Application Of Register Theory In Translation

Language is the tool for social communication. People use language to communicate with each other in a number of different ways, for a variety of different purposes on different occasions. Due to the fact that language use varies according to situations, we have a lot of language varieties in the actual use of language, which form the category of register. The category of register is postulated to account for what people do with their language. Register theory, developed by the founder of Systemic Functional Grammar, Halliday, aims to uncover the general principles which govern the language variation in different situation types. It studies concrete language varieties under the concrete context of situation and context of culture, and integrates ideational meaning, interpersonal meaning and textual meaning organically to explain the nature and use of language. In essence, it takes both intralinguistic and extralinguistic meaning into consideration, which is the guarantee in achieving the meaning transferring successfully. Based on the register theory, Halliday insists that the register features of the source text should be reproduced, showing the corresponding field, mode and tenor in the target text. The thesis analyzes how to replicate the register features in the target text as those in the original, properly showing the corresponding field, mode and tenor, thus achieving register equivalence.The thesis is composed of six parts. The introduction starts with the meaning, which is the central issue in the process of translation, and makes a brief classification to meaning. The three variables-field, mode and tenor form the integrated system of a register. We can not only mirror culture but also predict meaning and situation by register. The three register variables determine the three metafunctions of the language. Thus register theory integrates the ideational meaning, interpersonal meaning and textual meaning organically which is the guarantee in achieving successful meaning transference. In this way the author introduces the aim of the thesis.In Chapter One, the author makes historical reviews on the theoreticexploration on register, and emphatically discusses the relationship between three register variables and the linguistic system, as three register variables are systemically related with the three metafunctions and lexical-grammatical patterns of the linguistic system. At the same time, the author also analyzes the significance of the application of the theory in translation.In Chapter Two, the author discusses the problem of how to identify the register of a text by making a comparative study on register markers of Chinese and English at the following four levels: phonological level, lexical level, sentential level and paragraphic level.Chapter Three and Chapter Four come as the key and practical parts of the thesis. The author applies the register theory to translation practice. In chapter three, with rich examples, the author probes how to realize register equivalence from field, mode and tenor respectively. As three register variables exist not in isolation, but act as a whole, mutually constraining and mutually determining, thus it is not enough just to discuss how to realize register equivalence in terms of three register variables separately. We should take all three categories into account. And due to the fact that the three variables do not play the same importance in a text, such as advertising texts pay more attention to the interpersonal function, hereby, tenor should be emphasized; scientific texts focus on the ideational function, so field should be stressed. So in chapter four, with examples from literary and non-literary texts, the author makes a comprehensive study on the realization of register equivalence in translation.The conclusion serves as a summary of the whole thesis. Register theory takes meaning as the point of departure as well as the focus of study. It aims to propose relationships between language function which is determined by situational factors and language...