Explicitness and explicitation through the use of connectives in translation: A corpus-based study of English-Chinese scientific research articles

Abstract

This doctoral dissertation explores connective explicitness and the phenomena of explicitation and implicitation, as well as their counterparts implicitness and implicitation, in the translation of scientific research articles from English to Chinese. The study addresses four central research questions. Firstly, it examines whether English texts demonstrate a higher degree of connective explicitness than Chinese texts, attributed to the more frequent usage of connectives. Secondly, it investigates whether Chinese translated texts exhibit greater connective explicitness compared to their non-translated counterparts in Chinese. Thirdly, the focus shifts to the identification of connective shifts in Chinese target texts in comparison to their English source texts. Lastly, the research delves into the nature of these connective shifts, determining whether they qualify as explicitations or implicitations, and to what extent Becher’s five triggers elucidate these phenomena. Methodologically, the study employs a meticulous examination of composite corpora, including bilingual comparable, monolingual comparable, and bilingual parallel corpora. The analysis follows a three-phase model, assessing explicitness and implicitness across different sub-corpora, identifying connective-based shifts, and discerning the status of these shifts concerning semantic relations vis-à-vis the source text. Empirical findings indicate that translations exhibit a heightened degree of connective explicitness compared to both source texts and non-translated texts in the same target language. This is primarily driven by a preference for additions over omissions during the translation process. It is crucial, however, to differentiate connective shifts from explicitations or implicitations. The study underscores that translators often introduce, substitute, or omit semantically weak connectives to rephrase the original message in the target language without altering the semantic relation. Furthermore, these shifts find explanations in source language interference and translators' conservatism, aligning with Becher's proposed triggers. In conclusion, this research significantly advances theoretical and methodological frameworks related to explicitation phenomena, shedding light on the intricacies of translating scientific research articles. It offers a nuanced understanding of the complexities inherent in connective usage during the translation process, thereby contributing substantially to the broader academic discourse.