Did she imagine for a second that he did not regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?
官方翻译:她难道没想过,他被迫离队不比她难过一百倍吗?
依据翻译,我感觉这个句子的否定词否定的不是动词 regret,并非“他不后悔”,而是用 not 否定的是 Did she imagine,即是 Did not she imagine for a second that he did regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?
不知我的剖析对不对?与为何会出现这种现象?
还请各位老师解答,谢谢。
Did she imagine for a second that he did not regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?
官方翻译:她难道没想过,他被迫离队不比她难过一百倍吗?
依据翻译,我感觉这个句子的否定词否定的不是动词 regret,并非“他不后悔”,而是用 not 否定的是 Did she imagine,即是 Did not she imagine for a second that he did regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did?
不知我的剖析对不对?与为何会出现这种现象?
【答】我不太赞同你的理解。以下是我的剖析,对你的学习非常有用,期望你认真领会:
1. did not 只能在宾语从句中否定,它管不着主句Did she imagine。除此之外,imagine for a second 是个习语,意为想到某事时“脑海一闪而过”,比喻想到的时间短。
2. 原翻译中的“她难道没想过”,可能误导了你。原翻译对Did she imagine for a second... 采取了“反问句”的翻译,这其实是“翻译变通”,把从句中隐含着的“难道没”放在了主句上翻译。大家了解,“反问句”表达一定的意思:“难道没想过”的意思,就是“想过了,应该想过了”。
其实,这原本是一个一般疑问句式,依据结构,正确的翻译应该是:
(1)她想过......了吗?
(2)她有没想过......?
(3)她是不是想过......?
我再举例作一比照:Did you know he was cheating on his wife?
(1)你了解他在欺骗他的老婆吗?
(2)你有没了解他在欺骗他的老婆?
(3)你是不是了解他在欺骗他的老婆?
假如翻译成“你难道不了解他在欺骗他的老婆吗?”,意思就是:“你了解/你应该了解他在欺骗他的老婆。”——这就适得其反了。
3. he did not regret his expulsion from the team a hundred times more than she did 这个句子,确实存在“否定转移”现象。not 虽在regret之前,但没否定regret,而是不是定了a hundred times more than she did 这一部分。
我举一个通俗而简单易懂的例子作比对:
(1)He saw Tom a hundred times more than she did.
(2)He didnt see Tom a hundred times more than she did.
(1)他看见汤姆的次数是她看见的100倍。(比如:她看见汤姆一次,而他看见汤姆有100次。)
(2)他看见汤姆的次数不是她看见的100倍。(不到100倍)
我觉得,原句的翻译不太好懂。为了你好懂,我把原句直译如下:
(1)她有没想过,他被迫离队难过的程度(难道)不胜过她的一百倍吗?
(2)她是不是想过,他被迫离队难过的程度(难道)没她的一百倍吗?
这句话的真的含义是:男子本人被迫离队的痛苦程度远远超越这位女子对此的痛苦程度。
关于“否定转移”的若干问题:
下面是两个很有趣的英语句子,它们一个单词也不多,一个单词也不少,但却表达了几乎相反的两种意思。这两句英语是:
Happily his uncle didnt die. 幸运的是,他叔叔没死。
His uncle didnt die happily.他叔叔死得非常惨。
一个是“幸运没死”,一个是“死得非常惨”。差别为什么这样之大?问题在哪儿呢?通过剖析,大家发现:
第一句:Happily修饰全句,等于It was fortunate that his uncle didnt die. 译为:幸运的是,他叔叔没死。
第二句:His uncle didnt die happily. not不是修饰die,而是修饰happily。所以,句子的实质含义是:His uncle died not happily. 译为:他叔叔死得非常惨。
以上语言现象叫做否定转移(Negative transformation)。否定转移是指否定形式在谓语动词,而否定的信息焦点却在其他成分(如:主语,状语,表语等),或否定形式在主句,而否定的信息焦点却在从句。这是英语跟汉语不一样的一种习惯和思维方法。
1. 表面否定主句,实则否定宾语从句:
I’m sorry, but I don’t think I know you. 对不起,我想我不认识你。
(not否定宾语从句中的know,类似使用方法的动词还有believe, suppose, guess, imagine, expect, feel等)
I don’t believe that he is right. 我觉得他不对。
I don’t suppose that Mary likes him. 我想玛丽不喜欢他。
I don’t expect they have finished the work. 我料想他们还没完成工作。
I don’t suppose he will return to his hometown after a few years of study abroad. 我看他在海外学习几年后不会回家乡了。
I don’t feel you should go.我感觉你不应该去。
I didn’t imagine that Tom would help her.我猜想汤姆不会帮助她。
2. 表面否定主句,实则否定状语从句、表语从句或定语从句:
She didn’t take an umbrella because it was raining. 她不是由于下雨才带雨伞的。(由于下雨,所以她没带雨伞。——讲不通)
(not否定缘由从句,等于She took an umbrella not because it was raining.)
You shouldn’t get angry just because some people speak ill of you. 你不要由于有人说你坏话而生气。
He was not ready to believe something just because Aristotle said so.他并不仅仅是由于亚里士多德说过某事怎么样,就随便相信它。
You don’t look as if you know each other. 你们看起来仿佛不认识。
She didn’t seem as if she were drunk. 她看起来不像喝醉了。
He didn’t feel like he was hurt. 他感觉自己不像是受了伤。
It doesn’t sound as if it is blowing. 听起来不像是刮风。
It doesn’t look like it is going to rain. 看着不会下雨。
It’s not a place where anyone would expect to see strange characters on the street. 这是一个地方,大家不会想到在街上会碰上陌生的人。
3. 表面否定谓语动词,实则否定不定式:
Mary does not seem to like you. 玛丽看着不喜欢你。
(not 否定不定式like,等于Mary seems not to like you.)
He didn’t appear to be quite well. 他看着仿佛不太舒服。
It was fortunate that Tom didn’t happen to attend the party last night. 非常幸运,汤姆那天晚上碰巧没来参加聚会。
4. 表面否定谓语动词,实则否定状语:
They didn’t come by train. 他们不是坐火车来的。
(not否定介词短语by train,等于They came not by train.)
You can’t fool people all the time. 你不可能一直都在欺骗人。
We can’t judge a person by his appearance. 大家不可以以貌取人。
They never talk about that matter in public. 他们从不在大众场所谈论那件事情。
Don’t read in the sun. 不要在阳光下看书。
Don’t talk with your mouth full of food. 不要口里含着食物说话。
The ant is not gathering food for itself alone. 蚂蚁不仅仅是为自己采食。
She had not been married for many weeks when he saw her. 他看见她时,她结婚还没有几个月。(不是“没结婚”)
5. 表面否定谓语动词,实则否定表语:
I am not feeling very well today. 我今天感觉不太好。
(not否定very well,等于I am feeling not very well today.)
The food doesn’t taste delicious. 这个食品吃起来味道不好。
You don’t sound reasonable this time. 这回你的话听起来不在理。
6. 表面否定谓语动词,实则否定宾补:
I don’t find the story interesting.我发现故事没趣。
(not否定宾语补足语interesting,等于I find the story not interesting.)
He didn’t think the math problem difficult. 他觉得这道数学题不难。
We don’t consider it an easy question. 大家觉得那不是一个容易的问题。
7. 固定句式:not否定比较级
---What did you think of the film last night? ---It couldn’t be better.
“你觉得昨晚的电影如何?”--- “好极了。”
(couldn’t是“不可能”,better是“更好”。“不可能更好”意味着“再好不过了”。当can’t 或couldn’t 跟比较级连用时,not并没否定谓语动词,而是不是定了“比较级”,因而愈加重了一定的意思。)
I can’t agree more. 我再赞同不过了。
8. 固定句式:not否定enough
I can’t thank you enough. 我对你真是感激不尽。
(not否定enough,意味着“感激不够”。)
We couldn’t enjoy your meal enough. 你做的饭大家喜欢不够。
9. 固定句式:not否定too
We can’t praise the novel too highly. 这部小说大家如何赞扬都不过分。
(not否定too highly,意味着“赞扬的程度不过分”。)
You can’t be too careful in doing the experiments. 做实验你越仔细越好。