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摘 要:本文主要是针对编辑出版中英语标点符号如何使用进行探析,笔者在列明汉英两种语言中标点符号差异的基础上针对性地就编辑工作中容易出现的英语标点符号差错进行了例证说明并对标点符号的使用进行了正误比较。
关键词:编辑;英语;标点符号
标点符号是书面表达的有机组成部分,在编辑工作中,我们不仅要重视语言层面及内容的表达,还要重视标点符号的使用。业内出版的编辑手册指南类图书很少提到英文标点符号如何使用,而许多英语新编辑甚至老编辑常在这个问题上犯迷糊。在此,笔者就编辑出版中英语标点符号的使用总结一二,与同行探讨,且当求抛砖引玉。
一、中英文标点符号的差异
中英文标点符号有很多相同的地方,如句号、感叹号、问号、逗号、引号、省略号、分号等的大原则是相同的,但它们却也存在着不小的差异。
1.在英汉两种语言中值得注意的某些形式不同的标点符号
(1)英文的省略号是三个点(...),位置在行底;而在汉语中,省略号为六个点(……),位置在行中。
例如,In Pride and Prejudice, Austen creates a group of splendid female images, whose wisdom, talent...inferior to those of men.
(2)英文的破折號是(—),汉语中的破折号是(——)。例如,WASHINGTON — No American president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has won a second term in office when the unemployment rate on Election Day topped 7.2 percent.
(3)英文的句号是实心点(.),而汉语的句号是空心圈(。)。
2.英语中的某些标点符号为汉语所没有
(1)撇号——Apostrophe(’), 例如,Children’s Day。
(2)连字号——Hyphen(—), 例如,the post-war period。
(3)斜线号——Virgule or Slash(/),该符号主要起分割作用或用于音标标音,例如:next /nekst/。
3.英语中针对汉语某些特有的标点符号的处理方式
(1) 在汉语中起分割句子并列成分作用的顿号(、)在英语中用逗号。例如,文具盒里有两支铅笔、一把尺子、两个橡皮擦和一个削笔刀。
Dan Brown is the author of Angels & Demons, Deception Point(,)and Digital Fortress.
注意:用于列举同类时,and前的逗号可省略,但有逗号更规范。
(2)英文中没有我们汉语中的书名号(《》),但是书名、报刊名、文章名、栏目名以及电影、绘画、诗歌、乐曲等的名称和交通工具、航天器等的专有名词用引号、斜体或者下画线表示。例如, 《一级谋杀》“Murder in the First”,《红字》“The Scarlet Letter”
(3)汉语中用在需要强调的词语下方的着重号,通常用实心圆点表示,但在英语中如需强调,则多用斜体或下画线表示,或借助某些强调性词汇、句型等。例如,是这个小男孩去年冬天待在寒冷的哈尔滨。
It was this little boy that stayed in coldHarbinlast winter.(借助强调句型,强调this little boy)
(4) 英语中没有汉语中的间隔号(·),一般直接用文字表示,或需要间隔时用逗号表示。例如,9·11纪念, 9/11 Remembrance(Sept. 11 Remembrance)
二、编辑工作中容易出现的英语标点符号差错
1. 有关引号
(1) 属于引文的破折号、逗号、感叹号、句号、问号都应置于引号内;而不属于引文的冒号、分号、感叹号、问号、破折号等则应置于引号外。例如,“Yeah—we!” he grunted. “We killed a big one! We—we killed a bar, we did!...Come on, boys,” he said gruffly. “Aren’t you happy?”
What made the old woman “go crazy”?
(2)受母语影响,经常直接引用谚语或古语而不加任何附带说明。例如,“有志者,事竟成。”他们就这样克服了困难,实现了自己的梦想。(汉语中可直接引用)
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Thus they overcame all the difficulties and realized their dream.(误)
As the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Thus they overcame all the difficulties and realized their dream. (正)(英语中需加上“As the saying goes, ” 类短语)
(3)对话描写中出现频率较多的引号及其他标点符号(如逗号、句号等)的关系。如, ①“I know, sweetie,” she said,“ I love you, too.”(误)“I know, sweetie,” she said.“ I love you, too.”(正)②“Wait,” he said slowly, “I will tell you what you need to know.”(误)“Wait,” he said slowly. “I will tell you what you need to know.”(正)③“This is amazing!” someone cried out.“Yeah.” someone else said,“but what does it have to do with art?”(误)“This is amazing!” someone cried out.“Yeah,” someone else said, “but what does it have to do with art?”(正) ④“I wish,” the boy went on. “That l could be a brother like that.”(误)“I wish,” the boy went on. “that l could be a brother like that.”(正) 析:在以上①②中,在she said与he said slowly后使用了句号,而在③中,在someone else said后用的是逗号。为什么有的用句号,而有的用逗号呢?为什么会有这种区别?其实稍加分析,便不难看出其中端倪。
在①中,I know, sweetie是一个意义表达非常完整且独立的句子,所以在she said后用句号。在②中,Wait与I will tell you what you need to know也是两个意义表达非常完整且独立的句子,所以在he said slowly后也用句号。但在③中,如去掉someone else said,把前后两段连起来,则为Yeah,but what does it have to do with art?通过上下文,将Yeah后面省略掉的内容补充完整的话,应为Yeah (,it is amazing), but what does it have to do with art? 从此可看出,该句的前后两段引文是一个句子,话还没說完,因此,在someone else said后应用逗号。在④中, I wish与that l could be a brother like that完全就是一句话,只是用the boy went on隔开了,所以I wish后还有宾语,因此在the boy went on后用逗号。
(4)当引文只是短语或单个单词时,其后的逗号(有时也包括句号),尽管从上下文理解来看应置于引号外,但综观原版英文图书及报刊,大多是将逗号或句号排于引号内。例如:
Any body means “any corpse,” or “any human form,” or “any group.”
Lester R. Brown is the president of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of “World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse.”
“The Fish,” “Poetry,” and “The Monkeys” are in her Selected Poems.
注意:①在文章中,引用连续的几个段落时,每段开头用前引号,段落的末尾不用后引号,只在最后一段的结尾处用后引号。②引语内再套用引语时,美式英语中,双引号在外,单引号在内;而英式英语中,单引号在外,双引号在内。③短小的引语与“某某说”之类的词语之间用逗号隔开,并将引语置于引号内(以上例句的引语均属短小的引语);而较长的引语与“某某说”之类的词语之间用冒号隔开,并以缩格、隔行或变换字体的方式与文中其余部分隔开。
2. 有关连字符
⑴ 连字符只占四分之一格,比半字线短。例如,warm-hearted。
⑵ 当两个或两个以上复合词并用, 而各复合词连字符后的部分相同时, 各复合词的相同部分只出现一次。例如,the whole- or half-year lease , the pre- and post-war Iraq。
⑶ 用于两个数字或日期之间,意为包括其中的所有数字或日期(汉语中多用波浪线或一字线)。例如,pp188-247,1949-1978, 1849-69
(4)用于一个词的一部分要移行, 一般应按音节断开单词并在该单词的前半部之后加连字符,或根据发音,不要把单个字母留在行尾或行首。注意一页中最后一个单词不能使用连字符将其置于两页。例如,ha-ppy不可断为hap-py。
3. 有关逗号
(1)该用句号、分号的地方用了逗号。受母语的影响,中国人写英语文章时极少考虑句子的结构和逻辑关系,往往将文章用逗号“一逗到底”,整段文章只在最后用了一个句号。例如:Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining, they are full of engaging ideas. (误)
Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining; they are full of engaging ideas.(正)
My sister is an English teacher in a middle school,she is of medium build with a pair of glasses on her face, she is hard-working and often helps the people in need, she loves and cares about her students, she likes singing and dances well, she is good at ping-pong, , she will go to Sichuan, as a volunteer, to teach English in a middle school this year. (误)
My sister is an English teacher in a middle school. She is of medium build with a pair of glasses on her face. She is hard-working and often helps the people in need. She loves and cares about her students. She likes singing and dances well. She is good at ping-pong. She will go toSichuan, as a volunteer, to teach English in a middle school this year. (正) (2)该用逗号的地方用了and。受母语的影响,两个并列的形容词之间用and代替逗号。
例如,Egypt’s plight could become a disgusting and daunting trouble. (误)
Egypt’s plight could become a disgusting, daunting trouble. (正)
(3)该用逗号的地方用了冒号。在汉语中,冒号常用于“说、想、道、讲、问、回答、喊、吼、叫、是、唱、证明、宣布、指出、透漏、例如、如”等词语后面,提起下文。而在英语中,这类情况多用逗号。
例如,The rabbit took a giant hop into a hollow tree, exclaiming: “Oh, my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”(误)
The rabbit took a giant hop into a hollow tree, exclaiming, “Oh, my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”(正)
(4) 该用逗号的地方用了破折号。汉语中的破折号多用于标明行文中解释说明的部分,而在英文中,则使用同位语来解释说明前面提到的相关内容,并在同位语前用逗号。
例如,Instead, she was playing with Dinah—her cat, which was more fun. (误)Instead, she was playing with Dinah, her cat, which was more fun. (正)
(5) 该用逗号的地方没用逗号,不该用逗号的地方却画蛇添足。① 英语中表达年月日主要有两种方式:日—月—年;月—日—年。以日—月—年的顺序表达时不要逗号,例如:26 June 1993 (1993年6月26日)。以月—日—年的顺序表达时要加逗号,例如,June 26, 1993。② 一般来说,在某些副词(如so, perhaps, maybe, thus, therefore)后,不需要逗号,例如:Thus the problem was finally settled.
So who is coming tonight?
但在某些副词(如nevertheless, however)后, 却需要加上逗号。
例如,Nevertheless, we need to invest to keep up with our competitors.
參考文献:
[1]William Strunk Jr.E.B.White. The Elements of Style[M].Hong Kong: Longman,1999.
[2]Elizebeth Gilbert.Eat,Pray, Love[M].London:Penguin Books,2007.
(作者单位:湖南教育出版社)
关键词:编辑;英语;标点符号
标点符号是书面表达的有机组成部分,在编辑工作中,我们不仅要重视语言层面及内容的表达,还要重视标点符号的使用。业内出版的编辑手册指南类图书很少提到英文标点符号如何使用,而许多英语新编辑甚至老编辑常在这个问题上犯迷糊。在此,笔者就编辑出版中英语标点符号的使用总结一二,与同行探讨,且当求抛砖引玉。
一、中英文标点符号的差异
中英文标点符号有很多相同的地方,如句号、感叹号、问号、逗号、引号、省略号、分号等的大原则是相同的,但它们却也存在着不小的差异。
1.在英汉两种语言中值得注意的某些形式不同的标点符号
(1)英文的省略号是三个点(...),位置在行底;而在汉语中,省略号为六个点(……),位置在行中。
例如,In Pride and Prejudice, Austen creates a group of splendid female images, whose wisdom, talent...inferior to those of men.
(2)英文的破折號是(—),汉语中的破折号是(——)。例如,WASHINGTON — No American president since Franklin Delano Roosevelt has won a second term in office when the unemployment rate on Election Day topped 7.2 percent.
(3)英文的句号是实心点(.),而汉语的句号是空心圈(。)。
2.英语中的某些标点符号为汉语所没有
(1)撇号——Apostrophe(’), 例如,Children’s Day。
(2)连字号——Hyphen(—), 例如,the post-war period。
(3)斜线号——Virgule or Slash(/),该符号主要起分割作用或用于音标标音,例如:next /nekst/。
3.英语中针对汉语某些特有的标点符号的处理方式
(1) 在汉语中起分割句子并列成分作用的顿号(、)在英语中用逗号。例如,文具盒里有两支铅笔、一把尺子、两个橡皮擦和一个削笔刀。
Dan Brown is the author of Angels & Demons, Deception Point(,)and Digital Fortress.
注意:用于列举同类时,and前的逗号可省略,但有逗号更规范。
(2)英文中没有我们汉语中的书名号(《》),但是书名、报刊名、文章名、栏目名以及电影、绘画、诗歌、乐曲等的名称和交通工具、航天器等的专有名词用引号、斜体或者下画线表示。例如, 《一级谋杀》“Murder in the First”,《红字》“The Scarlet Letter”
(3)汉语中用在需要强调的词语下方的着重号,通常用实心圆点表示,但在英语中如需强调,则多用斜体或下画线表示,或借助某些强调性词汇、句型等。例如,是这个小男孩去年冬天待在寒冷的哈尔滨。
It was this little boy that stayed in coldHarbinlast winter.(借助强调句型,强调this little boy)
(4) 英语中没有汉语中的间隔号(·),一般直接用文字表示,或需要间隔时用逗号表示。例如,9·11纪念, 9/11 Remembrance(Sept. 11 Remembrance)
二、编辑工作中容易出现的英语标点符号差错
1. 有关引号
(1) 属于引文的破折号、逗号、感叹号、句号、问号都应置于引号内;而不属于引文的冒号、分号、感叹号、问号、破折号等则应置于引号外。例如,“Yeah—we!” he grunted. “We killed a big one! We—we killed a bar, we did!...Come on, boys,” he said gruffly. “Aren’t you happy?”
What made the old woman “go crazy”?
(2)受母语影响,经常直接引用谚语或古语而不加任何附带说明。例如,“有志者,事竟成。”他们就这样克服了困难,实现了自己的梦想。(汉语中可直接引用)
“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Thus they overcame all the difficulties and realized their dream.(误)
As the saying goes, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” Thus they overcame all the difficulties and realized their dream. (正)(英语中需加上“As the saying goes, ” 类短语)
(3)对话描写中出现频率较多的引号及其他标点符号(如逗号、句号等)的关系。如, ①“I know, sweetie,” she said,“ I love you, too.”(误)“I know, sweetie,” she said.“ I love you, too.”(正)②“Wait,” he said slowly, “I will tell you what you need to know.”(误)“Wait,” he said slowly. “I will tell you what you need to know.”(正)③“This is amazing!” someone cried out.“Yeah.” someone else said,“but what does it have to do with art?”(误)“This is amazing!” someone cried out.“Yeah,” someone else said, “but what does it have to do with art?”(正) ④“I wish,” the boy went on. “That l could be a brother like that.”(误)“I wish,” the boy went on. “that l could be a brother like that.”(正) 析:在以上①②中,在she said与he said slowly后使用了句号,而在③中,在someone else said后用的是逗号。为什么有的用句号,而有的用逗号呢?为什么会有这种区别?其实稍加分析,便不难看出其中端倪。
在①中,I know, sweetie是一个意义表达非常完整且独立的句子,所以在she said后用句号。在②中,Wait与I will tell you what you need to know也是两个意义表达非常完整且独立的句子,所以在he said slowly后也用句号。但在③中,如去掉someone else said,把前后两段连起来,则为Yeah,but what does it have to do with art?通过上下文,将Yeah后面省略掉的内容补充完整的话,应为Yeah (,it is amazing), but what does it have to do with art? 从此可看出,该句的前后两段引文是一个句子,话还没說完,因此,在someone else said后应用逗号。在④中, I wish与that l could be a brother like that完全就是一句话,只是用the boy went on隔开了,所以I wish后还有宾语,因此在the boy went on后用逗号。
(4)当引文只是短语或单个单词时,其后的逗号(有时也包括句号),尽管从上下文理解来看应置于引号外,但综观原版英文图书及报刊,大多是将逗号或句号排于引号内。例如:
Any body means “any corpse,” or “any human form,” or “any group.”
Lester R. Brown is the president of the Earth Policy Institute and the author of “World on the Edge: How to Prevent Environmental and Economic Collapse.”
“The Fish,” “Poetry,” and “The Monkeys” are in her Selected Poems.
注意:①在文章中,引用连续的几个段落时,每段开头用前引号,段落的末尾不用后引号,只在最后一段的结尾处用后引号。②引语内再套用引语时,美式英语中,双引号在外,单引号在内;而英式英语中,单引号在外,双引号在内。③短小的引语与“某某说”之类的词语之间用逗号隔开,并将引语置于引号内(以上例句的引语均属短小的引语);而较长的引语与“某某说”之类的词语之间用冒号隔开,并以缩格、隔行或变换字体的方式与文中其余部分隔开。
2. 有关连字符
⑴ 连字符只占四分之一格,比半字线短。例如,warm-hearted。
⑵ 当两个或两个以上复合词并用, 而各复合词连字符后的部分相同时, 各复合词的相同部分只出现一次。例如,the whole- or half-year lease , the pre- and post-war Iraq。
⑶ 用于两个数字或日期之间,意为包括其中的所有数字或日期(汉语中多用波浪线或一字线)。例如,pp188-247,1949-1978, 1849-69
(4)用于一个词的一部分要移行, 一般应按音节断开单词并在该单词的前半部之后加连字符,或根据发音,不要把单个字母留在行尾或行首。注意一页中最后一个单词不能使用连字符将其置于两页。例如,ha-ppy不可断为hap-py。
3. 有关逗号
(1)该用句号、分号的地方用了逗号。受母语的影响,中国人写英语文章时极少考虑句子的结构和逻辑关系,往往将文章用逗号“一逗到底”,整段文章只在最后用了一个句号。例如:Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining, they are full of engaging ideas. (误)
Mary Shelley’s works are entertaining; they are full of engaging ideas.(正)
My sister is an English teacher in a middle school,she is of medium build with a pair of glasses on her face, she is hard-working and often helps the people in need, she loves and cares about her students, she likes singing and dances well, she is good at ping-pong, , she will go to Sichuan, as a volunteer, to teach English in a middle school this year. (误)
My sister is an English teacher in a middle school. She is of medium build with a pair of glasses on her face. She is hard-working and often helps the people in need. She loves and cares about her students. She likes singing and dances well. She is good at ping-pong. She will go toSichuan, as a volunteer, to teach English in a middle school this year. (正) (2)该用逗号的地方用了and。受母语的影响,两个并列的形容词之间用and代替逗号。
例如,Egypt’s plight could become a disgusting and daunting trouble. (误)
Egypt’s plight could become a disgusting, daunting trouble. (正)
(3)该用逗号的地方用了冒号。在汉语中,冒号常用于“说、想、道、讲、问、回答、喊、吼、叫、是、唱、证明、宣布、指出、透漏、例如、如”等词语后面,提起下文。而在英语中,这类情况多用逗号。
例如,The rabbit took a giant hop into a hollow tree, exclaiming: “Oh, my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”(误)
The rabbit took a giant hop into a hollow tree, exclaiming, “Oh, my fur and whiskers! I’m late, I’m late, I’m late!”(正)
(4) 该用逗号的地方用了破折号。汉语中的破折号多用于标明行文中解释说明的部分,而在英文中,则使用同位语来解释说明前面提到的相关内容,并在同位语前用逗号。
例如,Instead, she was playing with Dinah—her cat, which was more fun. (误)Instead, she was playing with Dinah, her cat, which was more fun. (正)
(5) 该用逗号的地方没用逗号,不该用逗号的地方却画蛇添足。① 英语中表达年月日主要有两种方式:日—月—年;月—日—年。以日—月—年的顺序表达时不要逗号,例如:26 June 1993 (1993年6月26日)。以月—日—年的顺序表达时要加逗号,例如,June 26, 1993。② 一般来说,在某些副词(如so, perhaps, maybe, thus, therefore)后,不需要逗号,例如:Thus the problem was finally settled.
So who is coming tonight?
但在某些副词(如nevertheless, however)后, 却需要加上逗号。
例如,Nevertheless, we need to invest to keep up with our competitors.
參考文献:
[1]William Strunk Jr.E.B.White. The Elements of Style[M].Hong Kong: Longman,1999.
[2]Elizebeth Gilbert.Eat,Pray, Love[M].London:Penguin Books,2007.
(作者单位:湖南教育出版社)