Abstract

Ellipsis, also omission, is a grammatical and rhetorical phenomenon in language. The use of it can make the linguistic expressions simple, concise and clear. The same is true in the register of translation, and a case in point is the Chinese translations of English discourses or texts. Hence this paper firstly defines the notion of ellipsis, and then explains some reasons why it is usually used in the field of E-C translation (English-Chinese translation) from the perspectives of syntactic differences, the differences of information structure, and the differences in thinking pattern between Chinese and English. Thirdly, some principles and effects in the use of ellipsis are discussed, and for example, the words that are unnecessary and useless in the translated version should be omitted, for they can achieve the effects that the translated versions are made coherent and corresponding to the expressing patterns of the target language. What follows then is the use of ellipsis in the Chinese translation of The Kite Runner. For instance, there are the ellipsis of English articles, prepositions, pronouns, conjunctions or rhetorical devices. It finally concludes that the role of ellipsis in translation can never be exaggerated, for it can re-shape the sentences and make them as brief and concise as possible. In other words, ellipsis is just like a razor that can cut off redundant constituents of sentences.

Key words: ellipsis; E-C translation; translation strategies; The Kite Runner

Contents

Abstract

摘要

1 Introduction.1

2 Ellipsis Defined2

3 Some Justifications for the Use of Ellipsis3

3.1 Syntactic Differences.3

3.2 The Differences of Information Structure4

3.3 The Differences in Thinking Patterns5

4 Some Principles and Effects in the Use of Ellipsis5

  4.1 The Principles.5

  4.2 The Effects7

5 The Use of Ellipsis in the Chinese Translation of The Kite Runner7

  5.1 The Ellipsis of English Articles7

  5.2 The Ellipsis of English Prepositions8

  5.3 The Ellipsis of English Pronouns.8

  5.4 The Ellipsis of English Conjunctions.10

  5.5 The Rhetorical Ellipsis..11

6 Conclusion11

References.13