A Study of C-E Animal Metaphors and Their Translation in the Case of “WOLF”

By Wang Zhuoyu

In partial fulfillment of the requirement

For the B. A. degree

Department of English

School of Languages and Cultures

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

May 2016

Acknowledgements

It is not until through untiring endeavors of three months more that I finally put my finishing touch to the thesis. While a wealth of impediments held back the writing process, I managed somehow to pull through with the keen support both of my bosom friends and teachers. Special acknowledgements must go to my supervisor Mr. Xu Xianwen whose cordial guidance and rectifications as well as instrumental suggestions went a long way in the course of my writing. But for his ardent backing, this thesis wouldn’t have been made even remotely possible. Beyond that, I am also obliged to the teachers and professors at the English Department: Ms. Li Xiaosa and Mr. Zhang Jun who have always been impassioned in instructing me.

I would like, on this account, to dedicate this piece to the aforementioned earnest proponents, and yet words seem to fail me when I try to extend my innermost gratefulness to them all again.

Contents

1. Introduction 2

1.1 Background 2

1.2 Purpose and Significance 3

2. Comparison of C- E wolf in cultural intentions 3

2.1 Similar Metaphoric Meanings 3

2.2 Different Metaphoric Meanings 5

3. Reasons behind the Differences 7

3.1 Geographical Influence 7

3.2 Customary Influence 8

3.3 Aesthetic Influence 8

3.4 Historic Influence 9

4. Translation Strategy 9

4.1 Literal Translation 10

4.2 Free Translation 10

4.3 Substitution 11

5. Conclusion 11

References 12

A Study of C-E Animal Metaphors and Their Translation in the Case of “WOLF”

Wang Zhuoyu

Department of English

School of Language and Culture

Nanjing University of Information Science amp; Technology

Abstract: Chinese and English are the most prevailing language families with respective cultural distinctions. The most typical one is the influence of animal or animal-related words in C-E metaphoric systems. However, take “wolf” as an example merely, there are numerous idioms both in these two different nations. They are sometimes entirely the same or not. This dissertation discusses mainly about the specific examples and reasons causing the differences by means of cognition and translation in a case of WOLF metaphors in Chinese and English. Through comparative analyses, the author hopes to help people recognize the similarities and diversities of animal words，thus, in turn, to facilitate the evolvement of non-native translation and intercultural communication.

Key words: wolf; animal metaphor; cultural intention; translation

摘 要：汉语和英语是两种不同的语族，各自都有其自身的文化特征，其中最典型的要数动物词汇在两者中的影响。而对动物词汇来讲，“狼”成为了动物中最“惨”的一位成员之一，因其独特个性特征，许多坏事都落到了它的头上。因此不乏学者进行了深入的研究，他们发现英汉“狼”词汇中，有的所表达的意思极其相似，有的迥别。本文运用对比的方法，以“狼”为具体实例，讨论英汉动物隐喻的认知与翻译，尝试分析产生差异的原因。进而理解动物词汇在不同语族之间存在的相似及不同，以促进英汉语翻译和跨文化交际能力的发展。

关键词：狼；动物隐喻；文化内涵；翻译

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

Over time, the intentions of many words are transformed as well. However, the denotation of animal has never changed since it was defined. A translation from WordNet concerning animal is “A living organism characterized by voluntary movement”.( WordNet: An Electronic Lexical Databases) Here are some translations in Oxford Advanced Learner's English-Chinese Dictionary “1. A living thing that can feel and move voluntarily; 2. Any such creature other than human; 3. Four-footed creature as distinct from a bird or an insect”. According to the concept of animal, it is the same in Chinese and English by and large. Hence, sometimes, metaphor in animal words plays a vital role in expressing ideas or opinions especially on some typical occasions in which the words are too inconvenient to express directly. Yet there is no definition of metaphor accepted by all people, it is hard to master completely the diversity of connotations of animal-related words in different nations. Plus, scholars conduct some investigations from dissimilar perspectives and give a definition. There are two definitions found from other scholars. One is offered by Aristotle, who is doubtlessly the first person to have systematically provided the understanding of metaphor and created the foundation of metaphor. According to him, metaphor is the application to one thing of a name belonging to another (包虹明,2002: 160-161). The other definition is given by Lakoff amp; Johnson (1980), whose definition is on behalf of the modern comprehension of metaphor, and it is the first trial to ascribe metaphor to a cognitive field. As far as the Contemporary Theory of Metaphor is concerned, sparked by Metaphors We Live By (Lakoff,G amp; M. Johnson,1980), metaphor has opened a new era of cognition providing that both metaphorical thought and language arise from the daily experience of mankind. Meantime both Zoltan Kovesces (2002) and Raymond W.Gibbs (1998) illustrate their thoughts on the connections between them in their papers. Kovesces shows the way of metaphor motivating many different cultural models and Gibbs believes that our comprehension of what is notional about metaphor contains crucial aspects of cultural experience, some of which are even intimately related to the public’s behaviors. However, metaphor, an academic term, is not so familiar to ordinary beings, in contrast, cultural connotation is more endeared to them. Moreover, language is not barely a reflection of information, but also the carrier of culture and the media of the co-existence of culture and language. Therefore, this dissertation focuses mainly on cultural connotation based on “wolf” in both English and Chinese culture concerning previous experience.

1.2 Purpose and Significance

People of English and Chinese both developed distinct national culture during the long-term development of history. Sometimes they thought about animals in the same way, sometimes not. According to the animal metaphor in C-E, the similarities and dissimilarities shown in the implication of them will be affected by their own national culture. It is of greatly theoretical and practical significance for foreign language learners to recognize the similarity and diversity of animal words, which, in turn, promote the evolution of foreign language translation and intercultural communication.

2. Comparison of C- E wolf in cultural intentions

Taken all the languages in the world into consideration, every language has its own uniqueness. Language, as a basic of human civilizations, has existed since earlier times(林书武,1993: 34-37). Thus, social intercourse cannot go on without it. On the other side, influenced by the specialness of national culture, it has its distinct way of expression. The way of thinking, faith, folk customs and living environment of C-E nation share the similarities and differences too. According to the similarities between C-E culture, the image of the wolf and the meaning of metaphor in C-E culture have the corresponding concept. Therefore, there is not only similarity in some wolf culture-loaded words and sayings, but also the differences. The comparison of cultural intention concerning wolf in C-E animal culture can be divided mainly into the following two conditions.

2.1 Similar Metaphoric Meanings

Animals vary from appearances and characteristics. Humans and animals coexist with each other. And through long time of coexistence, human beings knew and grasped some features of animals step-by-step as well as their behaviors. Plus, they use this to describe some of the qualities, personalities to make their words more lifelike and picturesque. When Chinese and English people associate animals with their basic attributions, the similarity will be found from it. For example, wolf is a kind of mammalian which has the similar appearance with dog’s. A long face, yellow or gray hair, erected ears and low-down  tails with survival habits of day-time sleeping and night-time outgoing, all of above are the physiological features of a wolf. Characteristically speaking, wolves are cruel by nature and fed on with rabbits and deer, even hurt people and domestic animals.

As for the features of wolf, English and Chinese nations’ views and associations are the same. In human’s discourses, once referring to animals as wolves, especially proverbs containing wolf,  people would tend to think of destruction, danger, cruelty, ferocity, and even evil. Although the different concepts of wolf existing in two nations, the meaning of sabotage can surely be seen in C-E culture. The following examples concerning wolf and sayings have the same figurative meaning in C-E Culture. In Chinese, we have old sayings like

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