Influence of Different Thinking Models on Chinese and English Sentence Structure 不同思维模式对汉英句子结构的影响.doc

Influence of Different Thinking Models on Chinese and English Sentence Structure 不同思维模式对汉英句子结构的影响AbstractBecause of different ethnic backgrounds and humanistic geography, history, culture and philosophy, different nations form the different habits of thinking. These thinking habits also called ways of thinking or thinking models, which are reflected in language as the different features for their performance. Without understanding the thinking differences, English learners may use the habits of Chinese thinking models to organize English expressions; therefore Chinese-English (Chinglish) will be inevitable.Cross-language communication is not a conversion between two different languages, but also the transition between the thinking modes. This article starts from the definition of thinking model, tries to analyze the main differences between Chinese and English thinking models and their formation and performance. The mainly differences will be analyzed from three aspects: the synthetic thinking and the analysis thinking, the subject thinking and the object thinking, the cyclical thinking and the linear thinking. The second part mainly analyzes how the different thinking models influence the sentence structures, which cause the different characteristics between Chinese and English sentence structures. The last part enumerates the common English expression errors caused by Chinese thinking models among English learners in China. The aim of which is to cause their attention to be aware of the differences between different thinking models, to jump out of the Chinese thinking framework, to improve the ability to use western thinking and to get rid of troubles of Chinglish. Key words：Thinking model; sentence structure; difference; analysis 摘要不同的民族由于不同的历史背景，人文地理，文化和哲学观念，形成了不同的思维习惯，这种思维习惯或者说思维方式反映在语言上，表现为各自的语言特征。如果不了解这种差异，不能学会用英语的思维习惯来组织语言，汉式表达不可避免。汉英表达不仅是两种语言之间的转换，更是两种思维方式之间的转换。本文从思维模式的定义，形成及表现入手，主要从综合思维与分析思维；主体思维与客体思维；螺旋思维与直线思维这三个方面简要分析中西方思维模式的主要差异。第二个部分重点对比分析这几种思维模式差异如何影响汉英句子结构，及带来的汉英句子结构不同的特点。最后列举中国英语学习者常见的英语表达错误，由此引发广大英语学习者的注意，跳出汉语思维模式的框架，提高运用英语思维的能力，摆脱汉式英语的困扰，用地道的英语进行表达。关键词：思维模式；句子结构；差异；分析ContentsIntroduction1 The Differences between Chinese and Western thinking models21.1 The features of Chinese thinking models21.2 The features of Western thinking models3 The Influences of thinking models on Chinese and English sentence structure32.1 Synthetic Thinking and Analysis Thinking42.1.1 Word Order-Prominence and Morphological Prominence42.1.2 Parataxis-Prominence and Hypotaxis-Prominence52.2 Subject Thinking and Object Thinking82.2.1 Animate Subject and Inanimate Subject82.2.2 Active Sentence and Passive Tense92.3 Cyclical Thinking and Linear Thinking92.3.1 End-focus and Head -focus92.3.2 Topic-Comment Pattern and Subject-Predicate Mechanism102.3.3 Bamboo-like Sentence Construction and Tree-like Sentence Construction11 Usual errors of English expression caused by Chinese thinking models12Conclusion13Bibliography:14Acknowledgments15Introduction“Language is the outward of form of thought (Jiang Lei, 2000)”, so language is the carrier of the thinking. Language, which also contains the grammatical structures, is the reflection of logical rules of human thinking, which based on the rich content and logical meaning for the basic component of the sentence. (Mao Ronggui, 2001:266). As different nations have different survival environment and the social environment, a nation's way of thinking will have different characteristics. As Lian shuneng(2006:7) said, though traditional Chinese thinking model contains some kind of rational factors, it emphasizes more on Wuxing (power of understanding/ comprehension/ intuition), while Western thinking model is rationality intrinsically. Therefore the characteristics of language structure and characteristics of ways of thinking are consistent. Chinese Wuxing thinking and western rational thinking appears in all aspects of language. Grammar and logic determine the semantic. If we want to understand the semantic and sentence meaning, we should analyze the form of words, sentences structure and the logical relationship between sentences. (Lian Shuneng,2006：7). As Wang Li said, “as for sentence structure, western grammar is the rule of law, while Chinese language is the domination of man.”(Wang Li , 1984).It has been axiomatic to state that there is a close relationship between language and thought, which is widely known as the Sapir-wholf Hypothesis. What this hypothesis suggests like this: language is not only the way of expressing or representing the thinking, but also the mould of thinking. People who speak different language are also different in acquiring the thinking contents. (Hu Zhuanglin, 2001). That is to say language determines the thinking models. But opponents hold that thought is independent of language, as people can exchange their thought through ways other than language. No matter what is true, we couldnt deny there is a correlation between language and thinking. Thinking is one kind of functions of human brain, which is a reflection process of the objective reality and the ability to realize the objective world, so language is the organizer of human thinking and acquiring. Thinking models are the hobbits of thinking, so the foundation or the source of language is thinking models, which are the deeper mechanism of a languages birth and development. .The Differences between Chinese and Western Thinking ModelsThe thinking of human beings has some similarities; meanwhile it has their own characteristics for different nations, which are ethnic. Duo to the differences from history, biology, custom, religion etc. of different nations, and the expression are different for a same given object or content, because of different thinking models. As Lian shuneng(2006:7) said, though traditional Chinese thinking model contains some kind of rational factors, it emphasize more on Wuxing (power of understanding/ comprehension/ intuition), while Western thinking model is rationality intrinsically. So the differences of thinking models reflect the cognition tendency of the peoples for thousands of years.1.1 The features of Chinese thinking modelsChinese culture influences Chinese peoples thinking models. When they think of something, they think in a synthetic and cyclical way, which involves trying to grasp things in their totality (Gudykanst, 1998).They think about all sides that might be related, before they decide what to say. This kind of thinking can be traced in the theory of “Five Element” centre of the Chinese philosophy since Han times (206BC) is a typical example (Gudykanst, 1998). The system has been used ever since in many aspects of cultural systems. These five elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Their essential distinctive feature is that each element maybe arranged in a number of sequences, but the two actually uncounted are either the productive sequence or the destructive sequence. In the productive sequence, each element generates the next; while in the destructive sequence, each element destroys the next-but-one of the productive sequence.The existence of the “Five Elements” theory shows that the Chinese people do not consider things as individualistic，they think them as an integral unit. They do not think in a one-to-one way but in a synthetic and cyclical way. In understanding nature, Chinese people rely on intuitions or thinking through the sense. Their perception is not guarded by the reasoning and intelligence. Traditional Chinese philosophy relies on “harmony with diversity” or Great Chinese Union”, believes “Universal has no shape”, all sides of the world come from the mind through the sense. So the Chinese thinking models also have the subject characteristic.1.2 The features of western thinking modelsTo see the contrast is the main feature in the way the English explore the world. Their analytical ways of reasoning and judging signify linear ways of thinking. (Michael, 1993)“Ontology” is the main source of western philosophy, of which main characteristic is “Logos which is an ancient Greek word that means “logic”. (Kaplan, 1998:16)On the influence of this philosophy, the value of esthetics tends to the separation from human and the universal”, assisting with logic dialectic thinking. So it emphasizes more on analysis, judgment and reasoning. The Rationality sweeping through western European in the 16th century is the best evidence. From 16th century to the 18th century, there are a number of scientists who advocated that start from the concrete or part and then proceed to the whole; this is an analytic and object ways of thinking.The ancient Greece peninsula gave birth to the western civilization the special geographical environment leads to the appearance of sea farming, handcraft, commerce, thus builds different social contact from Chinese agricultural society. It celebrates personal wills, value, interests, equality. English people are very conscious of self-dignity and individual freedom, so their behavior and ways of thinking are more direct and straightforward. (Gudykunst, 1998), so the western thinking models also present the linear thinking.So, Western philosophy not only emphasizes individuality, but also emphasizes form. On one hand, they highlight the scientific experience the formation argumentation; on the other hand, they stress the separation from the subject and the object. So, the Western thinking models are rational, object, and linear thinking.The Influences of Thinking Models on Chinese and English Sentence StructureAs it has been mentioned before, thinking models have indispensable relationship with language. The differences of thinking models have caused the different characteristics in the sentence patterns. The main features of Chinese thinking models are synthetic, subject and cyclical thinking, while the main characteristics of Western thinking patterns are rational, object and linear thinking. Thus how do the thinking models have effect on the syntax structure? In other words, how do the syntax structure differences reflect the thinking models of human beings which determine the structural formation of sentence? 2.1 Synthetic thinking and analysis thinking “ Wuxing thinking has the characteristic of synthetic.(Lian Shuneng, 2006:7)”Because Han nationality believe “harmony with diversity”, they believe the nature and human beings, the subject and the object are a whole, which pays attention to integral harmony, emphasizes comprehensive summary, and always explains things from the whole to the local, from the general to the special, from the large to the small. Therefore models of thinking and language all tend to seek holistic and general, with characteristics of the "whole", “synthesized” and “summarized”. Rational thinking has the characteristic of analysis. Western nationality believes “separate from diversity” thus form subjective cognitive thinking pattern under the influence of philosophy of dichotomy. Therefore it pays more attention to the individual components of independent analysis, attention to the accurate and detailed, emphasizes from one to more, from small to large, from the concrete to the general.2.1.1 Word order-prominence and morphological prominenceSynthetic thinking model enables Chinese with these characteristics: the formations of words, phrases and sentences have no formally sign；Their combination lies in the semantics, emphasizes less on the form but more on meaning. While the analysis thinking enables English with morphological coherence, the combination between sentences is explicit. For examples:她出生于1995年圣诞节晚上八点。She was born at 8oclock on Christmas morning in 1995.远看山有的，近听水无声春去花还在，人来鸟不惊When you look afar, the mountains are green and clear,But no sound of stream is heard when listening near,The flowers remain in full bloom when springs away,A human beings approach the bird doesnt fray.The expression of Chinese poems is smooth and fruity, conditions of logical relationship don't need to use conjunctions, readers can understand its meaning, while English should add the conjunctions of “when” and “but”.Connectives are often omitted in Chinese sentencesIn this case, the grammatical and logical relationship among the minor sentences in a compound sentence is not reflected by any connective word，but implied by the word orderAlthough the minor sentences may be linked just by commas，looking like in a coordinate relationship，actually if they are in a normal word order，usually the former one may indicate such meaning as “because”，“if'， although”，“ even if” and so on，so that no connective word is necessaryWord order is so important a device in Chinese to reflect the meaning of a sentence that according to Xin Huihua，“all Chinese grammar is syntax，all Chinese syntax is word order and therefore all Chinese grammar is word order(Xin Huihua，2004：40)”Look at the following examples：她不老实，我不能信任她。Because she is not honest，I cant trust her跑得了和尚，跑不了庙。The monk may run away，but the temple cant roll with him你不惹我，我不惹你。I'm not offending you unless I'm offended早早献关，饶你性命!倘若迟误，粉身碎骨!If you give up the pass，I may spare your life；if you delay，1 will grind your bones topowder and make mincemeat of itBy contrast, the analysis thinking way enables sentences accord with many fixed rules, emphasizes more on morph-syntactic changes, so we should pay the relationship of the conjunction between sentences.2.1.2 Parataxis-prominence and hypotaxis-prominenceIn China，Wang Li first puts forward the notions of hypotaxis and parataxis in his Principles of Chinese Grammar(1984：310)，stating that “ Parataxis is dominant in the Chinese language where connective elements are not obligatory，whereas hypotaxis in English because in most cases connective elements are indispensable”Liu Miqing (1992：18-19)considers thatHypotaxis and parataxis are two different ways in which linguistic units are organizedHypotaxis is the way the connection of words or sentences is realized by linguistic formal means(1exical and morphological)In a paratactic way，the connection of words or sentences is not realized by formal means but by the logical and semantic relations between words or sentencesHypotaxis is concerned more with formal cohesion，while parataxis coherence in meaning.”Synthetic thinking characterizes with integrality, imagination and their predominance on tuition, so it causes the characteristic of Parataxis-Prominence in Chinese sentences. Synthetic thinking model enables flexible construction of Chinese sentences. Parataxis，in The Worm Book Dictionary，refers to the arranging of clauses one after another without connectives showing the relation between them，for example：The rain fell；the river flooded；The house washed away”. Parataxis is a distincti