中英文求职信的体裁对比分析
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摘要
本文旨在对中英文求职信的体裁结构进行对比分析。作者从功能语言学的角度，首先对六十封中英文求职信进行“话步分析”(move analysis)，以实现一定交际目的作为判定“话步”的原则，由此确定了中文求职信共有九个不同的话步，英文求职信共有七个不同的话步。同时，本文运用“文体潜势结构”(GSP)理论分析得出，不同的话步在求职信的体裁构成上的地位也不同。研究结果揭示了同一体裁在不同种社会文化中其具体的话步构成存在很大的差异。最后，作者以一封中文求职信的翻译为例，指出如果翻译像求职信这一类目的性很强的语篇，译者必须分析同一语篇在不同文化中的“文体潜势结构”，由此在结构和语篇内容上做出合适的调整，这样才能最大限度的实现这类语篇的交际目的。
This contrastive genre analysis examines the discourse structures of cover letters written by applicants who are native writers of Chinese and native writers of English, with the aim of showing how different the generic structures of a same purpose-oriented genre in western and Chinese cultures. An approach based on genre study (Hasan, 1989; Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993) is used to explore the communicative purposes and structure level of the text. A corpus of sixty cover letters (thirty in Chinese and thirty in English) has been examined. On the basis of the analysis of the communicative purposes, the moves (Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993) of the discourse structures of these letters in two different languages were identified and compared. The GSP analysis is used to describe the obligatory and optional components of the structures of Chinese and English cover letters in a linear sequence. Findings suggest that the Chinese cover letters adopt a striking different discourse structure from that of the English cover letters, and those differences show to be largely due to a number of factors of socio-cultural backgrounds.
This research argues that the translator should enhance the awareness of analyzing the generic structure of the purpose-oriented genre, and the structure and the content should be modified according to results of the genre-based analysis of the discourses. The implication of the research may contribute to some insights into the use of the proposed suggestions in this research in translating international purpose-oriented discourses.
This contrastive genre analysis examines the discourse structures of cover letters written by applicants who are native writers of Chinese and native writers of English, with the aim of showing how different the generic structures of a same purpose-oriented genre in western and Chinese cultures. An approach based on genre study (Hasan, 1989; Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993) is used to explore the communicative purposes and structure level of the text. A corpus of sixty cover letters (thirty in Chinese and thirty in English) has been examined. On the basis of the analysis of the communicative purposes, the moves (Swales, 1990; Bhatia, 1993) of the discourse structures of these letters in two different languages were identified and compared. The GSP analysis is used to describe the obligatory and optional components of the structures of Chinese and English cover letters in a linear sequence. Findings suggest that the Chinese cover letters adopt a striking different discourse structure from that of the English cover letters, and those differences show to be largely due to a number of factors of socio-cultural backgrounds.
This research argues that the translator should enhance the awareness of analyzing the generic structure of the purpose-oriented genre, and the structure and the content should be modified according to results of the genre-based analysis of the discourses. The implication of the research may contribute to some insights into the use of the proposed suggestions in this research in translating international purpose-oriented discourses.
引文
Berkenkotte, C., and Huckin, Thomas N. 1995. Genre Knowledge in Disciplinary Communication - Cognition/Culture/Power. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
Bhatia, V.K. 1999. Intergrating Products, Processes, Purposes and Participants in Professional Settings, London: Longman.
Bhatia, V.K. 2002. A generic view of academic discourse. In Flowerdew. J. (eds) Academic Discourse. New York: Longman.
Cai, G. 1993. 'Beyond bad writing: teaching English composition to Chinese ESL students.' Paper presented at the College Composition and Communication Conference, San Diego, CA, March 1993.
Connor, Ulla. 1996. Contrastive Rhetoric. Cambridge University Press.
Dudley-Evans, Tony and St Jones, 1998. Developments in English fro Specific Purpose. Cambridge: CUP.
Eggins, S. 1994. An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. London: Pinter Publishers Ltd.
Gu, Yueguo (顾曰国) 1999. Reconstructing humanistic and stylistic traditions in Chinese rhetoric - a contrastive approach. In Hu Wenzhong (ed.). Aspects of Intercultural Communication - Proceedings of China's 2nd Conference on Intercultural Communication. (pp. 7-38). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hasan, R. 1978. 'Text in the systemic functional model' in W. Dressier (ed.) 1978: Current Trends in Text Linguistics. Berlin: Walter Gruyter.
Hasan, R. 1985. The structure of a text in Halliday. In M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan (eds.), Language, Context, and Text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective (pp. 52-69). Victoria: Deakin University Press.
Hasan, R. 1989. the structure of a text. In M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan (eds). Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-Semiotic
Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hu, Wenzhong (胡文仲). 1999. 'Indirectness revisited-on the communicative style in two types of Chinese letters.' In Hu Wenzhong (ed.) Aspects of Intercultural Communication - Proceedings of China's 2nd Conference on Intercultural Communication. (pp. 315-334). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hymes, Dell. 1974. Foundations in Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Jenkins, S. and Hinds, J. 1987. Business letter writing: English, French, and Japanese. TESOL Quarterly, 21,327-54
Kaplan, R. B. 1966. Cultural thought patterns in international education. Language Learning, 16:1-20
Malinowski, B. 1923. The problem of meaning in primitive languages. In C.K. Ogden & I.A. Richards (eds.), The Meaning of Meaning. (pp.296-336). London: Harcourt Brace.
Matalene, C. 1985. Contrastive rhetoric: an American writing teacher in China. College English, 47, No.8:789-808
Martin, J.R. 1985. Process and text: two aspects of human semiosis. In J.D. Benson and W.S. Greaves (eds), Systemic Perspective on Discourse, Vol.1 (pp.248-74). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Martin, J.R. 1986. Systemic-functional linguistics and an understanding of written texts. Working Papers in Linguistics. No. 4. Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney.
Martin, J.R. 1989. Factual Writing: Exploring and Challenging Social Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Martin, J.R. 1993. A Contextual Theory of Language: the Powers of Literary- A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing. (pp. 116-36). Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Martin, J.R., Christie, F. and Rothery, J, 1997. Social processes in education: a reply to Sawyer and Watson (and others). In I. Reid (ed.), The Place of Genre in
Learning: Current Debates. (pp. 46-57). Geelong, Victoria: Centre for Studies in Literary Education: Typereader Publications.
Nunan, D. 1993. Introduction to discourse analysis. London: Penguin Books.
Rothery, J. 1986. Teaching writing in the primary school: a genre based approach to the development of writing abilities. Writing Project Report (Working Papers in Linguistics no.4). Department of Linguistics, University of Syndey.
Paltridge, B. 1994. Genre analysis and the identification of textual boundaries. Applied Linguistics. Vol.3: 288-197
Scollon, R. 1991. 'Eight legs and one elbow. Stance and Structure in Chinese English compositions.' Paper presented at International Reading Association, Second North American Conference on Adult and Adolescent Literacy, Banff, March, 21, 1991.
Sinclair, J. and R. Coulthard. 1975. Towards an analysis of discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Swales, J. 1981. Aspects of Article Introductions. Language Studies Unit, The University of Aston, Birmingham.
Swales, J. 1990. Genre Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J. 1998. Other Floors, Other Voices: A Textography of a Small University Building. Mahwah. NJ: Erlbaum.
Taylor, G. and Chen, T. 1991. Linguistics, culture, and subcultural issue in contrastive discourse analysis: Anglo-American and Chinese scientific texts. Applied Linguistics, 12 (3), 319-36.
Ventola, E. 1987. The Structure of Social Interaction. A Systemic Approach to the Semiotics of Service Encounter Interaction. London: Pinter.
Young, Linda W.L. 1994. Crosstalk and Culture in Sino-American Communication. Cambridge University Press.
Zhu, Y. 1997. An analysis of structural moves in Chinese sales letters. Text, 17(4), 543-66
Bhatia, V.K. 1999. Intergrating Products, Processes, Purposes and Participants in Professional Settings, London: Longman.
Bhatia, V.K. 2002. A generic view of academic discourse. In Flowerdew. J. (eds) Academic Discourse. New York: Longman.
Cai, G. 1993. 'Beyond bad writing: teaching English composition to Chinese ESL students.' Paper presented at the College Composition and Communication Conference, San Diego, CA, March 1993.
Connor, Ulla. 1996. Contrastive Rhetoric. Cambridge University Press.
Dudley-Evans, Tony and St Jones, 1998. Developments in English fro Specific Purpose. Cambridge: CUP.
Eggins, S. 1994. An Introduction to Systemic Functional Linguistics. London: Pinter Publishers Ltd.
Gu, Yueguo (顾曰国) 1999. Reconstructing humanistic and stylistic traditions in Chinese rhetoric - a contrastive approach. In Hu Wenzhong (ed.). Aspects of Intercultural Communication - Proceedings of China's 2nd Conference on Intercultural Communication. (pp. 7-38). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hasan, R. 1978. 'Text in the systemic functional model' in W. Dressier (ed.) 1978: Current Trends in Text Linguistics. Berlin: Walter Gruyter.
Hasan, R. 1985. The structure of a text in Halliday. In M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan (eds.), Language, Context, and Text: aspects of language in a social-semiotic perspective (pp. 52-69). Victoria: Deakin University Press.
Hasan, R. 1989. the structure of a text. In M.A.K. Halliday and R. Hasan (eds). Language, Context, and Text: Aspects of Language in a Social-Semiotic
Perspective. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hu, Wenzhong (胡文仲). 1999. 'Indirectness revisited-on the communicative style in two types of Chinese letters.' In Hu Wenzhong (ed.) Aspects of Intercultural Communication - Proceedings of China's 2nd Conference on Intercultural Communication. (pp. 315-334). Beijing: Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press.
Hymes, Dell. 1974. Foundations in Sociolinguistics: An Ethnographic Approach. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Jenkins, S. and Hinds, J. 1987. Business letter writing: English, French, and Japanese. TESOL Quarterly, 21,327-54
Kaplan, R. B. 1966. Cultural thought patterns in international education. Language Learning, 16:1-20
Malinowski, B. 1923. The problem of meaning in primitive languages. In C.K. Ogden & I.A. Richards (eds.), The Meaning of Meaning. (pp.296-336). London: Harcourt Brace.
Matalene, C. 1985. Contrastive rhetoric: an American writing teacher in China. College English, 47, No.8:789-808
Martin, J.R. 1985. Process and text: two aspects of human semiosis. In J.D. Benson and W.S. Greaves (eds), Systemic Perspective on Discourse, Vol.1 (pp.248-74). Norwood, NJ: Ablex.
Martin, J.R. 1986. Systemic-functional linguistics and an understanding of written texts. Working Papers in Linguistics. No. 4. Department of Linguistics, University of Sydney.
Martin, J.R. 1989. Factual Writing: Exploring and Challenging Social Reality. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Martin, J.R. 1993. A Contextual Theory of Language: the Powers of Literary- A Genre Approach to Teaching Writing. (pp. 116-36). Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.
Martin, J.R., Christie, F. and Rothery, J, 1997. Social processes in education: a reply to Sawyer and Watson (and others). In I. Reid (ed.), The Place of Genre in
Learning: Current Debates. (pp. 46-57). Geelong, Victoria: Centre for Studies in Literary Education: Typereader Publications.
Nunan, D. 1993. Introduction to discourse analysis. London: Penguin Books.
Rothery, J. 1986. Teaching writing in the primary school: a genre based approach to the development of writing abilities. Writing Project Report (Working Papers in Linguistics no.4). Department of Linguistics, University of Syndey.
Paltridge, B. 1994. Genre analysis and the identification of textual boundaries. Applied Linguistics. Vol.3: 288-197
Scollon, R. 1991. 'Eight legs and one elbow. Stance and Structure in Chinese English compositions.' Paper presented at International Reading Association, Second North American Conference on Adult and Adolescent Literacy, Banff, March, 21, 1991.
Sinclair, J. and R. Coulthard. 1975. Towards an analysis of discourse. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Swales, J. 1981. Aspects of Article Introductions. Language Studies Unit, The University of Aston, Birmingham.
Swales, J. 1990. Genre Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Swales, J. 1998. Other Floors, Other Voices: A Textography of a Small University Building. Mahwah. NJ: Erlbaum.
Taylor, G. and Chen, T. 1991. Linguistics, culture, and subcultural issue in contrastive discourse analysis: Anglo-American and Chinese scientific texts. Applied Linguistics, 12 (3), 319-36.
Ventola, E. 1987. The Structure of Social Interaction. A Systemic Approach to the Semiotics of Service Encounter Interaction. London: Pinter.
Young, Linda W.L. 1994. Crosstalk and Culture in Sino-American Communication. Cambridge University Press.
Zhu, Y. 1997. An analysis of structural moves in Chinese sales letters. Text, 17(4), 543-66