A Comparison of the Syntax of Chinese and English from the

Perspective of Translation

David Deterding

NIE, Singapore

Chomsky's Principles and Parameters

• Principles are fixed.

• Parameters vary between languages.

• Analysis of parameters allows us to see the difference between two languages.

Parameters

• Wh Parameter

• Null-subject Parameter

• Head Parameter

Wh Parameter

• In Chinese, the question word does not get moved. It remains 'in situ'.

• In English questions, the 'wh' word is moved to the front.

Types of Question

• There are two types of question:– Yes/No question: Is it raining?– Wh-question: What are you doing?

• We will just consider wh-questions.

你在做什么 ?

What are you doing?

你在做什么 ?

What are you doing?

这本书多少钱 ?

How much is this book?

这本书多少钱 ?

How much is this book?

你住在哪儿 ?

Where do you live?

你住在哪儿 ?

Where do you live?

Wh-movement in 颁 奖 典 礼• Which question has wh-movement in the

translation?

Wh-movement in 颁 奖 典 礼line 7: 还 有 什 么 好 抱 怨 的。line 8: What are you complaining about?

Wh-movement in 颁 奖 典 礼line 7: 还 有 什 么 好 抱 怨 的。line 8: What are you complaining about?

Null-subject Parameter

• Chinese is a null-subject language. If the subject of a clause is predictable, it can be omitted.

• English is not a null-subject language. Every finite clause must have a subject.

Null-subjects and translation

• In translating from Chinese to English, subjects must be added.

• Sometimes the identity of the subject is not clear.

Null Subjects in 七 0

• How many pronouns are there in the Chinese?

• How many pronouns are there in the translation?

• Could a different choice of pronoun have been made?

Null Subjects in 七 0

• Chinese has no subject pronouns.

• English has: I (line 2) and we (line 5)

• Could they have been avoided?

• Also my (line 1); (but this is a possessive pronoun, not a subject)

Null Subjects in 颁 奖 典 礼 • How many pronouns are there in the

Chinese?

• How many pronouns are there in the translation?

• Which extra pronouns are related to the Null-Subject Parameter?

Extra pronouns in 颁 奖 典 礼 line 4 : 愈 是 想 装 成 不 在 乎， 愈 是 想 损

自 己 几 句。 line 4 : But the more I pretended I didn't

care, the more I cursed myself for my reaction,

Extra pronouns in 颁 奖 典 礼 line 4 : 愈 是 想 装 成 不 在 乎， 愈 是 想 损

自 己 几 句。 line 4 : But the more I pretended I didn't

care, the more I cursed myself for my reaction,

Possessive Pronouns

• In English, a singular count noun must have a determiner before it.

• Possessive pronouns are one common type of determiner.

• Sometimes extra pronouns arise from this need for a determiner.

Possessive Pronouns in 颁 奖 典 礼

• Find extra possessive pronouns in the translation.

Possessive Pronouns in 颁 奖 典 礼

• line 10 : 在 胸 中 • line 11 : in my mind

Reference in Chinese

• The relative lack of pronouns in Chinese results in greater repetition of lexical items.

• In English, repetition of lexical items is not allowed.

• Try translating 运 动 into English.

Practice 1

说 到 运 动 , 真 的 让 我 头 痛。 我 喜 欢 运 动 , 又 害 怕 自 己 运 动 时 会 摔 伤 , 因 此 , 我 比 较 喜 欢 “安 全” 的 运 动 , 如 羽 球 , 乒 乓 等。

(by 小 兔 From Friday Weekly, No 462)

The thought of exercise really gives me a headache. I like exercise, but when I exercise I am frightened I will get injured, and because of this I prefer "safe" exercises like badminton or ping-pong.

The thought of exercise really gives me a headache. I like exercise, but when I exercise I am frightened I will get injured, and because of this I prefer "safe" exercises like badminton or ping-pong.

The thought of exercise really gives me a headache. I like sport, but then I am frightened I will get injured, and because of this I prefer "safe" activities like badminton or ping-pong.

Practice 2

大 小 不 同、 各 色 各 样 的 风 筝 令 人 眼 花 缭 乱， 一 下 子 也 无 从 选 择。 虽 然 精 贵 的 风 筝 特 别 吸 引 人， 我 还 是 替 大 家 选 了 最 便 宜、 简 单 的 纸 风 筝。 理 由 是， 你 们 毕 竟 是 初 试 者， 就 先 学 会 把 简 陋 的 风 筝 送 上 天， 才 攀 缘 上 等 的 风 筝 吧。 (by 昭 伟 , from Friday Weekly No 638)

There were so many different sizes and shapes of kites to choose between that for a moment I could not make up my mind. Although the expensive kites were attractive, I decided on the cheapest and simplest kites for everyone. As you were just beginners, it was best to practice with a simple kite before progressing to a more elaborate kite.

There were so many different sizes and shapes of kites to choose between that for a moment I could not make up my mind. Although the expensive kites were attractive, I decided on the cheapest and simplest kites for everyone. As you were just beginners, it was best to practice with a simple kite before progressing to a more elaborate kite.

There were so many different sizes and shapes of kites to choose between that for a moment I could not make up my mind. Although the expensive ones were attractive, I decided on the cheapest and simplest for everyone. As you were just beginners, it was best to practice with a simple model before progressing to something more elaborate.

Strategies Used

• substitution : kite one

• omission : kite Ø

• more general term : kite model

• pronoun : kite something

颁 奖 典 礼• Find an instance where lexical repetition in

Chinese is avoided in the English translation.

颁 奖 典 礼• line 1: 自 从 报 纸 公 布 了 某 文 学 奖 的

得 奖 名 单， 而 我 确 信 我 的 名 字 就 在 名 单 之 上 后

• line 1: When the newspaper announced the results of the literary prize and I confirmed that my name really was among the winners

七 0

• Find an instance where lexical repetition in Chinese is avoided in the English translation.

七 0

• Line 1 : 坐 很 慢 的 慢 车 • Line 1 : on a slow train

七 0

• Find an instance where lexical repetition in Chinese is retained in the English translation. Why do you think this is?

七 0

• lines 8-10 : 农 业 的 气 味， 手 工 业 小 镇 的 气 味， 性 欲 被 禁 锢 的 气 味， 军 队 纪 律 的 气 味， 多 淀 粉 质 毂 类 而 少 肉 食 的 气 味

• lines 11-14 : the smell from the farms, the smell of small towns full of home-based industries, the smell of forbidden sex, the smell of military discipline, the smell of a diet high in carbohydrates and low in meat

Head Parameter

• Every phrase has a head.

• In English, the head of the phrase tends to be at the start: English is a head-first language.

• In Chinese, the head of the phrase is always at the end: Chinese is a head-last language.

我喜欢的书

我喜欢的书

books that I like

我喜欢的书

books that I like

他去过的地方

他去过的地方

places he has been to

他去过的地方

places he has been to

颁 奖 典 礼• Find an instance where a head-last phrase

in Chinese is translated as a head-first phrase in English.

颁 奖 典 礼• line 1: 某 文 学 奖 的 得 奖 名 单 • line 1: the results of the literary prize

七 0

• Find an instance where a head-last phrase in Chinese is translated as a head-first phrase in English.

七 0

• Line 8 : 迟 缓 死 去 的 六 0 年 代 的 气 味 • Line 11 : the smell of the slowly decaying

sixties

Consequences of the Different Setting of the Head Parameter

• adverb placement

• subordinate-main clause order

• because-therefore structure of discourse

The Head Parameter and Modification

• As it is head-last, Chinese generally has premodification.

我喜欢的书premod head

• English often has postmodification.books that I likehead postmod

Adverbs

• Adverbs are also modifiers.

• Adverbs in Chinese come before the verb.

• Adverbs in English can come after the verb.

Adverbs in initial position.

昨天我看电视。Yesterday I watched television.

Adverbs in medial position.

我 昨天看电视。I yesterday watched television.

Adverbs in final position.

* 我看电视昨天。I watched television yesterday.

颁 奖 典 礼• Find an instance where a pre-verbal

adverb in Chinese is translated as a post-verbal adverb in English.

颁 奖 典 礼• line 10 : 在 胸 中 冒 出 来 的 泡 泡 • line 11 : churning about in my mind

七 0

• Find an instance where a pre-verbal adverb in Chinese is translated as a post-verbal adverb in English.

七 0

• Line 12 : 在 月 台 上 瞌 睡 • Line 17 : were dozing along the platforms

subordinate-main

• in fact, all Chinese subordinate clauses tend to come before the main clause

• in English, main-subordinate is also possible

subordinate-main

如果你替我买那本书，我就会看。If you buy the book for me, I will read it.

main-subordinate

?? 我会看那本书，如果你替我买。I will read the book if you buy it for me.

because-therefore

• in Chinese, the because clause must come before the therefore clause

• in English, either order is acceptable

• this order affects the structure of texts: Chinese give reasons before conclusions

because-therefore

因为很累，所以她留在家里。Because she was tired, she stayed at home.

therefore-because

?? 她留在家里 , 因为很累 .

She stayed at home, because she was tired.

because-therefore

因为很累，所以她留在家里。

Discourse Structure

• Kirkpatrick (1991) suggests that this is the underlying structure of Chinese discourse: reasons always come before the conclusion.

• In English, it is possible to put the justification after the conclusion.

Conclusion

• Chomsky's Principles and Parameters can explain many differences between Chinese and English.

• However, there are lots of other differences.

• Many arise out of idioms and allusions.

颁 奖 典 礼• Find an idiom in the Chinese which is hard

to translate into English.

颁 奖 典 礼• line 9-10 : 伯 乐 难 遇 • line 10-11 : it's so hard to find someone

who appreciates true talent