On Translation of Color Words---开题报告

Depending on scientific research, there are should be about seven million colors in nature. But surprisingly, there’re only hundreds of classifications in expressing them. Color words are closely connected with people’s daily life. There’re also a variety of expressions of color. From these expressions, we can easily find different physiology and emotional in both Chinese and English. In fact, color is basically a visual effect received by man’s eyes. 

As for the perception of the relationship between color and its expression, the philosophical interpretation is much earlier than the empirical study science. Exploration in this area can be attributed to ancient Greece. Plato proposed three basic conditions of human color perception process: l. light source; 2. Reflective objects; 3. Accepted by the reflective capabilities eyes. Typology study was then done by Aristotle who focused more on the color component. In 19th century, academics generally feel that the natural language of color word system reflect the relative characteristics and semantic language cultural determinism tendency. Until the late 19th century, this view has taken issue with Cross-cultural Comparison (Magnus, 1880). Magnus sent a questionnaire to various parts of the world and completed "the most complete and decisive meaning" color code - research work (Berlin & Kay 1991). In the late 1960s, two American scholars - ethnologists Brent Berlin and linguist Paul Kay came together to release the most influential masterpiece for more than a half century, it’s the “Basic Color Terms: Their University and Evolution”.

In the area of color words research, Berlin and Kay mainly study on basic color terms, this book is discussed on the basis of hundreds of languages published. The reason it’s so eminent not only because it covers a lot of language and reveals many interesting phenomena in different languages between discrimination and color codes match, but also because it created basic color terms for the first time. There are three most important findings:

1.11 Basic Color Terms constitute a natural language color code - the undeveloped part of the system can be considered as a universal principle.

2. These 11 basic color terms develop according to strict and orderly evolution of color appear in uncommon languages code system.

3. The number of basic color terms in numerous languages bases on its specific historical stage of development.

At different stages of the evolution of language color code system, the number of color words is uniform. Touched by Berlin and Kay's work, the theory of basic color terms has made brilliant achievements in interdisciplinary research field. The basic color terms of evolutionary theory have gradually developed into a universal law of the classical theory which was accepted in the academic field (Kay 1975). 

Cognitive linguistics and Prototype Theory are also used to study the color words on in the 21st century. Qin Lei (2003) studies suggest that the scope of Chinese basic color words and metaphors process through four stages: "thing to object, on behalf of a colorimetric color, abstract, symbolic metaphor" they believe the associative meanings of color words are due to the concept of the human spirit and cultural value which cause polarization effects, resulting in a color metaphor cognition polarization, and this shows that the metaphorical cognition and culture are closely linked. 

During these studies in color words, both foreign and domestic researchers pay attention to the meaning and its origin in their own culture. There are fewer studies for the cross-culture translation for color words. This thesis tries to use Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory to explore how to translate color words and make the readers feel or respond same as the native speakers do.

Outline

Introduction

1.1. Research Background 

1.2. Research Object

Literature Review

The Previous Studies of the Translation of Color Words

Relationship between National Psychology and Color Words 

Different Psychology Effect of Color Words and Comparison between English and Chinese Color Words

White

Red

Blue

Yellow

Green

Black

Translation Strategy of Color Words

Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory

Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory in Translating Color Words

V. Conclusion

VI. Bibliography

VII. Acknowledgement

Bibliography

[1] Berlin, B. & Kay, P. (1969), Basic Color Terms: Their University and Evolution, Berkley: University of California Press

[2] Baichun Zhang. English-Chinese Chinese-English translation tutorial [M] Beijing: Higher Education Press, 2004.

[3] Feng Ding Lijun. English translation [M] Beijing: Beijing Electronic Industry Press. 2005:86.

[4] Feng Qingsheng. Translation of the practical translation of tutorial (updated version) [M]. Shanghai: Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2001.

[5] Xiong Jingdong contrast of color words in English and Chinese and translation [J]. Heilongjiang College of Education 2007 (10).

[6] Zhenya. English language culture [M]. Baoding: Hebei University Press, 2004:85.

[7] Zhang Yi, Analysis of the similarities and differences of the Chinese color words [J]. Chang'an University of International Studies University, 2004 (5).

[8] 陈宏薇，李亚丹主编，《新编汉英翻译教程》。上海外语教育出版社，2004.

[9] 陈家旭、秦蕾: 《汉语基本颜色的范畴化及隐喻化认知》，《河南师范大学学报》( 哲学社会科学版) ， 2003 第2 期。

[10] 胡国强，从颜色词看英汉语言文化的异同，《通化师范学院院报》，2002。