摘 要

名物化隐喻是指将一个分句所表示的意义压缩成一个名词短语，用作另一分句中的某一成分。名物化将过程、特征、评价经过隐喻化，使其不再是小句中的过程或修辞语，而是以名词形式体现的参与者。这种隐喻手段对于语篇的正式客观化起着重要的作用。本文主要以韩礼德的系统功能语法理论为背景，探讨名物化隐喻对于英译版《物权法》此类的法律语篇所起到语篇功能，主要包括简化语言、提高信息含量，促进语篇发展、实现语篇衔接，以及使语篇更加正式客观。研究结果强调了名物化隐喻的重要性，以及恰当地发挥它的作用可以更好地实现语篇的正式性和客观性。

关键词：名物化隐喻；英译版《物权法》；系统功能语法；语篇功能

Abstract

Nominalization metaphor refers to the compression of the meaning of a clause into a noun phrase, which is used as a component of another clause. Nominalization metaphorizes the process, quality and evaluation, to make them not the process or rhetoric in clauses, but the participants in the form of nouns. This metaphorical device plays an important role in the formality and objectification of discourse. Based on Halliday's systemic functional grammar theory, this paper explores the text functions of nominalization metaphor in the legal text, the English version of Property Law, including simplifying the language and improving informativeness, promoting text development and realizing coherence, and strengthening the text objectivity and formality. The results of the study emphasize the importance of nominalization metaphor and that properly exerting its function can better realize the formality and objectivity of the legal text.

Key Words: nominalization metaphor; English version of Property Law; systemic functional grammar; textual function

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Purpose of the study 1

1.2 Significance of the study 1

2 Literature Review 3

2.1 Overview of metaphor and nominalization metaphor 3

2.2 Overview of textual function 6

3 The Textual Functions of Nominalization Metaphor in Legal Texts 8

3.1 A brief introduction to legal language 8

3.2 Compression function 8

3.3 Cohesion function 8

3.4 Objectivity and formality function 9

4 The Textual Functions of Nominalization Metaphor in English Version of Property Law 10

4.1 Simplifying the language and improving informativeness 10

4.2 Promoting text development and realizing coherence 11

4.3 Strengthening the text objectivity and formality 12

5 Conclusion 14

References 15

Acknowledgements 16

Textual Function Analysis of Nominalization Metaphor in English Version of Property Law

1 Introduction

1.1 Purpose of the study

This paper mainly takes the English version of Property Law as an example to explore the function of nominalization metaphor in the whole text, from the perspective of systemic functional linguistics. Based on Halliday's theory of linguistic function, this paper studies the relationship between grammatical structure and semantics from the perspective of grammatical metaphor. Nominalization metaphor usually transforms consistent verbs and adjectives into metaphorical nouns. Nominalization is of great significance to the expression of meaning in clauses and texts, which can make the information structure reassemble. Through the use of nominalization metaphor, the expression of real right law is formal and objective, so that it does not lose the authority of law. Taking this as an example, this paper explores the function and perfection of nominalization metaphor in legal English.

1.2 Significance of the study

The Real Right Law of the People's Republic of China is to safeguard the basic economic system of the country, maintain the order of the socialist market economy, clarify the ownership of property, give full play to its utility, and protect the property rights of the obligee. It is a statute formulated in accordance with Constitution. This law is closely related to people's daily life and shows how to solve the property relationship between people in China's unique institutional environment and social background. This law has great research significance. This paper takes the English version of Property Law as the research object, and studies the law from the perspective of linguistic characteristics. In the process of expressing Chinese laws in English, the nominalization of legal English language needs to be paid more attention to. Nominalization metaphor is an important way to regulate the characteristics of legal English. The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of nominalization metaphor in the English version of Property Law and its textual functions in order to better understand and grasp the phenomenon of nominalization metaphor.

Based on Halliday's theory of functional linguistics, nominalization is the most important form of grammatical metaphor and the way in which human beings reconstruct the empirical world with language. The definition of nominalization is transforming verbs or adjectives into nouns or noun phrases so that nouns or noun phrases can acquire the meaning of verbs or adjectives and then have grammatical function. The use of nominalization metaphor is the main feature and formal style of written English. The correct use of nominalization metaphor can help people express their meaning concisely, accurately and rationally, and embody the formality and authenticity of the style. Legal English fully embodies nominalization metaphor, which makes legal English have a unique stylistic style.

In the past, there have been many studies on the stylistic features of legal English both at home and abroad, but all of them are the general features of legal English, lacking innovation. There are also a few applications of nominalization metaphor in it, but they are all explained from a macro point of view with the help of some legal provisions, seldom with the aid of a systematic law to study. Taking the English version of Property Law as an example, this paper illustrates the textual function of nominalization metaphor more clearly, sometimes comparing some specific legal clauses with some Chinese clauses, so as to achieve concise, objective and accurate legal language.

From the perspective of systemic functional linguistics, through the analysis of the English version of Property Law, this paper can make people better use of nominalization metaphor in translation to develop and improve legal English, with a view to realizing that although it is an English version of Chinese law, it still cannot lose the authority and normativeness of law.

2 Literature Review

2.1 Overview of metaphor and nominalization metaphor

2.1.1 The notion of metaphor and nominalization metaphor

Metaphor has always been the object of study by many scholars. Many scholars have also made certain descriptions of metaphor from different perspectives. Emerson: The whole of nature is a metaphor of human mind. Lakoff amp; Johnson: The essence of metaphor is understanding and experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another.

Many dictionaries also define metaphor more clearly. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of language (Crystal, 1997) defined that metaphor implies the identity between two different concepts. Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistics (Matthews, 1997): Metaphor is a general pattern that Lakoff talked about in the 1980s, in which one register can be systematically talked about or expressed in terms of vocabulary in another register.

In the book An Introduction to Functional Grammar, Halliday, a famous linguist, pointed out that the various relationships between the semantic level and lexical grammar level of any semantic form can be divided into congruent realization and metaphorical realization. Congruent realization refers to the fixed correspondence between the semantic level and the specific lexical and grammatical level. Congruent realization refers to the "natural" relationship between semantics and grammar.

According to Halliday's theory of linguistic metafunction, the expression of a thing usually involves three components: process, participant and environment. Generally speaking, in congruent form, the process is embodied by verb phrases, participants by noun phrases, environment by adverbs or prepositional phrases. However, there is also incongruent form between semantic and grammatical forms, that is, metaphorical form, which process can be embodied by noun phrases or adjectives, and participants can be embodied by verb phrases or adjectives, and environment can be embodied by noun phrases, verb phrases or prepositional phrases. When verbs and adjectives are converted into noun phrases to reflect participants, nominalization metaphor is generated. For example:

(a)You can rectify this fault if you insert a wedge. (congruent form)