书城外语英汉词汇对比研究
8407600000028

第28章

以韩礼德为代表的系统功能学派则从语法隐喻角度提出同样观点。韩礼德(1994)认为语法隐喻是将一个常见的形式即一致式(congruent)转变为名词化形式即隐喻式(metaphorical)。实际上一致式就是分析型表达法,隐喻式近似于综合型表达法。语法隐喻是把小句的内容浓缩在一个名词里表达,因此,这样的派生名词词化度很高。Halliday &;Matthiessen (1999)特别举了quadruped 这个例子。指出该词的初始形式是小句内容an animal that has four legs,然后利用派生词根quadr鄄(四部分)和鄄ped (足)词化为a quadruped(四足动物)。

4.1.2转类词

倾向于分析型表达法,还是综合型表达法,与转类词(零派生词)的发达与否直接有关。转化法是英语中一个比较能产(productive)的构词法,几乎任何一个词可以不经过任何词形变化而用作另一类词,使该词能表示新的意义。尤其一个具体名词转成动词后往往能表达一个更为复杂的概念。如下面两例中的”用手打着手势冶和“像公鸡一样歪着头冶仅分别用gestrue 和cock 两个单词来表达:

[8]He gestured toward the walls and I saw that books were stacked everywhere.(Mi鄄chael Dorris)[9]He raised his eyebrows,cocked his head,and regarded me as though measuringme for a suit.(Michael Dorris)

也就是说一个具体名词转类为动词后,不仅保留了原来名词的属性,而且引出了相关的动作及其过程,如提供、去除、使用、模仿、改变等。根据Quirk(1972),英语具体名词转为动词后生成7种动作意义:

i)”to put in /on冶:to bottle (装瓶),to garage (送入汽车库),to pocket (装进口袋),to corner(逼到角落),to can(装罐头)。

ii)“to give sth./to provide with sth.冶:to shelter(给予遮蔽),to man(配备人员),to fuel(提供燃料),to finance(提供财政),to sheet(铺床单)。

iii)”to deprive of sth.冶:to core(挖去果心),to dust(去掉灰尘),to peel(削皮),to scalp(剥头皮),to shell(去壳)。

iv)“to perform with冶:to brake(刹车),to shoulder(用肩扛),to finger(用手指触碰),to knife(用刀杀)。

v)”to be /act as 褖with respect to冶:to tutor(辅导),to dog(尾随),to shepherd(看管),to father(像父亲般地对待),to nurse(护理)。

vi)“to make /change 褖into冶:to group (把……编成组),to cripple (使受伤),to wreck(使车船失事),to cash(换成现金)。

vii)”to send /go by sth.冶:to bicycle(骑自行车),to mail(邮寄),to telegram(打电报)。

Clark 等人(1979)则根据名转动的语义关系把这些动作分成了8类:

i)locatum verb (运动动词):blanket the bed,sheet the furniture,carpet the floorii)location verb (处所动作):ground the planes,bench the players,shortlist the can鄄didateiii)duration verb (延时动作):summer in France,honeymoon in Hawaii,winterin California

iv)agent verb (施事动作):butcher the cow,jockey the horse,author the bookv)experience verb (体验动作):witness the accident,boycott the store,badge the of鄄ficialsvi)goal verb (目的动作):powder the aspirin,line up the class,dupe the votervii)source verb (来源动作):word the sentence,piece the quilt together,letter the signviii)instrument verb(工具动作):nail the carpet,ship the goods,paddle the canoeAdams(1982)把这些动作分得更细:

i)to produce,make,give birth to the entity denoted by the noun (cho,coin,bud,scheme,carpet,roof)ii)to perform the action implied in the noun(campaign,queue,parade,file,motion,orbit)iii)to play the instrument denoted by the noun(drum,pipe,fiddle,trumpet,flute,whistle,saw)iv)to feel,experience,suffer what the noun denotes(experience,pity,hunger,pan鄄ic,lust)

v)to produce a representation of sb.or sth.(copy,model,mimic,photograph)vi)to make sb.or sth.like the noun(cash,fool,orphan,outlaw)vii)to take on the role denoted by the noun(captain,tailor,tutor,pilot,witness,ri鄄val)

viii)to behave in the manner of to act as,to resemble the person,animal or object de鄄noted by the noun (shepherd,usher,dwarf,ape,wolf,parrot,bridge,shadow,slave,fool,chicken,snake,bollon,snowball,sponge,mushroom)ix)to cause sth.to be,resemble the object denoted by the noun or to treat sth.like the noun(riddle,landscape,purse,treasure)x)to perform an action by means of what the noun denotes(brake,mirror,X鄄ray,el鄄bow,axe)xi)to put sb.or sth.to be in,go (in)to the place,container denoted by the noun (bottle,center)xii)to send,pass the period of time denoted by the noun(weekend,honeymoon,win鄄ter,vacation)xiii)to remove the object denoted by the noun from sb.or sth (brain,weed,milk,bone)Ankist(1985)则分成6种:

i)function(提供或去除):to newspaper the shelves(把报纸上架),to flea the dog (给狗除跳蚤)ii)location(表地点):to youth鄄hostel Europe(在欧洲下榻青年招待所),to jacuzzi (按摩浴缸水中按摩)iii)duration(表时间):to Christmas in Hawaii(在夏威夷度圣诞节)iv)resemblance(模仿):to carpool the people(拼车),to trash the neighborhood(把街区搞得都是垃圾)v)goal(表过程):to suction the ear(吸耳朵里东西),to conference(去参加会议)vi)instrument(表工具):to RV across America(驾着房车在美国到处走),to scissor the material(把布料剪开)可见原本需用一个谓语结构(动宾、主谓、动补结构等)来表达的意义随着词性的转变而都打包到单个名词里。再如:

He used the blanket to cover the bed.=He blanketed the bed.He killed the cow like a butcher.=He butchered the cow.

因此,名词转动词是一个很强的词化过程,其特点是把复杂的内容浓缩为一个词。

这种词化过程相当普遍,几乎在任何名词中发生。

人体部位:He breasted every trouble as it came.(顶住困难)家具器物:She will microwave the chicken.(用微波炉烧)He will chair the meeting.(主持会议)

植物蔬菜:She flowered into a young womanhood.(发育成一个少妇)Mother onions the sausage.(做洋葱香肠)动物名称:He will flea our dog.(把狗身上的跳蚤除去)The cars are just snaking.(所有汽车都像蛇一样慢慢地移动)食物名称:I will pizza a bit.(我要吃一点意大利馅饼)She will Haagen鄄Dazs.(她要去吃哈根达斯)They want to champagne this reception.(他们要用香槟酒招待客人)自然现象:The quarrel will cloud the issue.(把问题搞复杂了)I sun myself at the beach.(晒太阳)

The team summered in Colorado.(在科罗拉多度夏)人名称呼:She nursed her aged mother.(照顾老母)We don蒺t want to scapegoat anyone.(不找替罪羊)交通工具:We shipped grain to Africa.(把谷物运往)Children are bused to school.(乘公共汽车)一般工具:We蒺ve axed the price.(我们大刀阔斧把价格砍了下去)He shovelled the snow.(他把雪铲掉)

衣物服饰:He tried to clothed his family.(使家里人有衣服穿)He is determined to button the facts down.(决心把事实弄清)He bagged a prize immediately.(把奖放进了袋子)物质材料:She shampoos her hair every week.(用洗发水洗头)We have to wait鄄list some passengers.(我们只得把一些乘客列入等候名单)The young people trashed the neighborhood.(把街区搞得都是垃圾)甚至人名也可以词化,如:

to Alice to be in an ideal realm(像爱丽丝一样想入非非)to Richard M.Nixon the tape(像尼克松一样非法揩去录音带上的内容)to Uncle Tom(像汤姆叔叔一样逆来顺受)to Shylock the poor people(像夏洛克一样敲诈穷人)有些人名已经小写,根本看不出是人名,已完全词化为一个普通的名词。如to galvanise(给……通电)to hamlet(优柔寡断)。