Abstracts of Major Papers in This Issue

MappingandBlendinginGrammaticalMetaphor, by HE Zhongqing, p. 9

The concept of grammatical metaphor (GM) stems from stratification of language, but there has always lacked a cognitive interpretation of its generating mechanism. This paper tries to explore the generating process of GM by adopting concepts ofmappingandblendingfrom cognitive linguistics. It argues that the generation per se is the result of mapping and blending between representation modes of “inner” and “outer” realms of experience in clauses, i.e. the transference between relational and operational modes. It is found that GMs have two general types that may be particularized into 24 categories of mapping and blending. The discovery may shed light on further understanding of the generating mechanism of GM and help clear some possible confusion incurred by different categorizations of GM, and in doing so it finds a way to integrate the cognitive conceptual metaphor into the GM.

“Therebe”ConstructionanditsMetaphors:ANewSFGTransitivityParadigm, by CHAI Tongwen, p. 15

This paper firstly introduces a new SFG transitivity paradigm and revisitstherebestructure in English. It finds that the classical Existential process is a transitivity category, hence semantic;therebepattern is the corresponding grammatical realization, hence a grammatical concept. Then it explores 33 kinds of metaphors intherebeconstruction with reference to construction and conceptual metaphor theory. The results show that all the metaphors involved are produced along the process from semantic systems to [text] as meaning, a process of instantiation; they are still within the domain of grammatical metaphors, but agree with the cognitive process of blending and (or) mapping from the source process type to the target process type.

GrammaticalMetaphorofTenseinEnglish, by CHEN Gangni, p. 21

This study conducts a corpus-based investigation into the metaphorical realizations of tense meanings in English, namely grammatical metaphor of tense, according to the classification of tense within Systemic Function Linguistics. It shows that the grammatical metaphor of tense does exist in the English language and the relevant meaning is metaphorically realized by lexical devices, rather than grammatical forms. The metaphorical realizations of tense meanings are often associated with intensive, circumstance and possessive relational processes. Meanwhile, the metaphorical realization of tense meaning should be identified with reference to all the elements in a clause, instead of any single element such as the verb.

ACross-languageEmpiricalStudyonLexicalAmbiguityandBilingualSemanticDevelopment, by LI Hailong, p. 26

Studies on lexical ambiguity set to investigate the interactive and developmental nature of the bilingual mental lexicon remain underrepresented in the literature. On the basis of distinguishing different types of lexical ambiguity (homonymy, metaphorical polysemy and metonymic polysemy), this study employed a translation recognition task presented by E-Prime software to investigate the mental representation of ambiguous words in Chinese EFL learners. The results indicated significant difference for different types of ambiguous words and for subjects of different English proficiency levels, but not for the direction of translation. In light of the modified hierarchical model, the representational development of ambiguous words, the activation and inhibition of semantic representations and their implications for the acquisition of ambiguous words are discussed.

TheEffectsofWrittenCorrectiveFeedbackonSecondLanguageAcquisitionofEnglishGenericNPsbyChinese-speakingLearners, by JIANG Lin & CHEN Jin, p. 31

The current study investigated the differential effect of two types of written corrective feedback (metalinguistic feedback and indirect feedback) on the acquisition of English generic NPs by Chinese speakers. A good command of English generic NPs requires, at the very least, morphosyntactic, contextual and world knowledge. Therefore, it is hard to acquire by mere exposure to the language alone, and may be an ideal target form for investigating the effects of explicit intervention, that is written corrective feedback. This study used a quasi-experimental resesarch design with a pretest-treatment-posttest-delayed posttest structure, deploying a translation task and a writing task to test the subjects’ use of English generic NPs. It was found that only metalinguistic feedback can foster gains in the knowledge of generic NPs. The findings and implications are discussed in light of cognitive psychology.

HyperlexicDifficultyinL2Reading, by WU Shiyu, p. 36

In foreign language reading, a hyperlexic reader is not hard to find. Few studies are however, devoted to this phenomenon. This article probes such readers for the causal factors. It proposes that readers’ prior knowledge and its strategic use, and cognitive mechanisms like suppression and working memory capacity are all contributors to a hyperlexic reader. As for reading in a second language, this could be explained by the threshold effect resulting from the combined effects of L2 proficiency level and cognitive mechanisms like suppression and L2 working memory. Due attention should be given to develop L2 learners’ lexical and grammatical knowledge, and to minimize the influences on L2 reading and processing of conceptual restructuring in L2 vocabulary acquisition. The article ends by suggesting interventions with readers’ hyperlexic difficulty through reading strategy training, explicit teaching of L2 vocabulary, and repeated corrections in learners’ language output.

OnSomeProblemswithEnglishTranslationandPublicationofChineseClassics:ACaseStudyofLibraryofChineseClassics·Twenty-fourStylesofPoetry, by WANG Xiaonong, p. 43

Though theLibraryofChineseClassicshas made great achievements, there are some problems with it. A case study ofShipinin theLibraryis made with special reference to its English version and its editing, on the basis of which the question of how to improve English translation of Chinese classics and promote China’s cultural export is discussed briefly. It is found that there are some problems with the English version, concerning the choice of the English version, its text and para-text, and the editing work, which impede to some extent the achievement of its translation purpose. It is proposed that English translation of theLibrarybe done mainly by Chinese contemporary translators and scholars, oriented to the Western intellectual circles, for the ultimate purpose of introducing Chinese culture thoroughly and accurately, decreasing misunderstandings. Relevant translation criticism should be encouraged and strengthened to enhance the quality of translation, publication and dissemination.

AnIntegrativeApproachtoTranslationProcessResearchanditsApplicationsinTranslatorEducation, by HOU Linping & LI Yanni, p. 49

The methodological innovation has brought about significant findings of translation process research in an interdisciplinary context. Based on a survey of these achievements in translation research methods and their applications, this paper systematically explores an integrative approach to translation process research, i.e., a strategy with the reference to philosophical and scientific methodology, coupling the quantitative and qualitative analyses and combining different methods. Furthermore, it points out that the integrative approach has come to pave a new way for translation studies and play an indispensable role in translator education. Characterized by its distinctive theoretical framework, reachable general objective, valid operational strategies and effective practical procedure, an integrative model for translator education is of great significance in enhancing translator’s subjectivity, creativity and responsibility.

SomeProblemswith“TheScarfGirlsandSuicide”inSnow, by ZHANG Hu, p. 54

Orhan Pamuk’sSnownarrates a terrible issue: In 1980, in Kars, a group of girl students were tortured by the governmental ban of scarf, and began to commit suicide one by one... Through discussions of modern Turkey’ history and the liberation of woman, this article tries to reveal the issue’s realistic prototype, historical reasons and its nature. Finally, the analysis of a “Scarf Girl” named Kadife reveals the difficult situation of Turkish woman between Kemal secularism and Islam. Also talked about is Pamuk’s basic attitude towards the “scarf and suicide” issue.