A Study On The Terminology Translation Of Chinese Edition Of De Morgan's Elements Of Algebra And Wallis's Algebra

This thesis mainly studies and discusses the Chinese terminology translation of De Morgan's Elements of Algebra and Wallis's Algebra. It includes the following aspects : 1. By briefly reviewing the Chinese mathematics in Qing Dynasty and the cultural and social environment for the development of mathematics in China at that time, the thesis explains the background of Chinese translation of the books of Elements of Algebra and Algebra. In addition, the thesis points out the contributions of the four translators such as Li Shanlan, Hua Hengfang, Alexander Wylie and John Fryer to the translation of western treatises of science. 2. By analyzing the materials, we may learn some rules and methods of terminology translation. They were explored and followed by Li Shanlan and Hua Hengfang on the path of the mathematics terminology translation. At the same time, we can re-understand and re-appraise their important contributions to the science and technology translation in modern China. It shows that some factors of the theory of modern translation have been used in the translation of the two treatises. The translators did their best to attempt to maintain the tradition of the terms and their expression. However, when the mathematics contents surpassed their scopes in which the traditional terminology can be expressed properly, the re-creation of the signs and the terms became an inevitable trend in the translation process. 3. The thesis studies the formation of several basic algebraic terms such as "algebra", "equation" in the book of Elements of Algebra and Algebra. Then, it unfolds the destiny of the traditional terms and the forming process of new mathematics terms in the translation course of the western modern algebra works. In this way, we can understand the collision and the fusion phenomena of Chinese and the Western mathematics knowledge in modern times. In addition, we can learn the exchange process of two kinds of cultures. The discrepancies between the mathematics contents and terminology reflected that singular-meaning and systematic-feature could not be kept in the translation of the signs and the terms. 4. The thesis outlines the influence of Elements of algebra and Algebra on algebraic terminology as well as popularization of algebraic terminology towards the end of the Qing Dynasty. It proofs that the Chinese cognition and acceptance to the western mathematics culture were carried on the foundation of China's traditional mathematics culture. The thesis studies the terms in the two mentioned works from the point of views of statistics, and compares them with that in some popular algebra books such as Outline of Algebra. This thesis also reviews the value of Chinese edition of Elements of algebra and Algebra in modern Chinese mathematics evolution at terminology translation angle. And by studying the translated names of mathematics terminology carefully and profoundly, the author affirms the important contributions of the two Chinese edition books to forming the modern terminology.