书城外语英汉词汇对比研究
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第63章

[31a]As his illness is not restored,his heart is not good today.

[31b]As he has not recovered from his illness,he is in low mood today.

[a]句是按照汉语”由于他的病没有痊愈,今天心情不大好冶译过来的。且不说his heart is not good,当用recover,restore 和人搭配时,就是针对病来说的,因此illness 是多余的。

[32]他英语讲得很好。

a)His English speaks good.

b)He speaks good English.[33]人们的生活离不开电视。

a)Now people蒺s life can蒺t leave TV.

b)Now it is impossible for people to live without TV.(or Now people cannot do without TV.)[34]出国读大学的中学生增加了。

a)School students who go abroad for higher education have increased.

b)The number of school students who go abroad for higher education has increased.

汉语能够省略“数量冶,英语increase 要和number 搭配,不能说people increase.

6.5.3语法搭配错误

中国学生写作中的搭配错误,有些是由于受汉语动词用法的影响,对英语动词的用法不了解造成的。如汉语经常说”造成时间浪费冶、“引起生活水平提高冶、”使你花了不少时间冶,用汉语“造成冶的用法去用英语cause,结果出现了语法上的搭配错误:

[35]It will cause you spend your time in waiting for nothing.[36]So,it causes much time are wasted.

[37]The fast economic growth causes people蒺s living condition has imrproved.

而cause 的正确用法如下:

[38]The cold weather might cause the plants to die.[39]Smoking can cause lung cancer.

[40]He caused his parents much unhappiness.

[41]He is always causing trouble for people.

再如:汉语”适宜/适应冶的英语对应词“fit冶。中国学生按照”适宜/适应冶的用法,写出这样的句子:

[42]The job is fit me very much.

[43]They can fit for the position they get.[44]He fits many kinds of job.

而fit 的正确搭配应该是:

[45]The job doesn蒺t fit me.

[46]His experience fits him for the job.[47]This land is fit for heroes to live in.

学生中这类错误还有The sun shines us(the sun shines on us)、listen music(listen tomusic)等例子。

6.5.4形容词搭配错误

[48a]The traffic in many big cites is getting more and more crowded.[48b]The traffic in many big cities is getting more and more congested.

英语中traffic 在表达“拥挤冶、”繁忙冶是和busy,heavy,congested 搭配的,而不和crowded 搭配。只有在说“道路拥挤冶时,才说:the street is crowded(busy,congested)[49a]But the speed of a car is much faster than that of a bicycle.

[49b]But the speed of a car is much higher than that of a bicycle.(or But a car is much faster than a bicycle.)汉语可以讲”速度快慢冶,而英语没有这样的搭配,和speed 搭配的是high /low,只有直接说交通工具,才是fast /slow,如the airplane is fast /slow。还有在“价格贵贱冶表达上,中国学生出现类似的搭配错误:

[50a]Now the price of milk is so cheap that everyone can afford it.

[50b]Now the price of milk is so low that everyone can afford it.(or milk is so cheap that everyone can afford it.)[51a]I蒺m an old customer and I learn to complain nothing.[51b]I蒺m a regular customer and I learn to complain nothing.

同样是”老冶,英语中根据不同的描写对象是用不同的词。“老爷车冶是old /usedbicycles;而”老兵冶则应是an army veteran,而非an old soldier。还有汉语说“强硬的政策冶,英语是tough policy,而不是strong policy。

再如big,great 和large 的使用。英语中一般分别和具体事物、抽象事物或数量词搭配使用较多,但CLEC (中国英语学习者语料库)显示,中国学生作文中出现:a big cat、a big building、a big smile、a big noise、a big school、a big moon、a big river、a big bur鄄den、a big family、a big hope。而big 和smile、moon、noise、burden、hope 这样的搭配英语本族人不大会使用的。在LOB 语料库中,表示”大笑冶、“大声冶等最多的搭配是:broad smile、loud noise、full moon、heavy burden、best hope。CLEC 语料库还显示,中国学生使用large 搭配的词不仅有amount、sum、number、scale、population、还有money、costs、pro鄄gress、areas、school、mistake、part、improvement、country、attention、harm、knowledge、prac鄄tice、change、problem 等。但LOB 语料库表明,英语本族人使用large 是不与problem、improvement、knowledge、change、mistake、cost、practice 搭配的,他们只说major problem、marked improvement、extensive knowledge、dramatic change、serious mistake、high costs、a lot of practice。

这说明英语中有丰富的同义词,必须根据不同的对象有不同的搭配。汉语“落后冶,英语中大致有”backward冶和“lag behind冶与此对应,但是在表达”我得努力学习,要不就落后了冶时应该是:I should study hard.Otherwise I would lag behind.而不是I sould study hard,otherwise I would be backward。

造成形容词搭配的问题,主要还是母语的干扰,按照汉语的搭配,到英语中去找似乎对应的词。第二个原因是对英语中表示同一意思的同义词之间的细微差别没有掌握。还有一个原因就是词汇量不够,只能用笼统的常用的近义词,上义词去搭配,结果产生中国式英语的表达方式。

6.5.5语义韵搭配错误

有的词倾向于和具有消极语义特点的词搭配,而有的词吸引积极含义或中性涵义的词搭配。中国学生由于对词汇的语义韵了解不够,往往出现这方面的搭配错误。卫乃兴(2005)、孙海燕(2005)通过语料库专门论述了这个问题。如cause 这个词,汉语意义是“使发生、出现冶,似乎是个中性词,但英语cause 是个具有强烈消极意义的词,在COBUILD 语料库中和下面这些表示”疾病冶、“事故冶、”坏情绪冶等令人不快的词经常形成搭配(按搭配频率排列):problems、death、damage、concern、trouble、effect、cancer、harm、disease、pain、stress、anxiety、accident、chaos、symptoms、alarm、injury、havoc、irritation、illness、upset、crash、fire、distress、embarrassment、disruption、headaches、loss、discomfort、of鄄fence、difficulties、explosions、depression、suffering。

但在CLEC 即中国学习者英语语料库中,中国学生还出现下面这样的搭配:

cause changes、cause phenomena、cause things、cause result、cause questions、cause de鄄velopment、cause progress、cause improvement、cause the rise。

英语中的rather 主要和消极意义的词共现,而quite 常和积极意义的词搭配使用,但在CLEC 即中国学习者英语语料库中,中国学生在写作中出现rather proud (good,young,fresh,practical)和quite annoyed(nervous,wrong,serious,limited,difficult,com鄄mon)这样的本族语者不会用的搭配。

6.5.6同义反复搭配错误

[52]Obviously the success in this field depends on our mutual cooperation.

汉语可以这样说“成功取决于我们互相之间的合作冶。而英语中的cooperation 已经包括了mutual 的意思,因此不能搭配使用。

[53]Therefore it becomes a compulsory duty for children to acquire more knowledgethan what they should at their age.(袁宏伟Why Are Children Oppressed 选自《中国大学生英语作文评改》P97)

compulsory duty 是汉语”一个必须的责任冶翻译过来的,但就英语来说,duty 就有compulsory 意思了。

[54]While others play I work throughout the entire summer vacation.

汉语说“全部整整一个暑假都在工作冶可以,但英语中的entire 就是throughout 的意思,两者不能搭配使用。下面一句也是这个问题:

[55]The nationwide physical fitness campaign should be extensively carried forward.如果说”全国性的冶就是“广泛性的冶,因此英语中nationwide 和extensively 是不同时使用的。

[56]This reform greatly fuelled the nation蒺s economy.改革大大地推动了国家的经济。

[57]Air pollution does more than affect our environment;it seriously cripples and greatly shortens the lives of human beings.大气污染严重损害了人的健康,大大缩短人的寿命。

这两句中文没有问题,但英语句子就是同义反复的搭配。fuel 和cripple 是不能用加强副词修饰的,因为这两个词本身就有程度很高的意义。