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1、略谈英语写作中避免观点绝对化的八种表达手段高春红(广东商学院华商学院 外语系，广东增城511300)摘要：中国学生在英语写作当中由于受到汉英思维差异的影响，很多时候会出现观点较绝对、较主观这样的问题。针对这个问题，本文探讨了八种表达手段，来避免此类问题的发生。关键词：主观性；客观性；英语写作在汉语的写作中，作者通常作为所述问题的参与者，极力把自己的切身感受传达给读者，所以一般而言，个人倾向性比较明显，主观风格占主导。稍微比较一下英汉两种语言的句子主语，我们会发现，汉语句子的主语多为人称，即使没有特定的人，我们也常常用“人们”来指称。而英语除了也用人做主语外，还常常用抽象名词做主语，包括可数名词
2、、不可数名词、时间名词或地点名词及它们的短语，还有表示心理活动的名词。中国学生在写说理性文章时，容易受汉语思维方式和表达习惯的影响，常用“you should/must/had better, all of us have no choice but, we must/have to/had better, we should be able to/should have done, I strongly suggest/object that, it is absolutely wrong to, my firm belief is, Im convinced/sure that”之类的句子
3、，这在英美人士看来是作者的主观态度，有点强加于人却不能真正说服人之嫌。而在英语写作的过程中，作者通常作为所述问题的观察者，以旁观者的身份，通过各种论证和分析手法的运用，自然得出结论，或以此来证明自己观点的正确性。英语十分强调具体的实力证明，客观风格占主导。在英语文章中，英美人遵循的主要表达原则是：Let the facts and logic speak for themselves.(让事实和逻辑为自己说话。)他们靠严谨的推理和令人信服的事实与数据来说服读者接受自己的观点。而在汉语文章中，叙述者更多得依靠修辞手法（夸张、比喻等）渲染个人对事物的感知，更多的是利用语言造成的意境来表达某种感情，
4、而不用逻辑推理来说服。因此，以英语为母语的人在遣词造句上显得有理性、客观和平实一些，而中国学生则倾向于主观、随意、甚至带有非理性的感情色彩的写作方式。下面是针对以上中国学生在英语写作当中出现的观点较绝对、较主观问题提出的八种手段：一、使用无灵主语句以上提到西方国家的文化重视客观性，这一点在句子构造中得到反映。如英语中有一类特殊的句型，语言学家韩礼德(Halliday)称之为“无灵主语句”，意指以无生命事物作为句子的主语。“无灵主语句”不仅使表达生动、有力，并且也从侧面反映了英美国家重视客观性，倾向于使客观事物做句子的主语。例如，要表达“他总是很机智”，翻译为“Quick-wittedness
5、never deserts him.”要比“I suddenly have a good idea.”，以及“He is always quick-witted.”地道得多。稍微比较一下英汉两种语言的句子主语，就会发现，汉语句子的主语多为人称，即使没有特定的人，我们也常常用“人们”来指称。而英语除了也用人做主语外，还常常用抽象名词做主语。简言之，汉语重人称(personal)，英语重物称(impersonal)。中国的英语学习者写英文句子时习惯用指人的名词开头，导致句子在形式上千人一面，缺少变化，这也是汉语思维习惯产生的结果，汉语多用人称开头。而英语的开头方式多种多样，不拘一格。追求句法方面的
6、多样化，关键在于学会用灵活的方式开头。以下的一些例子中，b句跟a句比起来更加客观、地道。(1)越来越多的人认识到，妇女应该和男人完全平等。a.More and more people are aware that women should enjoy full equality with men.b.There is a growing awareness that women should enjoy full equality with men.(2)他屡遭失败，经常令他抑郁消沉。a.He failed in doing things, which often made him depre
7、ssed. b.His failures often left him depressed.(3)他开始变得惊恐万状。a.He began to look very alarmed.b.Alarm began to take entire possession of him.在语言上，汉语的人称句和英语的无人称句之间的转换，其实是一种视角的转换，由主观变为客观。我们可以转换表述视角，以英语的物称来替换汉语的人称，使我们在英语写作时，能够写出更地道的英语句子。我们可以：(1)利用形式主语it来表达，如：It has never occurred to me that(我从来没有想到过)；(2)
8、利用There be 句型，如：There is a popular belief that(人们普遍认为)；(3)主动句变被动句，如：将We know very little about the nature of human beings.变为Little is known about the nature of human beings.(我们对人类的本性知之甚少)。二、 使用可能性表达英语当中有很多表示可能性的副词：Perhaps, maybe, probably, possibly, be likely to, in all likelihood, presumably, poten
9、tially,等等，适当地使用这些表达，再配合一些句型，可以增加表达的客观性。例如，下面的一些常用句型：a.There are many possibilities thateg.(1)If good people do something there is a real possibility that an uninformed citizenry will extinguish the precious embers of medical progress.(2)There are considerable possibilities of working toward a higher
10、 sustained level of economic growth while keeping inflation within moderate level.b.There is much likelihood thatc.There is every (a, little, no) chance thatd.There is no (little, much) possibility/likelihood ofe.It is likely/possibily/may well be thatf.Chances/The odds are thateg.The odds are that
11、they really have only the fuzziest idea of what they want to say and are too lazy to work it out.h.There stands a slim/little/no/much chance ofeg.Meidical experiments have proved that most chain smokers stand a very good chance of getting lung cancer.三、 使用评注性状语评注性状语，即“分离性状语”(Disjunct)，是对整个句子进行的说明或解释
12、，表明说话人对话语的看法或态度；例如：Personally, I dont think hell interview you this time.在本例中，personally表示说话人对I dont think hell interview you这句话的态度，表示这是说话人的个人看法。评注性状语通常由某些副词或副词词组表示。例如：Probably, they are at home at this time.Theoretically, this is a marvllous piece of scientific writing.能作评注性状语用法的副词还有certainly, defi
13、nitely, educationally, hopefully, indeed, preferably, undeniably等等。评注性状语也可由介词词组、非限定分句、无动词分句表示，有时也可由限定分句表示。例如：In my opinion, youd better go with us.To be sure, some people may disagree with us on this point.Even more important, he is in charge of the project.Whats more important, this project offered
14、 prospects of a great profit.评注性状语的准确使用，有助于表明说话人对话语的看法或态度，同时有效地增强了语言表达的客观性。四、使用倾向性表达倾向性表达，的使用可以给人真实可信、客观周到的印象，避免观点武断。例如：(1)Reporters tend to be part of a broadly defined social and cultural elite, so their work tends to reflect the conventional values of this elite.(2)The rapidity of the increase of
15、 scientific knowledge is apt to give people the impression that no sooner is a problem started than the answer we are inclined to believe that our generation is more civilized than the generation that preceeded us.(3)But someone, from birth, is more prone to learn fearful responses because he has in
16、herited a tendency to be more sensitive.五、使用好像类表达六、使用双重否定结构No issue is more emotion-rousing than food, because no issue is as basic to individual and national survival as food.Hardly does a day pass without a brief contact with the Internet Explorer.七、使用虚拟语气It is essential that 八、 增添模糊限制词恰当地使用一些表示数量、大小
