66
for the familiar object and adapt it to fit the new object by adding a prefix indicative of its Chinese origin. Examples are Chinese cabbage, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese boxing and Chinese frying pan (later simplified to wok, a phonetic loan.)
(iii) A third method by which the users of the English language deal with the naming of new 'things' through reliance on native resources is the very common method of loan translation. This appears to take place especially when either the Chinese term is self-explanatory or when it is itself metaphorical and has been taken over because of its picturesque qualities; for example 'The Middle Kingdom' from is well-established. We have a great deal of work on this aspect of lexical borrowing, and the findings are to be included in a second Centre of Asian Studies Monograph. One example of a recent loan translation which has captured the imaginations of local expatriates and bilingual speakers,
speakers, and which has gained considerable currency is snake as a premodifier for boat or head. A snake boat translated from A and a snake head translated from M are respectively metaphorical expressions for a boat carrying illegal immigrants and a person in charge of such an illegal operation. (e.g. The Star, Hong Kong, 13/7/81). An even more recent loan translation is fish-ball from the Chinese literally ‘fish-ball', the name of a concoction made from chopped fish and spring onion, and which developed a metaphorical sense in local Chinese and refers to vice dens and illicit sex as in 'fish ball stalls' and 'fish-ball girls'. (e.g. S.C.M.P. 2/3/82, S.C.M.P. 9/7/82).
(iv) The fourth method is to borrow the Chinese term as a phonetic loan and phonetic borrowing is the main focus of interest in our study.
66
for the familiar object and adapt it to fit the new object by adding a prefix indicative of its Chinese origin. Examples are Chinese cabbage, Chinese mushrooms, Chinese boxing and Chinese frying pan (later simplified to wok, a phonetic loan.)
(iii) A third method by which the users of the English language deal with the naming of new 'things' through reliance on native resources is the very common method of loan translation. This appears to take place especially when either the Chinese term is self-explanatory or when it is itself metaphorical and has been taken over because of its picturesque qualities; for example 'The Middle Kingdom' from is well-established. We have a great deal of work on this aspect of lexical borrowing, and the findings are to be included in a second Centre of Asian Studies Monograph. One example of a recent loan translation which has captured the imaginations of local expatriates and bilingual speakers,
speakers, and which has gained considerable currency is snake as a premodifier for boat or head. A snake boat translated from A and a snake head translated from M are respectively metaphorical expressions for a boat carrying illegal immigrants and a person in charge of such an illegal operation. (e.g. The Star, Hong Kong, 13/7/81). An even more recent loan translation is fish-ball from the Chinese literally ‘fish-ball', the name of a concoction made from chopped fish and spring onion, and which developed a metaphorical sense in local Chinese and refers to vice dens and illicit sex as in 'fish ball stails' and 'fish-ball girls'. (e.g. S.C.M.P. 2/3/82, S.C.M.P. 9/7/82).
(iv) The fourth method is to borrow the Chinese term as a phonetic loan and phonetic borrowing is the main focus of interest in our study.
:
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.