Đang tải... (xem toàn văn)
Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese
Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese I. RATIONALE Learning foreign language is a great significance today. It is the bridge connecting countries in many fields. The mastery of foreign language enables us to communicate with people from other countries, achieve mutual understandings, and further our trade contacts, economic co- operations, and cultural and academic exchanges with other countries. I am interested in learning English so much. English, as mentioned over and over again, is an international language. In Viet Nam, English, now, is the compulsory subject for pupils in most of primary and secondary school. It is also an important subject for students at all universities. Particularly English is one of the essential requirements for those who want to find a good job. However it is not simple. We have to pay attention not only to grammar, structure, vocabulary, and pronunciation but also the culture of the new language. It is easy to make mistakes and often find a lot of difficulties in translation and when dealing with grammar, especially relative clause. You will see that, knowing relative clause in English is a matter, understanding and accurately translating them from English into Vietnamese is another one which is not as easy as some people might think. In order to help people who are learning English have deep understanding of relative clauses in English as well as in Vietnamese, I decide to choose the subject “ Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese” for my graduation paper. II. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Due to the limitation of time and space, in this paper I just focus on main points of relative clauses and some methods for the translation of relative clauses from English into Vietnamese in the hope of helping learners of English have better insight in this part and use it effectively. III. AIMS OF THE STUDY I have been learning English for a long time; however, I sometimes make confusion of using and translating relative clauses in sentence. Like me, many students also do the same. For the above reason, my study deals with “ Relative clause in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese” The study is concerned with: - The definition and classification of relative clause - The theories that are relevant with relative clause - The definition of translation and its role - Common problem in translating relative clause, causes and solutions - Translating relative clauses into Vietnamese in “ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” IV. METHOD OF THE STUDY To complete this paper I have conducted the following methods: + Collecting information from many materials in English and Vietnamese + Classifying and analyzing basic data relating to the study + Discussing with supervisor and other teachers V. DESIGN OF THE STUDY This graduation paper is divided into …chapters: Chapter I: Chapter II: Reference is come to the end. CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW 1.1. An overview of relative clause 1.1.1: Definition of relative clause A relative clause is a subordinate clause which relates or refers to a word in the clause before it. Some grammarians call it adjective clause or attributive clause.So among other kinds of clauses, how can you recognize a relative one? First, it will contain a subject and verb. Next, it will begin with a relative pronoun (who, whom, whose, that or which) or a relative adverb (when, where or why). Finally, it will function as an adjective, answering the questions: What kinds? How many? Or Which one? In addition, relative clauses can be added to nouns in just about any part of a sentence--at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of sentences. Let's analyze the location and type of relative clause in each of the following sentences: 1. I bought a book that was highly recommended by my sister. 2. I bought a book that my sister recommended. 3. The book that is required for this workshop comes highly recommended. 4. The book that my sister recommended was quite useful. 1-I bought a book that was highly recommended by my sister. Core sentence I bought a book. Sentence that became the relative clause The book was highly recommended by my sister. Relative Pronoun Function subject of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the end of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the direct object--part of the large noun phrase that is the direct object 2- I bought a book that my sister recommended. Core sentence I bought a book. Sentence that became the relative clause My sister recommended the book. Relative Pronoun Function direct object of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the end of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the direct object--part of the large noun phrase that is the direct object 3- The book that is required for this workshop comes highly recommended. Core sentence The book comes highly recommended. Sentence that became the relative clause The book is required for this workshop. Relative Pronoun Function subject of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the beginning of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the subject--part of the large noun phrase that is the subject of the sentence 4- The book that my sister recommended was quite useful. Core sentence The book was quite useful. Sentence that became the relative clause My sister recommended the book. Relative Pronoun Function direct object of the relative clause Location of the relative clause it's at the beginning of the sentence--attached to the noun that's the subject--part of the large noun phrase that is the subject of the sentence 1.1.2: Classification There are two types of relative clause 1.1.2.1: Defining relative clause: with other names in different books that you can encounter: restrictive clause (mệnh đề quan hệ hạn định), essential clause (mệnh đề quan hệ thiết yếu). Definition Defining relative clause gives essential information about the noun or noun phrase it modifies, the purpose of a defining relative clause is clearly define who or what we are talking about. Without this information, it would be difficult to know who or what is meant. Obviously, this is only necessary if there is more than one person or thing involved. For example: The hotel that we stayed in wasn’t bad. (“that we stayed in” tells the listener which hotel we are talking about; it defines the hotel) Punctuation Commas are not used in defining relative clauses. Relative pronouns The following relative pronouns are used in defining relative clauses: Person Thing Place Tim e Reason Subject who/that which/that Object who/whom/that/ø which/that/ø where when why Possessiv e whose whose Notes: 1. The relative pronoun stands in place of a noun. This noun usually appears at the beginning of the sentence: The book which you lent me was very interesting. Noun, subject of main clause relative pronoun referring to “the book” verb + rest of relative clause verb + rest of main clause 2. Who, whom and which can be replaced by that. This is very common in spoken English. 3. The relative pronoun can be omitted (ø) when it is the object of the clause: The flowers which/that I cut this morning are still fresh. OR The flowers I cut this morning are still fresh. Both of these sentences are correct, though the second one is more common in spoken English. The flowers which/that/ø I cut this morning are still fresh. Noun, subject of main clause relative pronoun, referring to “the flowers” verb + rest of relative clause verb + rest of main clause. (You can usually decide whether a relative pronoun is an object because it is normally followed by another subject + verb.) 4. Whose is used for things as well as for people. Examples: The woman whose child has just been lost is crying. The house whose windows are broken is mine. 5. Whom is very formal and is only used in written English. You can use who/that, or omit the pronoun completely : The doctor whom/who/that/ø I was hoping to see wasn't on duty. 6. That normally follows: + words like : all, any, only, the first, the last, and sometimes follows: It is/It was. - I have said all that I want to say. - Any paper (that) you read will give you the same story. - He is the only boy that can answer all the questions in the test. - It is his wife that makes the decisions in his family. - It was the first time that John heard of it. + superlatives - He was the best man that I have ever seen. - He is the most courageous man that ever lived. + indefinite pronouns: noone, nobody, nothing, someone, somebody, anything,… - She always had everything that she wanted. - He never says anything that is worth listening to. - It was not for nothing that he studied carpentry. 1.1.2.2: Non- defining relative clause ( mệnh đề quan hệ không hạn định hay mệnh đề quan hệ bổ túc) Other materials can refer this kind of clause as non- restrictive clause or: +) Parenthetical clause (mệnh đề quan hệ chêm) +) Amplifying clause (mệnh đề quan hệ giải thích) +) Non- essential clause ( mệnh đề quan hệ không thiết yếu) Definition Non- defining relative clause provides interesting additional information which is not essential to understanding the meaning of the sentence. It tells us more about someone or something, but do not define it. For example: My sister, who lives in France, is coming to stay with me next week. Punctuation Correct punctuation is essential in non-defining relative clauses. If the non- defining relative clause occurs in the middle of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun and at the end of the clause. If the non-defining relative clause occurs at the end of a sentence, a comma is put before the relative pronoun. For example • My friend John, who went to the same school as me, has just written a best-selling novel. Relative pronouns in non-defining clauses Person Thing Place Subject who which Object who/whom which where Possessive whose Notes: 1. In non-defining clauses, you cannot use ‘that’ instead of who, whom or which. 2. You cannot leave out the relative pronoun, even when it is the object of the verb in the relative clause: - He gave me the letter, which was in a blue envelope. - He gave me the letter, which I read immediately 3. The preposition in these clauses can go at the end of the clause, e.g. - This is Stratford-on-Avon, which you have all heard about. This pattern is often used in spoken English, but in written or formal English you can also put the preposition before the pronoun: Eg: Stratford-on-Avon, about which many people have written is Shakespeare’s birthplace. 4. Non-defining clauses can be introduced by expressions like all of, many of + relative pronoun: Person Thing all of + whom + which any of + whom + which (a) few of + whom + which both of + whom + which each of + whom + which either of + whom + which half of + whom + which many of + whom + which most of + whom + which much of + whom + which none of + whom + which one of + whom + which two of etc… + whom + which Examples: a. There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years. b. He was carrying his belongings, many of which were broken. 5. The relative pronoun which at the beginning of a non-defining relative clause, can refer to all the information contained in the previous part of the sentence, rather than to just one word. a. Chris did really well in his exams, which was a big surprise. (= the fact that he did well in his exams was a big surprise). b. An elephant and a mouse fell in love, which is most unusual. (= the fact that they fell in love is unusual). 1.1.3: Some notes on relative clause and other cases 1.1.3.1: Commas in relative clause [...]... original composition If a translator can meet some of these requirements, the translation can be considered perfect CONCLUSION Through the above chapters, I have given you the main points of relative clauses, shown problems and discussed the way of translating English relative clauses into Vietnamese in some typical examples in some books and in the story “ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” to. .. journals and magazines, instructions, and advertisements; its topic ranges from literature to every type of information with great emphasis to science and technology 1.2.1.2: Definition We all know that translation has been the subject of interest not only to linguists, professional and amateur translators, and language teachers but also to electronic engineers and mathematicians A great number of books and. .. 133) 1.1.4: Relative pronouns and relative clauses in English and in Vietnamese 1.1 4.1: Definition In Vietnamese we don’t have the concept of relative pronouns” Only the definition of pronoun exists According to Đinh Văn Đức in his “Ngữ pháp Tiếng Việt”( p.199), “Đại từ là từ loại của các từ có chức năng thay thế ”( pronoun is a kind of words having the function of replacement.) Bùi Ý (Basic English. .. without being a part of the subordinate clause My belief that English grammar is fascinating lies behind my career What sentences are combined? 1 My belief lies behind my career 2 English grammar is fascinating That combines the two, but it isn't a part of the second clause These appositive clauses are related to similar noun clauses: I believe that English grammar is fascinating = my belief that English. .. Anh, NXB Đại học sư phạm, p.417) Due to the complexity of words and parts of speech in Vietnamese, in this section we only take “who” as an example for the transformation of English relative pronouns into Vietnamse ones in terms of the name Consider the following example and compare “who” and its equivalent in Vietnamese E.g: The farmer who sold us some potatoes lives in the next village (Cái anh nông... p.119) “As” may also introduce a non-defining (co-ordinate) clause Such clause differ from all other relative clause, however, in that way they can precede the main clause, as well as interrupting or following it E.g: As he later admitted, it was a stupid thing to do It was, as he later admitted, a stupid thing to do It was a stupid thing to do, as he later admitted (B.D Graver, Advanced English Practice,... ANALYSIS RESTRUCTURING TRANSFER 1.2.3.3: According to Larson, translation consists of studying the lexicon, grammatical structure, communication situation, and cultural context of the source language text, analyzing it in order to determine its meaning, and then reconstructing this same meaning using the lexicon and grammatical structure which are appropriate in the receptor language and its cultural... significant factor in the West in 300 B.C In 1534 the Bible was translated into German by Martin Luther In the 19th century, translation was considered as a one-way means of communication between prominent men of letters and, to a lesser degree, philosophers and scientists with their well educated readers abroad Thanks to translation, trade was conducted in the language of the dominant naion, and diplomacy,... of both English and Vietnamese noun phrase, they still have different usages In English, relative pronouns can only be omitted when they are object or adverb of relative clause Eg: I like the boy (whom) I met yesterday However, in Vietnamese, they rarely appear In some cases, it would be very abnormal in Vietnamese if we insert relative pronoun mà, của, do, bởi,… Eg: (a) The boys who are dancing the... SOURCE LANGUAGE RECEPTOR LANGUAGE Text to be translated Translatio n Discover the meaning Re-express the meaning MEANING 1.2.4 Translation skills for translator 1.2.4.1: Reading comprehension Translators are advised to master the following basic reading comprehension skills: - Read for the gist and main idea - Read the details - Identify the meaning of new words and expressions using one or more components . Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese I. RATIONALE Learning foreign language is a great significance today.. “ Relative clauses in English and Vietnamese, and how to translate them into Vietnamese for my graduation paper. II. SCOPE OF THE STUDY Due to