| Author: | Li, Nannan |
| Title: | Construction of identities in self-translation : a linguistic analysis of Lin Yutang’s ‘The Little Critic’ from the perspective of the appraisal system and critical discourse analysis |
| Advisors: | Li, Dechao (CBS) |
| Degree: | DALS |
| Year: | 2024 |
| Subject: | Self-translation Translating and interpreting Lin, Yutang, 1895-1976 Identity (Psychology) Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations |
| Department: | Faculty of Humanities |
| Pages: | 1 volume (various pagings) : color illustrations |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | The study of self-translation, a field that intersects linguistics, literature, and translation studies, has garnered significant critical attention for over four decades. Its interdisciplinary nature has made it a frequent topic of discussion and exploration among literary scholars and translation researchers (Fitch, 1988; Grayson, 1977; Scheiner, 2000). Notably, research on self-translations within the Chinese context has been narrow in focus, often centering on the nature of this interlingual activity—whether it constitutes translation or rewriting—and on the strategies and subjectivity of author-translators in novels. However, there has been a conspicuous absence of studies examining the social role of author-translators in self-translation. To address this gap, this study delves into the construction of the author-translator's identity, taking the internationally renowned Chinese author-translator Lin Yutang as a case study (Qian, 2012, p. 2). The data for this analysis are drawn from his self-translated essays, compiled in 'The Little Critic—The Bilingual Essays of Lin Yutang'. Given that essays inherently embed viewpoints and attitudes, they often contain value-laden insights where attitudes can be discerned through the lens of the Appraisal System (Munday, 2012). Moreover, considering the close link between attitude and identity, Lin Yutang's identity construction is manifested through evaluative attributes, following Feng's (2016) approach. Additionally, the Appraisal System's other two subsystems, Engagement and Graduation, are also harnessed to reveal the author-translator's identities. This holistic approach allows for a comprehensive examination of his identity. Using the Appraisal System as a framework, a linguistic analysis of 46 English-to-Chinese self-translated essays identifies four primary appraisal targets: Self (China), Others (foreign countries), gender relations, and leisure activities. Moran's framework for cultural manifestation (Moran, 2001) is adopted to categorize these targets further which elucidates the focal points of Lin Yutang's evaluations and the shifts in these focal points across two distinct contexts. In terms of identity construction, it is proposed that the negative evaluation of Self and positive evaluation of Others form his modernist identity, while the positive evaluation of Self and negative evaluation of Others reflect his cosmopolitan identity. The positive and negative evaluations of gender relations highlight his liberal identity, and the same evaluations of leisure activities underscore his leisure identity. The findings indicate that these four identities—the modernist self, cosmopolitan self, leisure self, and liberal self—are consistently present in both the source text (ST) and target text (TT). However, significant differences emerge in how the modernist and cosmopolitan identities are developed in the TT, as the appraisal resources used to depict Self and Others are markedly reduced. In contrast, the portrayal of the liberal and leisure identities remains largely consistent between ST and TT. Adhering to Toury's definition of translation, this study places a significant emphasis on the receptor culture, which plays a decisive role in translation. Consequently, Lin Yutang's identity construction in the TT is of particular interest in this analysis. On one hand, his identity construction is closely tied to his agency, that is, the freedom to make linguistic choices that align with his intentions. To explore this aspect of his agency, two concepts from Bourdieu—capital and habitus—are applied to analyze his decision-making process. On the other hand, the modifications of identities in the TT are further explained through Bourdieu's sociological concept of field, which represents the external constraints on self-translation within the Chinese context. Bourdieu's sociological concepts provide valuable insights into our understanding of translation practices. Through this lens, it is argued that self-translation is more a result of the interplay among various forces or relations, each vying for strategic advantages within a given field. In essence, the process of self-translation embodies a compromise between the author-translator's agency and the constraints encountered in the TT. The study demonstrates that Lin Yutang, through his self-translations, constructs his identity across a spectrum of facets, prioritizing his modernist self while also encapsulating cosmopolitan, leisure, and liberal aspects. This identity construction is influenced by the social, political, and cultural forces at play, reflecting the dynamic interplay between the author-translator's agency and the constraints imposed by external contexts. More importantly, Lin Yutang's strategic use of language in self-translation underscores his active role in shaping the narrative and identity that transcend linguistic boundaries. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8022.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 2.3 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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