浅谈英语无灵主语句

浅谈英语无灵主语句

On the English Inanimate-Subjects Sentences

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摘 要：英语无灵主语句是英语书面语中常见的一种典型句型和独特的语言现象。由于中西文化，思维方式以及英汉语言之间的差异，给中国学生在理解和运用这类句子带来困难。本文首先探究英语无灵主语的主要类型，它们分别是表示思想情感的名词做主语；表示行动和身体部位的名词做主语；表示情景和自然现象的名词作主语，表示时间和地点的名词做主语。然后文章通过运用具体实例重点分析无灵主语句的翻译方法以提高中国学生的翻译水平。

关键词：无灵主语；类型；翻译

Abstract: English sentences with inanimate subjects are a kind of common and typical sentence pattern and a unique language. Due to cultural and linguistic differences between English and Chinese and differences in ways of thinking between East and West, it is not easy for Chinese students to understand and use. This paper firstly explores the categories of inanimate subjects, which are nouns of feeling and thought; nouns of action and part of body; nouns of situation and natural phenomenon; nouns of time and place respectively. Secondly, it analyzes the techniques of sentences with inanimate subjects’ translation through concrete examples to improve Chinese students’ abilities of translation.

Key words: inanimate subject；categories；translation

1 Introduction

Inanimate subject is a kind of english syntactic structure. The subject in english can be expressed in two types: personal and impersonal. When expressed in impersonal way, this sentence does emphasize the thing happening on the person, while in Chinese it can be translated into"什么人怎么样了". Furthermore, the impersonal subject also can be divided into two types: inanimate subject and animate

subject . This article mainly talks about the inanimate subject.

2 Animate verb

The impersonal subject sentence with inanimate subject usually indicate the abstract concept , psychological feeling , concrete subject or time and place and so on,however, the predicate in this sentence usually is "animate verb" which indicate the person's or group's action and behaviour, like see, desert, find, bring, witness, give, escape, surround, kill, deprive, serve, send, know, tell, permit, invite, take, drive, prevent from and so on, and this kind of sentence is often rhetorical and carry personification.

E.g. 1 Past experience has taught us that we should not depend on others for everything. 

E.g. 2 His name slips my mind. 

E.g. 3 A good idea suddenly strikes me. 

E.g. 4 A strange peace came over her when she was alone.

3 The categories of inanimate subjects

3.1 Nouns of feeling and thought

Eg.Having seen the man，a chill of horror suddenly swept over her. /看到那个人，她突然有种不寒而栗的感觉。

Despair seized him at the thought of her setting out alone tore new the weary quest for work. /想起她一个人出去重新登上找工作的艰辛路途，他觉得万念俱灰。

The " a chill of horror " and " despair " are feeling and thought.

3.2 Nouns of action and part of body

Eg. Many years of hard work changed his father greatly. /多年的辛劳使他父亲大大变样了。

My heart failed me at the sight. /一见那情景我就失去了勇气。

Her eyes were the same color as the sea，cheerful and excited. /她那碧波般的双眸流露着兴奋和激动的神色

The subject " many years of hard work " is an action, and " my heart " and " her eyes " are the part of body.

3.3 Nouns of situation and natural phenomenon

Eg.A hush fell upon the assembly. /会场一片寂静。

A heavy rain visited the city. /这个城市刚下过一场大雨。

The subject " a hush " is the situation of assembly, and " a heavy rain " is a natural phenomenon.

3.4 Nouns of time and place

Eg. Dusk found the little girl crying in the street. /黄昏时分人们发现小女孩在街上哭。

The postwar years in Germany saw honors heaped upon the great scientist. /在德国战后的岁月里，这位伟大的科学家得到了种种荣誉。

The town boasts a beautiful lake. /镇上有个美丽的湖，人人以此自豪。

The city had witnessed many great historic events. /在这个城市曾经发生过许多重大历史事件。

The subject" dusk " and " postwar years " are the nouns of time,and " town " and " city " are the nouns of place.

4 The techniques of sentences with inanimate subjects’ translation

4.1 Translation into animate-subject sentence

Eg. The job exhausted me. 我已经干得筋疲力尽了。

His name escaped me from the moment.我一时记不起他的名字。

Obviously ,we can find out the logical subjects from the examples above. The logical subjects are "me" behind the verbs, so we can regard it as the direct subject when we translate the sentence into Chinese.

4.2 Translation into adverbial clause of reason

The inanimate-subject sentence can also be translated into adverbial clause of reason, but we should clear the logical relations between the subject and object. For example

Business took him to the town.他因事进城了。

Rich experience keeps him smooth in this work.由于他富有经验，工作一贯得心应手。

Shortness of money has required the omission of these book.我因缺少钱而没能买这些书。

From the logical sequence above, we can get that the inanimate subjects like

"shortness of money", rich experience"and "Business" are the doer seemingly, but, in fact, those subjects have cause-and-effect relationship with the incidents behind, so we can translate into adverbial clause of reason by adding the words"因...而"，"由于.....".

4.3 Translation into adverbial clauses of condition

If the inanimate subjects have conditional relation with the object, we can translated the sentence into adverbial clauses of condition.

Eg. Careful comparison of them will show you the difference.你只要仔细比较一下，你就会发现不同之处。

His addition completed the list.只要把他填上，名单就完备了。

According to the logical sequence above, it is easy to find the inanimate subjects have conditional relation with the object, so we can translated the sentence into adverbial clauses of condition by adding "只要",

4.4 Translation into adverbials of manner

Today's votes have made crystal clear who are friends .通过今天的表决，谁是朋友已经一清二楚了。

Investigation led us to the foregoing conclusion.通过调查，我们可以得出结论。 From above, we can find the subjects is a kind of manner which usually is the adverbial clause in Chinese. So we can translated the sentence into adverbial clauses of manner by adding "通过，经过".

4.5 Translation into the non-subject sentence

If it is hard to find a proper animate subject or the obvious logical relation with object, we can translate into the non-subject sentence .

Eg. The class is over.下课了。

It 's just inexplicable.真是莫名其妙。

Don't talk.there is a meeting now.别说话，开会呢！

4.6 Translation into adverbials of time and place

Seeing time or place as subject is seen little in Chinese but common in English. Time, in Chinese, is often used for adverbial clause, so we can translated the sentence into adverbial clauses of time or place by adding "当......时，在......时" or "在......", which can be reasonable, coherent and intelligible and be in keeping with the habits of

Chinese speaking.

Eg. Nightfall found him many miles short of his appointed preaching place.当夜幕降临时，他离开预定步道地点还有好多英里呢。

The new century will see a significant and far—reaching change in China.中国在新世纪将发生重大而深远的变化。

The world has seen more tears than laughter.在世界上泪水比欢乐多。

4.7 Translation in other way.

The methods of translation is different according to different types of subject, however, if we can't express the content well in those way, we can try to use the methods as follows.

First, it is rhetorical skill, like personification and metaphor and so on.

The laughter of audience fills the theater.观众们的笑声响彻整个影院。

Second，translate into independent sentences by adding "这".This would be natural and unhindered.

Eg. His escaping with the big fortune helped bring her realize her carelessness.他携款逃走，这才令她意识到是自己一时疏忽。

5 Conclusion.

English sentences with inanimate subjects are a kind of common and typical sentence pattern and a unique language. Due to cultural and linguistic differences between English and Chinese and differences in ways of thinking between East and West, it is not easy for Chinese students to understand and use. This paper explored the categories of inanimate subjects, Then, it analyzed the techniques of sentences with inanimate subjects’ translation through concrete examples to improve Chinese students’ abilities of translation.All in all,when doing some translation,we should choose the best proper expression based on the thorough understanding of original content.

References

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[4] 张 洁.从英汉思维差异看英语无灵主语句的语用分析.[J].黔南民族师范学院学报，2010.

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