by changing topics arbitrarily, affect the easy flow of information, which always try to move from the given to the new unless necessary.
Therefore, because of its failures in a good thematic progression, this version lacks fluency and integrity and is unsatisfactory in spite of its otherwise successful work.
Version
The Chinese nation is a big family composed of 56 nationalities, the people of which, since
T1' R1' T'
time immemorial, have established closely-knit political, economic and cultural links by jointly
R'
developing the country's vast land. The deep-rooted Chinese culture that made it possible for
T'
China to become a huge unified country more than ,000 years ago has served as a strong bond
R'
for ethic harmony and national unity, which have ever since remained the mainstream in the
T4' R4'
history of the Chinese nation despite occasional divisions. Ethnic solidarity and national unity
T5'
are not only inscribed in the hearts of the Chinese people as part of their national consciousness,
R5'
but also regarded by them as an important guarantee of China's development and progress.
Version has a route of development as follows
T1'-------------R1'
¦
T'--------R'
¦
T'-----------R'
¦
T4'---------R4'
¦
T5'----------R5'
It is a clear progression of themes, mostly in the continuing pattern, the last step in the common-theme pattern to achieve strength
This version is obviously an attempted improvement of the previous one, making many changes in structure to avoid the flaws in the first. The using of a relative clause as the theme of clause ' certainly establish a much clearer link with clause 1'. In order to keep this coherence, the old clause and clause 4 in the first version are combined, with clause turned into a relative clause, so that the phrase of the deep rooted Chinese culture, which used to be the theme of clause, is moved forward as the theme of the new clause, clause ', which can thus be firmly connected with the rheme of clause ' through the culture. The uneasy theme of clause 6 of version1, the foregrounded phrase ¡°despite occasional divisions in Chinese history, with the first part of its rheme, ethnic harmony and national unity has maintained the main stream of the history of the Chinese nation, has been converted into another relative clause, which makes a very good attachment to clause' and has saved much trouble. So, with these skillful adjustments in thematic progression, the version speaks loud and clear now.
A conclusion may be drawn at this point the individual clauses and sentences of a translated version might look good; however, the version as a whole may look broken and irrelevant because of the poor thematic links among clauses. Therefore the condition of thematic progression deserves as much consideration in translation as many other issues that often get more.
Bibliography
Halliday, An Introduction to Functional Grammar, 14
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