In the diachronic analysis of translated texts of economy, establishing a connection between their lexicon and their historical and social background allows to formulate hypotheses about the communicative motivations which determined different lexical choices in different periods. In this contribution, I report the results about the different patterns of coinage of neologisms in two of the first Chinese translations of English essays on political economy: Wang Fengzao’s Fuguoce (Strategies to Enrich the Country) (1881), translation of Henry Fawcett’s Manual of Political Economy; and Yan Fu’s Yuanfu (The Original Wealth) (1902), translation of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. I also illustrate historical and biographical elements about the two translators, with the aim of speculating on their communicative scopes. Finally, I analyze the link between their lexicological choices and the condition in which they worked and lived and hypothesize upon the general motivations of the two authors. The general purpose of this contribution is to propose a broader study of translations and of texts regarding subjects coming from abroad. I maintain that this kind of research can shed a light on the variables influencing the introduction of a foreign learning and on the differences between the conceptual categories in the source culture and their counterparts in the target culture.
A lexicological study of Chinese Political Economy 1881-1902
PELLIN, TOMMASO
2006-01-01
Abstract
In the diachronic analysis of translated texts of economy, establishing a connection between their lexicon and their historical and social background allows to formulate hypotheses about the communicative motivations which determined different lexical choices in different periods. In this contribution, I report the results about the different patterns of coinage of neologisms in two of the first Chinese translations of English essays on political economy: Wang Fengzao’s Fuguoce (Strategies to Enrich the Country) (1881), translation of Henry Fawcett’s Manual of Political Economy; and Yan Fu’s Yuanfu (The Original Wealth) (1902), translation of Adam Smith’s Wealth of Nations. I also illustrate historical and biographical elements about the two translators, with the aim of speculating on their communicative scopes. Finally, I analyze the link between their lexicological choices and the condition in which they worked and lived and hypothesize upon the general motivations of the two authors. The general purpose of this contribution is to propose a broader study of translations and of texts regarding subjects coming from abroad. I maintain that this kind of research can shed a light on the variables influencing the introduction of a foreign learning and on the differences between the conceptual categories in the source culture and their counterparts in the target culture.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.