A Study of Conceptual Metaphors and Cultural Cognition in the English Translation of Big Breasts and Wide Hips from a Cognitive Perspective
Journal: Arts Studies and Criticism DOI: 10.32629/asc.v6i5.4610
Abstract
Framed by Conceptual Metaphor Theory (CMT) and cultural cognition models, this paper selects Mo Yan's Big breasts and wide hips and its English translation by Howard Goldblatt as its corpus to explore the meaning reconstruction and cognitive mediation of literary metaphors in cross-cultural translation. The study finds that the novel's core metaphor "MOTHER — NATION — LAND" is rooted in traditional Chinese conceptions of the body and agrarian ethics. This paper reveals that translation is not a transparent medium but a process of reshaping cultural cognition, offering insights for literary translation and cross-cultural communication.
Keywords
conceptual metaphor, cultural cognition, literary translation, Big breasts and wide hips, Mo Yan
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[2] Guldin R. Translation as Metaphor [M]. Routledge, 2016.
[3] Holland D, Quinn N. Eds. Cultural Models in Language and Thought [M]. Cambridge University Press, 1987.
[4] House J. Translation [M]. Oxford University Press, 2015.
[5] Kövecses Z. Conceptual Metaphor Theory: Some Criticisms and Developments [J]. Language and Linguistics Compass, 2017, 11(9): e12244.
[6] Lakoff G, Johnson M. Metaphors We Live By [M]. University of Chicago Press, 1980.
[7] Liu F G. A Study on Principles of Chinese-English Metaphor Translation [J]. Foreign Languages and Their Teaching, 2008(4): 47–51.
[8] Lupke C. Big Breasts and Wide Hips by Mo Yan [J]. Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews, 2005, 27(1): 56–58.
[9] Mácha J. Conceptual Metaphor Theory and Classical Theory: Affinities Rather Than Divergences [J]. PhilArchive, 2023.
[10] Maalej Z. Translating Metaphor Between Unrelated Cultures: A Cognitive-Pragmatic Perspective [J]. Sayyab Translation Journal, 2008(1): 60–82.
[11] Mo Y. Fengru Feitun Big Breasts and Wide Hips [M]. Zuojia Publishing House, 1996.
[12] Musolff A. Metaphor and Cultural Cognition[J].Springer Singapore, 2017.
[13] Newmark P .A textbook of translation[J].Shanghai Foreign Languag, 2001.
[14] Nida E A. Toward a Science of Translating [M]. Brill, 1964.
[15] Schäffner C. Metaphor and Translation: Some Implications of Recent Brain Research [J]. Target, 2004, 16(1): 1–27.
[16] Tymoczko M. Enlarging Translation, Empowering Translators [M]. Routledge, 2007.
[17] Venuti L. The Translator's Invisibility: A History of Translation [M]. Routledge, 1995.
[18] Wang L. English Translation Strategies for Chinese Metaphors from the Perspective of Cultural Cognition [J]. Chinese Translators Journal, 2019, 40(5): 155–190.
[19] Zhang Y. A Case Study of Translating Big Breasts and Wide Hips [J]. Translation Studies, 2013, 6(2): 45–62.
[20] Zhang Y J. Cultural Metaphor and English Translation of the “Earth Mother” Image in Big Breasts and Wide Hips [J]. Foreign Language Education, 2019, 40(3): 88–93.
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