从汉语看英语修辞（2）
二、强调性
强调手段很多，可以用词汇，也可能用语法。两者再细分又有很多种类，如语法手段就有：位置的移动；使用掉尾句；渐进；倒装；使用主动语态等。
1.渐进
所谓渐进，就是前轻后重，英文是climax，如果轻重倒置，就叫anti-climax。Modern English Usage 对climax的解释是：“In rhetoric arrangement of a series of notions in such an order that each is more impressive than the preceding.”英文里如果前重后轻，修辞上是忌讳的。汉语里，一般是主要的放在前边，次要的放在后边。
1）英语先轻后重
原文：...which may eventually lead to the fall and decline of the government itself
修改：...which may eventually lead to the decline and fall of the government itself
说明：逻辑上，先有decline，然后才有fall.
2)重心在句末
原文：No one can live without the great love on this earth.
修改：No one can live on this earth without the great love.
说明：on this earth理应紧靠动词live,且从语言学角度看，without a great love 为全句之重心，理应置于句末。
原文：或者是推翻这些敌人，或者是被这些敌人所屠杀和压迫（《毛泽东选集》第5卷第394页）
译文：Therefore, we do not maintain that they should or must adopt the Chinese way.
原文：……就是没有提到这个问题，或者很少提到这个问题。
译文：...say little or nothing on this score.
原文：……他们的想法是狂妄的，是徒然的。（《毛泽东选集》第5卷第51页）
译文：...their design is futile,crazy...
说明：英语把两个形容词倒过来。
原文：但是，像我们常说的那样，道路总是曲折的，前途总是光明的。（《毛泽东选集》第5卷288页）
译文：But as we have often said,while the road ahead is tortuous,the future is bright.
说明：虽然不应低估前进道路上的困难，但重点在前途光明。译文如不加while，后半句前面加and,处理为并列，就显然不妥当了。
原文：如果对于这种形势认识不足，或者根本不认识，那就要犯绝大的错误……
译文：If this is not understood at all or is insufficiently understood, the gravest of mistakes will be made...
说明：把顺序倒了过来，才能达到原文强调之意。“根本不认识”要犯大错误，甚至“认识不足”也要犯大错误，重点还是在后。
2.倒装
汉语话题总是在句首，说明总是在句尾；英语主语不一定在句首，谓语位置可在主语后边也可在句首。汉译英时必须考虑主语与谓语的位置，例如语法倒装、修辞倒装等。语法倒装有：Are you a student? There is a cup on the table.修辞倒装是为了强调、平衡、描绘等，如：The door opened and in came a troop of children.(描绘)(门一开，一群孩子就一窝蜂似地拥了进来)。Up shot the rocket into the sky(描绘)(轰地一声火箭就冲上了天)。With much difficulty did she find her way home.(强调)（她好不容易才回到了家）。
英语句子的主语并不总是在前。这里我们的困难至少有两点，一个主谓倒装，二是主语的分割。
1）英语主谓倒装有语法的，也有语用的。英语句首句尾均为强调位置，不重要的词或短语放在中间。如：
弱：Mr. Chen graduated with highest honors, we were told.
强：Mr. Chen ,we were told, graduated with highest honors.
弱：Miss X will be called a model operator, in all probability.
强：Miss X will, in all probability, be called a model operator.
误：The college students must learn how to study their subject, only can the teacher do is to give them directions.
正：The college students must learn how to learn their subjects. What the teacher does is to give them some directions.
原文：So ever tedious as the task was, I considered it an honor to...
修改：Tedious as the task was, I considered it an honor to...
说明：“adj.+as the+n.+be ”是一个很有用的倒装句型，表示“让步”。原表达不规范。
原文：Then comes the patriotism.
修改：Another attitude is patriotism.
说明：原文系书面表达。
原文：任何一篇文章都不是纯粹的说明文。
误：Any piece of writing is seldom pure.
正：Seldom is any piece of writing pure exposition.
说明：英语不定词总是在否定词后，不在其前。再如：任何人都不能进来。（Nobody will come in.）
原文：莫高窟大门外，有一条河，过河有一溜空地，高高低低建着几座僧人圆寂塔。
译文：Outside the entrance to the Mogao Grotoes flows a river, and across the river is a piece of land on which stand several stupas in honour of the deceased abbots of the Mogao Grotoes.
说明：这句翻译为英语时，学生会用there is ...不会用倒装句。
原文：耕畜和大家具是否以迟一两年再入社为宜……
译文：Whether or not it is better to delay for a year or two the turning in of draught animals and larger farm implements as shares in the co-operative...
说明：“迟一两年”如在译文里放在最后，中间隔as shares in the co-operative显得别扭。而且一两年时间也比较重要，不是要放在很后。
2）主语的分割
在英语主语中如果中心词带有一个较长的定语，往往把这个定语后置。如：
A list has been drawn up of words we learned so far.
An interesting second system may be found which is also consistent with equation.
这种主语难学，更难使用，在中国学生的英语写作或汉译英中，几乎没有发现使用这种句子的，就是说，这种句子太难了，一般人都回避了。
原文：同时，帝国主义国家之间的矛盾，主要是美国和英国之间的矛盾也发展了。（《毛泽东选集》第5卷第15页）
译文：At the same time, contradictions have developed between the imperialist countires, primarily between the United States and Britain.
3.平行句Parallelism
原文：...we can hear them coming out from the holes,singing with joy,greeting each other and discuss what to do.
修改：...we can hear them coming out from the holes,singing with joy, greeting each other and discussing what to do.
说明：本句作者使用了平行结构，此结构的一个要求是其中功能相同的结构词应取相同形式，如句子的coming/singing/greeting以及最后的discussing,而原句却未能注意此点，故意改句将discuss改成discussing.
原文：...the sky is blue while in city it is gray due to industry dusts
修改：...the sky is blue in the country while in the city it is grap due to industry dusts
说明：这实际上是parallelism,其中的in the country 不可缺少。
xiaoxiao123 发布在 每日记事
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发布时间: 02:14PM Apr 09, 2007
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