2 The Previous Study of Reduplication and Its Translation

2.1 The Previous Study of Reduplication
Expression consisting of two or more of the same words overlapping is called reduplication word (Yu Zhen, 2000). As a lexical phenomenon, reduplication exists both in Chinese and in English. With the large number of the reduplication words in Chinese, the usage of reduplication is very popular, especially in Chinese classical poetry. Some scholars believe that reduplication reveals the living consciousness of language (Qian Guanlian, 1991). Chinese reduplication words are formed by repeated morphemes or syllables, and parts of them belong to onomatopoeia. Reduplication enhances the complication of the sense of language by the complicated sound and magnifies the harmony of the tone by the harmonious sound (Chen Wangdao, 1979). Chinese reduplication, with its typical characters, is widely used in Chinese classical poetry. And there is also reduplication in English, but it is neither frequently nor widely used. English reduplication is only occasionally used in poetry, far from being a rhetorical method (Leech, 1969). In addition, English reduplication can be regarded as a morphological process in which the root, item of a word or a part of it is repeated. While in Chinese, reduplication is a kind of word formation. Most of reduplication is informal in English and the quantity of reduplication in English is less than that in Chinese. Consequently, it is not as widely used in English poetry as that in Chinese classical poetry. In view of this, this thesis will mainly focus on the English translation of the reduplication in Chinese classical poetry.

There are three main combination forms of the reduplication words in Chinese classical poetry. They are: AA, ABB and AABB (Wang Ling, 2001). And some scholars（Gu Xuman, P. C. Yip，1996） classify reduplication words into verb, adjective, adverb and noun by the part of speech. Reduplication is an important and inseparable part in Chinese classical poetry. It is commonly used in Book of Poetry, which can be regarded as the origin of Chinese poetry, poems of the Tang dynasty, and songs of the Yuan Dynasty. In the Ming dynasty and Qing Dynasty, novel writers also used reduplication as an important component of poems in their writing, for example, Wang Shifu’s The Romance of West Chamber uses a large number of reduplication words, like昏邓邓, 赤力力, 是是非非, 娇娇滴滴. Even nowadays, reduplication in modern poetry is frequently adopted. It can be regarded as a remarkable characteristic in Chinese classical poetry.

2.2 The Previous Study of the Translation of Reduplication
Reduplication is widely used in Chinese classical poetry. Some scholars study the translation of reduplication from the perspective of the classification of the part of speech (Gu Xuman, P. C. Yip，1996). And some pide the reduplication translation into three categories. The first is a complete equivalent in English translation in both form and rhetorical effect; the second is onomatopoeia reduplicated words; the last is changes that should be made to Chinese reduplicated words (Zhang Wujiang, 2001). However, the main research and application on the translation of reduplication lies in the three main methods of translation based on the functional translation theory which emphasizes on the purpose of translation and determines the method of translation (Ma Hong, Lin Jianqing, 2007). They are literal translation, free translation and imagery translation (Wang Ling, 2001).

Chen Wangdao (1979) believes that the syllable of the Chinese reduplication is more natural and harmonious and the organization clearer and more understandable. In the English translation of the Chinese reduplication, it’s better to keep theses characteristics and effects.  However, in reduplication translation and research, less attention is paid to the rhetorical function of reduplication; that is to say, the rhetorical meaning of the reduplication is often neglected in comparison with the research on the combination form of reduplication, like AA, ABB, AABB, etc. If we take a look at different English versions of Chinese classical poems, it will be found out that some translators just omit reduplications once they appear in a poem and neglect their typical and obvious features by regarding them as a common part in the whole sentences. With the development of the research and the study of the reduplication translation in Chinese classical poetry, problems concerning about how to translate reduplication words properly have been touched and advances, like studying reduplication words from the perspectives of part of speech, combination forms of reduplication words, semantic equivalence, etc., have been made in the process. But the rhetorical function of reduplication, the very typical characteristic of reduplication which conveys both artistic and emotional value, is hardly considered in the reduplication translation and research. Thus, in view of this, the author of this thesis tries to provide a research on reduplication translation by taking its rhetorical function into consideration in Chinese classical poetry. 中文古诗词叠词的研究与翻译(2):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_8813.html