On Discourse Coherence In The Translation Of English Poetry

Coherence is a major property of discourse. Coherence research has been an important area in discourse analysis. It helps us to better understand how discourse is constructed and how language realizes multi-functions at the discourse level. This is because coherence research has not only theoretical significance but also great potential in applied linguistics.Coherence is the main factor to determine the structure of semantics especially in text-based translation. The direct object and the final product of translation is the discourse, so the process of translation can be said to be the process of recognition and reconstruction of discourse coherence. In translating, the realization of the discourse coherence is directly related to the successful communication and the choice of the strategy of the translation. Based on the full understanding of the coherence of the source text, the translator should reconstruct the coherence of the target text with various strategies.This dissertation has six chapters. Chapter One briefly introduces the background of discourse coherence and translation, the significance and the aims of the study. Chapter Two reviews the previous research on discourse coherence home and abroad and the relationship between cohesion and coherence, which provides a clear theoretical understanding of coherence. It also proposes a theoretical framework on discourse coherence in English Poetry Translation from Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics. Chapter Three, resorting to the categorization of explicit and implicit coherence, proposes the new framework to analyze the main factors constructing the coherence of the source text in order to explicate the importance of the recognition of the coherence of poetic source text in English poetry translation with abundant examples of English poetry which have the properties of explicit and implicit coherence. Explicit coherence in this dissertation refers to transitivity system, themes, information structure, cohesive devices and sound and intonation in a discourse, while implicit ones refer to context, the widely used metaphor in poetry and intertextuality. Chapter Four first makes a comparative analysis of the differences between English and Chinese poetry coherence. Then it presents the right strategies, such as the maintenance or modification of original coherence, to realize coherence in the target text both explicitly and implicitly, based on the right understanding of the coherence of the source text. A relatively thorough systemic functional analysis of a short English poem and its two translations is provided in Chapter Five, which illustrates that the coherence research within the framework of Hallidayan systemic functional linguistics in English poetry translation is operational and practical, presenting an objective standard for translation in order to achieve a better translation. Chapter Six makes a conclusion of the dissertation and points out the contributions and limitations of the present study.