Corpus-based Study On The Reproduction Of The Style Of Li Qingzhao’s Ci Poems

Ci poems, unrivaled treasures of the Chinese literature, have always been the focusof study for the dissemination of Chinese culture. The successful translation of themhinges not only on the full expression of meanings but also on the exact reproduction andtransmission of the original style. Li Qingzhao, an outstanding woman Ci poetess in theSong dynasty, is taken as the subject of study in the thesis for her contribution to Chineseculture.Currently, the study on style reproduction is confined to partial and limitedsubjective&qualitative way, deficient in objectivity and quantification. Therefore,Corpus Linguistics, a relatively new field to explore in natural language processing,probes into the implicit meaning between the lines in corpus to imbue the translationstudy with vivid and real-life language material.With self-built parallel corpus encompassing eight translated versions available inthe market and a free corpus tool—Wconcord—for word frequency assortment andcollocation analysis), it is possible to compare translated versions and elicit possiblestrategies for style reproduction.Li Qingzhao’s style is marked by two periods: first, Li Qingzhao’s girlhood andnewly wed years sprinkled with fresh and jovial flavor; second, years after the evasion ofJin armies characterized with solitude and patriotism. Generally, her graceful andrestrained style prevails. With amassed versions (some of which are not satisfactory,though) available, this paper delves into the study of style reproduction through themeans of corpus and Liu Miqing’s markers theory.By comparison and analysis, Li Qingzhao’s literary composition and stylereproduction are integrated and in turn the means of reproduction gradually unveiled.Apart from introduction, the thesis consists of six parts.Chapter One is literature review with a brief introduction to the application ofCorpus Linguistics in the translation of Ci poems, related research of style reproductionat home and abroad, and highlights and limitations of previous research and futuredirections. Chapter Two dwells on the corpus-based contrastive analysis of Li Qingzhao’s Cipoems and translations from the perspective of language, cultural images and artisticideorealm in two periods.Chapter Three is about the style reproduction of Li Qingzhao’s Ci poems with LiuMiqing’s formal markers and non-formal markers. The style reproduction shall wellaccord with the writer’s situation at different periods.Chapter Four is about literary composition of Ci poems and Li Qingzhao’s styleanalyzed from the perspective of1) the image of an unsullied, melancholy and patheticheroine;2) the fusion of feelings and natural daily setting; and3) the fresh and naturalcolloquial language, coupled with a typical translator’s treatment of style reproduction.Chapter Five sets out to give strategies to reproduce the style of Li Qingzhao’s Cipoems in translation: mainly rhyme-oriented strategy, free style and prose stylemethodology, with other factors such as time and translators’ idiosyncrasy taken intoconsideration as well.The last part is Conclusion. It can be claimed that the theories of Corpus Linguisticsand Liu Miqing’s markers’ theory (formal markers and non-formal markers) can help togive a quantitative and qualitative analysis of Chinese Ci poems. Hopefully this papercan pave the way for style reproduction of the classic Chinese literature in future studyand practice.