《英语中的修辞手法》

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honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they here gave the last full

measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

(Abraham Lincoln: The Gettysburg Address)

倒是我们应该在这里把自己奉献给仍留在我们面前的伟大任务,以便使人们从这些光荣的死者身上汲取更多的献身精神,来完成他们已经完成、彻底为之献身的事业;以便使我们下定最大的决心,不让这些死者白白牺牲;以便使国家在胜地福佑下得到自由的新生,并且使这个民有、民治、民享的国家永世长存。

*该例出自林肯在葛底斯堡烈士公墓落成典礼上的演讲。整篇演讲仅10句话,只延续了3分钟,但措辞简练、感情深沉、意义深刻,已成为演讲的经典名篇。在最后一句里,作者运用了一个含有四个目的状语从句的平行结构,深刻而有力地阐明了学习英烈应见于行动,努力完成他们未尽之伟业。为千古名言,本身也是一个三项式的平行结构。 (4)句子平行

We are caught in war, wanting peace. We are torn by division, wanting unity. 我们卷入战争,渴望着和平。我们被分隔搞得四分五裂,期望着统一。

*该句工整、对称,酷似汉语的对偶句。国内有些学者将译为排偶,因为他们认为该英语辞格相当于汉语的排比与对偶。

A woman?s whole life is a history of the affections. The heart is her world: it is there her ambition strives for empire; it is there her avarice seeks for hidden treasures.

一个女性的全部生活便是一部感情的史话。方寸柔肠便是她们的天地:方寸之内她的志向乃是追求至尊;方寸之内她的贪婪乃是探寻隐藏的珍宝。

We shall fight him by land, we shall fight him by sea, we shall fight him in the air. (W. S. Chruchill)

我们要在陆地上打击他,我们要在海上抗击他,我们要在空中袭击他。 *parallelism常repetition与合二为一,交织运用,以增强修辞效果。以该句为例,We shall fight him属于反复,而by land, by sea和in the air.又互为平行结构。

The world listens. The world watches. The world waits to see what we will do. 世界在倾听。世界在注视。世界等待着我们做些什么。 七、Repetition(反复)

Repetition(反复)是一种常用的修辞手法.其基本用法是连续或间隔地反复使用同一单词 短语或句子,以增强语气和语势,强调表述的观点,书法强烈的情感,阐明深刻的道理.该修辞运用广泛,常出现于诗歌、散文、小说、演讲及政论文中,在日常口语里也屡见不鲜.其运用格式可分两大类,即连续反复(immediate repetition)和间隔反复(intermittent repetition). (1)连续反复

指同一语言成分紧紧相接,连续出现.

Would you please please please please please please please please stop talking. 务必请你,千万请你别说了吧!

*说话人为了阻止对方继续说下去,竟连续使用了7个,可见要求之迫切,呼吁之强烈.

There are three things which the public will always clamour for sooner or later, namely, novelty, novelty, novelty.

有三种东西早晚会为一般大众始终抢着要的就是:新奇、新奇、新奇. Happy, happy pair.

None but the brave,

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None but the brave, None but the brave deserves the fair.

幸福,幸福的一对. 惟有英雄, 惟有英雄,

惟有英雄堪与美人匹配. Arise, arise, arise!

There is blood on the earth that denies ye bread; Be ye wounds like eyes,

To weep for the dead, the dead, the dead.

(Percy B. Shelley: An Ode) 起来,起来啊!起来!

不为那么生产粮食的土地出现了鲜血; 让你们的伤口都化为眼睛,

哭泣那些死去的,死去的,死去的.

*此诗作于1819年10月,西班牙人恢复自由的前夕. O sweet content! O sweet, o sweet content! Work apace, apace, apace, apace; Honest labour bears a lovely face… 哦,知足常乐,知足常常乐!

加快工作呀,加快,加快,加快,加快, 认真干活,就面容可爱…… (2)间隔反复

指同一语言成分反复使用,但不连接,而是间隔出现。这类反复格式多样,主要有以下几种: A.首语重复(Anaphora)

Old wood best to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read. (Francis Bacon)

旧柴最好烧,陈酒最好喝,老友最可靠,老作家的书最好读。

Revolution is bloody, revolution is hostile, revolution knows no compromise, revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way.

革命是要流血的,革命是敌对的,革命没有折中,革命要推翻和摧毁阻挡着它道路的一切。 Farewell to the mountains high covered with snow! Farewell to the straths and green valleys below! Farewell to the forests and wild-hanging woods! Farewell to the torrents and loud-pouring floods!

(Robert Burns: My Heart?s in the Highlands) 再见了,积雪皑皑的高山! 再见了,脚下的西壑绿谷!

再见了,森林和原始垂悬的树木! 再见了,急流和奔腾轰鸣的洪水!

*首句反复的运用,充分抒发了诗人对故乡的眷恋之情,表达有力,不容质疑。

Yesterday the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya. Last night Japanese forces attacked Hongkong. Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.

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Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.

(F. D. Roosevelt)

昨天,日本政府还发动了对马来亚的进攻。 昨夜,日本军队进攻了香港。 昨夜,日本军队进攻了关岛。

昨夜,日本军队进攻了菲律宾群岛。

*罗斯福运用首句反复法,强调说明了敌情严重,形势危急,令人震惊,催人警醒。 B.尾语反复(Epistrophe)

And will you, will you, I will marry you. (William Shakespeare) 不管你愿意不愿意,我是娶定了你。

O youth! The strength of it! The faith of it, the imagination of it! 啊,青春!青春的力量!青春的信仰,青春的想象! B. 首尾反复+首尾反复

Broke oath on oath, committed wrong on wrong. (William Shakespeare) 违背了一个又一个誓言,犯下了一个又一个错误。 With ruin upon ruin, rout on rout, Confusion worse confounded.

毁灭接着毁灭,溃败接着溃败,混乱变得更混乱。 *以上两例都为短语的首尾重复。

Nothing can come of nothing. (William Shakespeare) 没有只能换到没有。

Blood must atone for blood. 血债用血来还。

*以上两例为句子的首尾重复,该格式常见于英语谚语,如:Diamond cut Diamond(棋逢对手)等。

D.逆转反复(Antistrophe) 这种反复又叫“交叉”(Chiasmus),指的是两个语言单位通过互换位置构成反复,其中又可分为两种类型。

第一种只互换位置,不改变语义,强调的是同一概念。 For the sky and the sea, and the sea and the sky

Lay a load on my weary eye. (S. T. Coleridge) 因为那天和海,海和天像重担般压住我的倦眼。

It was the same everywhere, crime and betrayal, betrayal and crime. (Jack London) 到处都一样,犯罪与背叛,背叛与犯罪。

第二种逆转反复不仅互换位置,而且语义也发生改变,相拌随的往往还有词类的转换。 When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. 情况吃紧时,硬汉就吃香。

The soldier faces the powder while the beauty powders the face. 战士阵前半死生,美人帐下犹歌舞。

*该句直译为“战士面临枪林弹雨,美人却在涂脂抹粉” 八、Oxymoron(矛盾修饰)

Oxymoron: (矛盾修饰) It is a compressed paradox, formed by the conjoining(结合) of two contrasting, contradictory or incongruous(不协调) terms as in bitter-sweet memories, orderly chaos(混乱) and proud humility(侮辱).

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A kind of a paradox or antithesis that links together two sharply contrasting terms, as “cheerful

pessimist”, “ the wisest fool in Christendon””living deaths” “freezing fires”, “glorious defeat”

英语Oxymoron(矛盾修饰)是一种比较特殊的修辞格,其用法是将意义相反或看似矛盾的词语巧妙地搭配在一起,使之构成修饰关系,借以揭示和强调事物内部或之间的矛盾性和复杂性。Oxymoron(矛盾修饰)的运用往往产生一种乍看不合逻辑、令人惊讶,细想却自有道理、耐人寻味的效果。

从构成方式看,Oxymoron(矛盾修饰)可归纳为以下九类: (1)形容词+名词

proud humility 不亢不卑 painful pleasure 悲喜交加

a thunderous silence (此时)无声胜有声 a cheerful pessimist 纵情享乐的厌世者 (2)形容词+形容词

bitter-sweet memories 苦甜参半的回忆 poor rich guys 精神贫穷的富人 bad good news 既坏又好的消息

a miserable, merry Christmas 又悲又喜的圣诞节 (3)副词+形容词

falsely true 虚伪的诚实

conspicuously absent 引人注目的缺席 a wisely stupid idea 自作聪明的糊涂主意 a mercifully fatal blow 仁慈为怀的致命打击 (4)名词+名词

a love-hate relationship 既爱又恨的关系 a life-and-death struggle 生死攸关的搏斗 (5)副词+现在分词

changeless changing 既始终如一,又变化多端 deliciously aching 既令人愉悦,又使人痛苦 (6)现在分词+名词

speaking silence 千言万语的静默

loving hate 亲亲热热的怨恨 (7)动词+副词

shine darkly 暗淡地发光 die merrily 快乐地死去 hasten showly 慢慢地快起来 (8)过去分词+名词

a vanquished victor 被征服的胜利者 long-lived death 永生的死亡

a disillusioned hopeful 仍抱希望的失望者 (9)of结构

the feather of lead 铅铸的羽毛

mis-shapen chaos of well-seeming forms 整齐的混乱

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