第10章 替换与重复.doc

第十章 替换与重复
(Substitutive vs．Reiterative)

一般说来，除非有意强调或出于修辞的需要，英语总的倾向是尽量避免重复。讲英语的人对于随意重复相同的音节、词语或句式往往感到厌烦。许多英语作文教师甚至告诫学生“Never use the same word or write the same thing twice in a sentence unless you are repeating intentionally for emphasis or for clarity．”当然这种说法未免过分，但其目的是提醒学生不要忘了可以用替换的办法来避免不必要的重复。Fowler兄弟在“The King’s English”一书中也指出：
Even when the repetition is a part of the writer’s original plan，consideration is necessary before it can be allowed to pass：it is implied in the terms ‘rhetorical’or significant repetition that the words repeated would ordinarily be either varied or left out；the repetition，that is to say，is more or less abnormal，and whatever is abnormal may be objectionable in a single instance，and is likely to become so if it occurs frequently．
例如以下的各种重复在英语里都是不正常的，试比较：
1)音节重复
原句：Commercials seldom make for entertaining and relaxing listening.
改写：Commercials seldom entertain and relax the listener．
原句：Close examination of the results of the investigation led to a reorganization of the department．
改写：Close study of the results of the inquiry led to a reorganization of the department．

2)词语重复
原句：We listened to an account of the customs of the inhabitants of the village．
改写：We listened to an account of the villager’s customs．
原句：Dr．Brown seriously maintains that in the near future opium-smoking will scourge in France．
改写：Dr．Brown seriously maintains that in the near future opium-smoking will be as grave ad the absinthe scourge in France.
原句：Even to borrow money is wrong，according to Kant，because if everyone did borrow money, there would be no money left to borrow．
改写：Even to borrow money is wrong，according to Kant，because if everyone did this, there would be no money left to borrow．

3)句式重复
原句：Now is the time for everyone to come out to vote, for everything depends upon this election．All are against corruption，and so they should vote the Reform ticket．This is not a foolish thing，for the voters can elect anyone they want．But the people must turn out heavily，for if they do there is little doubt that they will elect the men they want．
改写：Everybody should turn out to vote in this election，for the triumph of the Reform party means the end of corruption in office．If the voters will only come to the polls in large enough numbers，they can surely elect the men they wish to see in power．

4)意义重复
原句：He asked the divisions to give their mutual cooperation to the project．
改写：He asked the divisions to cooperate on the projeet．
原句：The bachelor’s degree is a necessary requisite for matriculation．
改写：a)The bachelor’s degree is necessary (or: a requisite) for matriculation．
b)The bachelor’s degree is required for matriculation．／Matriculation require$the bachelor‘s degree．
原句：May I be permitted to state that the activities of the Club are not limited only to aeronautics?
改写：a)May I be permitted to state that the activities of the Club are not limited to aeronautics?
b)May I be permitted to state that the activities of the Club are not directed only to eronautics?

意义重复又如以下词组：
advance planning still remains
exactly identical entirely complete
foreign imports assembled together
repeat again audible to the ear
throughout the entire summer dash quickly

英语文体学家批评这类重复是粗心的(careless)、笨拙的(clumsy)，因而也是令人厌烦的(boring)。在能明确表达意思的前提下，英语宜尽量采用替代、省略或变换等方法来避免无意图的(unintentional)重复。这样不仅能使行文简洁、有力，而且比较符合英语民族的语言心理习惯。
一、替代(Substitution)
用替代的形式(pro-forms)来代替句中或上文已出现过的词语或内容(shared words and content)，这是用英语说话或写作的一项重要原则。R．Quirk等人指出：Like ellipsis, substitution is a device for abbreviating and for avoiding repetition．In this second respect it is similar to the use of lexical equivalents that are not identical repetition．Across sentences，substitution seems to be optional，and for stylistic reasons．Within sentences, it is sometimes obligatory．Most of the substitutes or pro-forms within sentences are also used across sentences．
这些替代的形式主要有：
1．名词性替代(nominal substitution)。用代词或某些名词来取代名词(词组)，这类词如：第三人称代词、指示代词(this，that，these，those)、关系代词(who，whom，whose，that，which)、连接代词(who，whom，whose，what，which)、不定代词(all，each，every，both，either，neither，one／ones，none，little，few，several，many，mueh，other，another，some，any，no)以及名词 enough，half，the same，the kind，the sort，the former，the latter等。英语常用这类替代词来避免重复，汉语则较常重复其所代替的名词(词组)，如：
1)Translation from English into Chinese is not so easy as that from English into French．
英译汉不如英译法容易。
2)A chemical change is one in which the structure of particles is changed and a new substance is formed．
化学变化是改变粒子结构、形成新物质的一种变化。
3)Electrical charges of a similar kind repel each other and those that are dissimnar attract．
同性电荷相斥。异性电荷相吸。
4)He hated failure；he had conquered it all his life，risen aboveit, and despised it in others．
他讨厌失败，他一生中曾战胜失败，超越失败，并且藐视别人的失败。
5)If she did not speak with Rebecca on the tender subjeet，she compensated herself with long and intimate conversation with Mrs．Blenkinsop，the house keeper，who dropped some hints to the lady’s-maid，who may have cursorily mentioned the matter to the cook，who carries the news，I have no doubt，to an the trademen. (‘‘Vanity Fair”)
她不好和丽贝卡说起这个难出口的问题，只好和管家娘子白兰金素太太秘密地长谈了好几回。管家娘子露了些口风给上房女佣人。上房女佣人也许约略地对厨娘说了几句，厨娘一定又去告诉了所有做买卖的。

英语常用代词，汉语少用代词，因而较常重复，这在汉译英时也可以看出来：
1)我们的民族再也不是一个被人侮辱的民族了。
Ours is no longer a nation subject to insult and humiliation．
2)我们提倡和平共处的原则，这项原则目前在世界上已越来越得人心了。
We have advocated the principle of peaceful co-existence，which is now growing more and more popular in the world．
3)一定的文化(当作观念形态的文化)是一定社会的政治和经济的反映，又给予一定社会的政治和经济以巨大的作用和影响。
Any given culture(as an ideological form)is a reflection of the politics and economics of a given society，and the former in turn has a tremendous effect and influence on the latter．

2、动词性替代(verbal substitution)。用替代词来取代谓语动词(词组)，这类替代词主要有：代动词do，复合代动词do so，do it，do that，do this，do the same，以及替代句型so+do+主语，so+主语+do，so+be+主语，so+主语+be，so+will+主语，so+主语+will等。汉语也有替代的方式，但也常常重复其所代替的动词(词组)，如：
1)The Amaricans are reducing their defence expenditure this year. I wonder if the Russians will do too.
美国人今年已在削减国防开支，我怀疑俄国人也会这样做。
2)In any case work does not include time，but power does．
在任何情况下，功不包括时间，但功率却包括时间。
3)You don’t want to lag behind．Neither does she．
你不愿意落后，她也不愿意落后。
4)You should help him since you have ptomised to do so．
你答应了要帮助他就应当帮助他。(或：你应当帮助他，这是你答应了的。)
5)He never really succeeded in his ambitions．He might have done．one felt，had it not been for the restlessness of his nature．
他雄心勃勃，但从未如愿以偿。人们觉得，要不是他那贪得无厌的本性，他也许会有所作为的。
6)Mary speaks Chinese，and that very well．
玛丽会讲汉语，而且讲得很好。

3、分句性替代(clausal substitution)。用替代词so或not来取代充当宾语的that从句，用if so或if not来取代条件从句，用as来取代分句的一部分，等等。汉语也有替代的方式，但为了使表达正确、清楚，也常常重复其所代替的词语，如：
1)People believe that the Amarican team wiIl win the football game．Peter thinks so，but I believe not．
人们认为美国队将赢得这场足球赛，彼得也是这样想的，我却认为并非如此。
2)Factories known to produce components for missiles and submarines are being camouflaged，as are missile launching and test sites throughout the USSR．(“Reader’s Digest”，Dec，1977)
人们所知道的生产导弹部件和潜艇部件的工厂，都进行了伪装。苏联全国各地的导弹发射和试验场地，也都进行了伪装。
3)中国人从来就是一个伟大的勇敢的勤劳的民族，只是在近代落伍了这种落伍，完全是被外国帝国主义和本国反动政府所压迫和剥削的结果。
The Chinese have always been a great，courageous and industrious nation；it is only in modern times that they have fallen behind．And that was due entirely to oppression and exploitation by foreign imperialism and domestic reactionary governments．
4)你没有搞好，我是不满意的，得罪了你就得罪了你。
Yon have done a poor job and I am not satisfied，and if you feel offended, so be it.
5)成绩有两重性，错误也有两重性。
Achievements have a dual charaeter，and so have mistakes．
6)一个人的工作，究竟是三分成绩七分错误，还是七分成绩三分错误，必须有个根本的估价。
We must have a fundamental evaluation of a person’s work and establish whether his achievements amount to30 per cent and his mistakes to 70 per cent，or vice versa．

总的说来，英语多用代称，以避免重复；汉语少用代称，多用实称，因而较常重复。汉语代词的使用远远不如英语广泛。人称代词的性别之分，大约只是1917年以后的事，显然是受了英语的影响。“他”、“她”和“它”除了因发音相同而不便在口语里使用之外，在同一句子或语段中经常出现这类代词不仅会使指称混乱，还会令人感到不是中国话的味儿。王力说，“中国现代语里不大用得着中性的‘它’，尤其是对于非动物。……英语里有许多‘it’字译成中国语的‘它’都非常不顺口，……至少是觉得非常刺耳。因此，咱们对于‘它’和‘它们’(尤其是后者)以谨慎运用为佳，如果希望读者不讨厌的话。” 英语的代词在汉译时常常采用还原、复说或省略的办法加以处理，如：
1)Flartery js more dangerous than hatred because it covers the stain which the other causes to be wiped out．
阿谀比怨恨更危险，因为阿谀掩饰了污点，而怨恨却能使人消除污点。
2)Gathering facts，confirming them，suggesting theories，testing them，and organizing findings—this is all the work of science．
收集事实并加以论证，提出理论并加以检验，以及归纳整理研究成果——这就是科学工作的全部内容。
3)The analogue computer determines its quantity by measuring how much while the digital computer determines its quantity by counting how many．
模拟计算机计出量的大小，数字计算机算出量的多少。
4)Halliday put his pipe down，crossed his hands behind his neck，and turned his face towards the window．(“The Apple Tree”)
哈利德放下烟斗，两手交叉着放在脖子后面，转过头去看窗子。
5)He was well-favoured，bright，a good dancer，a fair shot and a fine tennis player．He was an asset at any party．He was lavish with flowers and expertsive boxes of chocolate，and though he entertained little，when he did it was with an originality that pleased．(W．S．Maugham)
他英俊，又聪明，跳舞跳得不错，打枪不算坏，网球也打得很好。什么宴会都少不了他。鲜花和高价的大盒巧克力糖任意买来送人。虽则很少请客，请起来倒也别致有趣。

在口语里，汉语尤其少用代词，试比较：
1)“What will you do when the war is over if it is over?”He asked me．“Speak grammatically!”
“I will go the States．”
‘‘Are you married?”
“No．but I hope to be．”
“The more of a fool you are，’’he said．He seemed very angry．“A man must not marry．”
“Why must not a man marry?” (E．Hemingway)
“真有那么一天，仗打完了，你要干点什么?”少校问我，“注意，语法要正确!”
“回美国。”
“结婚了吗?”
“没有，但很想。”
“你更蠢了，”他看上去很恼火。“男人根本不该结婚。”
“为什么男人不该结婚?”
2)It was Louisa who insisted that he should be sent to St Paul’s and she always had him out here for his Christmas vacation．(“The Razor’s Edge”)
路易莎非把他送到圣保罗教堂不可，可总是把他接出来过圣诞节。

二、省略(omission)
省略和替代一样，也是避免重复的一种常用手段。两者常常互相替换使用，有的语言学家甚至把省略称为“零位替代”(zero-substitution)。英语省略的类型很多，有名词性省略、动词性省略、分句性省略；有句法方面的省略，也有情景方面的省略。在并列结构中，英语常常省略前面已出现过的词语，而汉语则往往重复这些词语，如：
1)A man is called selfish，not for pursuing his own good，but for neglecting his neighbor’s.
说一个人自私自利，并非因为他只图自己的利益，而是因为他不顾邻人的利益。2)Ambition is the mother of destruction as well as of evil．
野心不仅是罪恶的根源，也是毁灭的根源。
3)Work with，and not against，nature．
要顺应自然工作，不要违反自然工作。
4)Reading exercises one’s eyes；speaking，one’s tongue；while writing，one’s mind. (F．Bacon)
阅读训练人的眼睛，说话训练人的口齿，写作训练人的思维。
5)One cannot learn to produce a sound from an explanation onIy，or get a correct idea of a flavour from a description：a sound must be heard，a colour seen，a flavour tasted，an odour inhaled．
人不能只从讲解中学会发音，也不能光靠看说明而真正体会出某种滋味来：声音必须耳闻，颜色必须目见，滋味必须口尝，气味必须吸入。
6)Thales thought water was the beginnjng of everything；Anaximenes，air；Heraclitus，fire．
泰勒斯认为水是万物之始；阿那克西米尼认为空气是万物之始, 赫拉克利特则认为火是万物之始。
英语常常承前省略相同的谓语动词或谓语动词词组的一部分；汉语则较常承前省略相同的主语而重复相同的动词，试比较：
1)I belong to you and you(belong)to me．
我属于你，你也属于我。
2)白求恩大夫一到前线，(他)就立刻开始工作。
Dr．Bethune set to work as soon as he came to the front．

汉语习惯于重复词语，有时是为了保持语法的正确，有时是为了促成结构的整齐、匀称；有时既是语法的要求，也是修辞的需要。如：
1)太阳的热把水蒸发成云；如果云被吹到较凉的地方，天就会下雨；如果被吹到较暖的地方，云就会消散。
The sun’s heat evaporates water，forms cloud；if cloud is blown to a cooler place，rain falls；if to a warmer place，it disappears．
2)近朱者赤，近墨者黑。
Association with the good can only produce good，with the wicked, evil．
3)一个和尚挑水吃，两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水吃。
One boy is a boy，two boys half a boy，three boys no boy．

三、变换(Variation)
上述的替代和省略也是变换的手段，此外，英语还常用同义词替代、近义词复现和句式变化等方法来避免重复。汉语也讲究用词造句形式的多样化，以避免单调、枯燥，但英汉表现方法不尽相同。
英语同义词替代的现象常见于用不同的名称来表示同一人或事物，即所谓“同名异称法”。例如，在同一篇新闻评论里，作者用了以下六个称呼来避免重复提及英国前首相撒切尔夫人：M rs．Thatcher，she，the Prime Minister，the Iron Lady，the leader of the Conservative Party，the first woman Prime Minister；小说里提及某一人物时，作者有时用其姓，有时用其名，有时用其昵称，有时则另起称呼；听众从体育比赛的实况广播中常常听到诸如The Redskins emerged victorious，the Colts romped to victory，the Cowboys slaughtered the opposition，the Dolphins clobbered their opponents等同一意思的变换说法。对于这类同名异称，读者或听众往往是根据上下文或特定的背景知识才明白其所指的。中国人较不习惯于这种名称替换法，因而较常重复同一名称。
近义词复现常常是概括词(generic term)和下属词(specific word)之间的互相替换(hyponymy)，如用the furniture来代替 table，用the animal来代替horse，用the planet来代替Mars，以回避重复。如：
1)John’s bought himself a new Ford．He practically lives in the car．
约翰给自己买了一部新的福特牌汽车，他几乎就住在这部汽车里。
2)I don’t know where to stay when I arrive in New York．I have never been to that place．
我不知道到了纽约要住在哪里，我从来就没有去过那个地方。
3)The monkey’s most extraordinary accomplishment was learning to operate a tractor．By the age of nine，the monkey had learned to solo on the vehicle． (R．Quirk)
这只猴子最了不起的技能是学会驾驶拖拉机。到了九岁的时候，这只猴子已经学会单独表演驾驶拖拉机了。
汉语一般较少采用英语的这类变称，而较多重复同一名称，以下各例也可以说明这种情况：
1)非洲人民正在为争取非洲的彻底解放进行着艰巨的斗争。
The people of Africa are waging a hard struggle to win the complete emancipation of the continent．
2)另外一种方法是化学方法。
Another method is the chemical process．
Another approach is the chemical method．
3)电子管通常用来放大，而真空管则是电子管的另一名称。
An electron tube is generally used for amplification，and vacuum tube is another name for this device.
4)他就是凭这个骗人的资格，他就是有这个骗人的资格。
His credentials are deception，that’s exactly what he has.

英语比较注重表达形式的多样化，力戒无意义的重复。例如以下一段话，不仅词语重复太多，句式也缺少变化，因而显得累赘又乏味：
Shakespear’s plays arc notable for their moral neutrality．For example，in Julius Caesar, Shakespeare is not wholly sympathetic to Caesar．Shakespear does not sympathize with Brutus, Antony, or Octavius. Caesar is killed in the middle of Julius Caesar．Then Shakespear directs the audience’s attention to Brutus，Antony, and Octavius. As a resultShakespear gives Julius Caesar no single hero. Shakespear gives an objective view of the charaeters throughout Julius Caesar by alternating between favorable and unfavorable assessments．Shakespeare does not give final approval to the favorable assessment or unfavorable assessment．
这段话若用替代、省略和变换的方法加以改写，即会比较符合英语的表达习惯：
Shakespeare’s plays are notable for their moral neutrality．For example，in Julius Caesar Shakespeare is not wholly sympathetic to Caesar，Brutus，Antony，or Octavius．Caesar is killed in the middle of the play and the audience’s attention is then directed to the other main characters．As a result．Julius Caesar has no single hero．Throughout the play Shakespeare maintains an objective view of the characters by alternating between favorable and unfavorable assessments，without giving final approval to either．
然而，变换要适度，不能给人以炫耀言辞的感觉；替代也要明确，不应引起语义的含混。如果为了追求“优雅的变换”(elegant variation)而不顾表达的清晰和准确，那就达不到语言交际的的。例如上面这段话，若改写成以下这种样子，那就未免过分了:
Shakespeare’s plays are notable for their moral neutrality．For example，in Julius Caesar，the playwright is not wholly sympathetic to Caesar．The great bard does not sympathize with Brutus，Antony，or Octavius．Caesar is killed in the middle of the play．Then the “swan of Avon” directs the audience's attention to the other main characters．As a result，the master of dramatic poetry gives Julius Caesar no single hero．…
这里作者为了讲究措辞多变，故意使用了“the great bard”、“the swan of Avon”和“the master of dramatic poetry”这些优雅而含糊的名称来替代莎士比亚的名字，读者未免感到过于矫揉造作。R．Quirk等人指出，