A Tentative Analysis On The English Translation Of Imagery In Classical Chinese Verses

In this thesis, some basic concepts of cognitive linguistics and one of its best-known theories---relevance theory are applied to analyze the translation of imagery in classical Chinese verses.In the first chapter, an introduction to cognitive linguistics and relevance theory is made so as to lay a theoretical basis for the study of this thesis. Relevance theory is comparatively complicated due to its nonconventional view on communication and context. However, in this thesis, the basic concepts of cognitive linguistics are adopted mostly for the purpose of the comprehension of imagery in classical Chinese verses, while relevance theory is mainly employed with the study of the reproduction process of the translation.The second chapter makes a detailed study on imagery. Its definition is perceived both from the cognitive viewpoint and that of culture. The essence of imagery is concluded as the freedom of imagination, association and provocation of thought by the research of relevance theory. Moreover, Harmony principle is regarded as the translation principle of classical Chinese verses. One key point in this chapter is to distinguish between images and imagery, with the former referring to the attributes for the overall mental conception of a literary work, and the latter a complete whole with gestalt properties. We maintain that the aesthetic essence and translation unit of classical Chinese verses should be imagery. Anyhow, without such a distinction, image and imagery will be totally the same in their essence, actualization mechanism and cognitive basis, which has been notified in many textbooks and monographs.The following chapter deals with the comprehension stage in the translating process of imagery in classical Chinese verses. Images from sound, meaning, syntactic, writing and modes of thinking systems are analyzed in order to fully appreciate the imagery of these verses. The way to actualize imagery is then sorted out, too. Meanwhile, the significance of contextual assumption is also emphasized in this part. The final chapter is focused on the reproduction stage in the translating process. As relevance theory puts great emphasis on translators, the dual roles of translators and the requirements on them are the objects of study in the first part of this chapter. In the latter part, translation approach and some translation techniques are listed in order to provide practical help for related studies and practice.It is sincerely hoped that the analysis in this thesis will be of some assistance in the translation research as well as the translation fieldwork.