关系分句的表达功能

第一节　关系分句的表达功能

关系分句的主要功能是做名词(词组)的后置修饰语。然而，英语中有些关系分句(包括限制性关系分句和非限制性关系分句)不起修饰作用，在表达功能上则与状语分句、并列分句、评说分句相同。这类关系分句翻译成汉语时，要注意上下文的字里行间的语义关系，进行灵活多样的处理，本章拟就在深层结构上起着状语分句、评说分句作用的关系分句进行论述。

一、起状语分句的作用

这类分句既可以是限制性关系分句也可以是非限制性关系分句。就语义上来作进一步分析，这类关系分句可表示原因、结果、条件、让步、目的、时间等意义。

1．表示“原因”的关系分句

这类分句从上下文内容来分析，其意义与原因状语分句不尽相同。关系分句在复合句中所表示的原因逻辑关系，均可以用表示原因的从属连词because，as，since等来改写。限制性关系分句和非限制性关系分句都可以表示原因，而以非限制性关系分句为主，例如：

A moving aggregate of gas particles that(since it)doesn't finally settle must be in perpetual motion．

You've given Feldsyn，who dislikes me anyhow，the chance he was waiting for(As Feldsyn dislikes me anyhow，you've given him the chance he was waiting for．)

But he did not talk at length about the matter，which(because it)was not considered by the White House to be a particularly important question．

2．表示“结果”的关系分句

关系分句在复合句中表示结果意义的可以用表示结果关系从属连词so．．．that，such．．．that，so that等来改写。

限制性关系分句表示结果，是由主句中部分内容引起的，表示这部分内容的通常是名词词组。引导限制性关系分句一般用关系代词that或which，其先行词通常是无生物名词(或词组)，分句总是紧跟在名词词组之后，并且总是置于复合句的后部，例如：

There was something original，independent，and heroic about the plan that(so that it)pleased all of them．

Thus even across battle lines，in the midst of war，Minister Peng has equipped the enemy soldiers and now he gives them orders which they will(that they have to)obey．

He told us interesting story which moved us deeply．(He told us such an interesting story that we were deeply moved．)

非限制性关系分句表示结果意义时，通常由关系代词which引导，有时可用“介词+which或which+名词”引导，关系分句也总是放在复合句的后部。例如：

He is clever and quick at his work，for which is honored with the title of model worker．(He is clever and quick at his work so that he is．．．)

He spread a rumor that the president was going to resign，which led to(with the result that it caused)a great confusion in the country．

3．表示“条件”的关系分句

这类关系分句既可以表示真实条件，又可以表示非真实条件。表示真实条件含义时，这类分句通常表达一种先决条件，汉语可译为“如果，只要”等。表示非真实条件含义的时候，关系分句往往用虚拟语气来表达一种假设的状况，汉语可译为“如果，要是”等，例如：

Men become desperate for work，any work，which will help them to support their families．(Men become desperate for work，any work，as long as it will help them to support their families．)

He would be a rash man who should venture to forecast the result of this event．(．．．if he should venture to forecast the result of this event)

A country that stopped working would quickly be bankrupt．(If a country stopped working，it would quickly be．．．)

A deaf man who had read a book about music(if he had read a book about music)might be convinced，theoretically，that Mozart(莫扎特)was a great composer．

4．表示“让步”的关系分句

关系分句在一定的上下文中，也可表示让步意义，在意义上相当于由though/although引导的让步状语从句，汉语可译为“尽管，虽然”等。例如：

Many men who have had few advantages in their youth became great leaders of revolution．(Many men，though they have had few advantages in their youth，became great．．．)

He who all his day had looked on naked life had never seen so much of life's nakedness before．(A1though he all his days had looked on naked life，he had never．．．)

He who breaks pays．(No matter who breaks it，he will pay for it)

Strong man that he is，he has been severely put to test during the past few weeks(Though he is a strong man，he has．．．)

5．表示“目的”的关系分句

这类分句表示目的含义时，分句中可以用will，may，would，should等情态动词，在意义上类似于so that，in order that引导的目的状语从句。汉语可译为“以便”等。例如：

We have to oil the parts of the machine，the friction of which may be greatly reduced(．．．the machine so that the friction may be greatly reduced．)

An engineer was sent to your factory，who would help you with your work．(．．．to your factory in order that he would help you with your work．)

Shortly after Abraham Lincoln took office，the southern states rebelled．They set up a state of their own，where they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves(so that they would be free to keep Negroes as slaves therein．)

6．表示“时间”的关系分句

这类分句往往有突出上句动作发生时间的特点。其语义功能与when/while引导的时间状语从句不尽相同。例如：

I saw Wang Ling who was walking on the street(While Wang Ling was walking on the street，I saw her．)

In 1906，however，Pierre，who was crossing a road(when he was crossing a road)，was run over and killed．

二、起并列分句作用

关系分句在有些情况下并不是附属从句，而是相当于并列独立分句。叶斯珀淼视这类关系分句为“接续性分句”(continuative clause)，从而不同于一般的附属分句。关系分句所表示的这种并列分句通常用并列连词and连接，但也可以用分号或并列连词but，while，for连接，表示转折、对比、因果关系等。例如：

I had two Japanese cooks，whom I used to teach．(I had two Japanese cooks；I used to teach them．)

He said he had lost his watch，which was not true．(．．．his watch，but it was not true．)

He is a scholar，which I am not．(He is a scholar，while I'm not．)

For further particulars you had better apply to my brother，who(for he)has paid particular attention to the subject．

充当并列分句的关系分句在形式上主要属于非限制性关系分句。这类非限制分句的前位词(antecedent)不仅可以是一个名词、名词词组，也可以是一个分句、句子，或是几个句子。

1．前位词是名词或名词词组

这类非限制性关系分句的前位词已经具备限定意义，分句只不过是提供附加信息(extra information)作进一步说明。因此可以用并列连词与所修饰的前位词隔开，这一现象恐怕也是某些T G学派人物(譬如S.A．Thompson)认为非限制性关系分句的深层结构是并列分句的重要根据之一。这类非限制性关系分句通常也总是出现在动词宾语或介词宾语之后，例如：

I told Peter，who said it wasn't his business．(I told Peter，but he said it wasn't his business．)

The next day John went with me to the station，where I bought a ticket for Beijing．(．．．to the station，and there I bought a ticket for Beijing．)

I threw the ball to Tom，who threw it to Mary．(I threw the ball to Tom and he threw it to Mary．)

2．前位词是句子

R.Quirk等语法家称这类关系分句为句子性关系分句(sentential relative clause)。他们说：“句子性关系分句是那种直接在句子之间起作用，而不是作为名词的词组一部分的关系分句。它是一种非限制性地修饰整个分句、句子或甚至一系列句子而不是修饰一个名词词组的分句；引导它的关系词是指整个分句或句子，甚至可以代指一系列句子。句子性关系分句就是这样一个在句子里和句子主要结果并列的分句。”根据句子性关系分句在句子中的功能或地位来看，我们认为，引导它的关系词只是句子主语的替代词，所表达的是有关主语的新信息。分句本身和它前面那个句子或一系列句子是并列的，因此它所在的整个句子是并列句。请看下面两例：

He was invited to the state banquet，which he considered a great honor．(He was invited to the state banquet，and this he considered a great honor．)

She sang beautifully，her enunciation was clear，which delighted the audience．(She sang beautifully；her enunciation was clear，and this delighted the audience．)

很清楚，上述两例中的which可以代之以this，与其说which是关系代词，不如说是指示代词。R.Quirk等人说，事实上这种分句更常被看做含有and和经常前置的强调指示词的并列分句，这也是which分句必须位于先行句(sentential clause)之后的缘故。

At which point，in which case，by which time等含关系限定词(relative determiner)which引导的句子性关系分句，同样可以用含有and和强调指示词的并列分句来释义。例如：

The train may have been held up by repairs to the line，in which case，we may soon hear when it is expected to arrive．(．．．and in that case we may soon hear when it is expected to arrive．)

He lost his temper，at which point I decided to go home．(．．．and at that point I decided to go home．)

三、起评说分句作用

这类关系分句只能是句子性关系分句。句子性关系分句在语义上更接近于评说分句(comment clause)，这一点可从它和what is more那样的评说分句在意义上相似看出来。例如：

After that things improved，which surprised me．

句中which surprised me和作评说分句的what surprised me在语义上不尽相同。

R.Quirk等人在《A Grammar of Contemporary English》中将评说分句归入独立于句子主体之外，句子结构外围的外加语和联加语的范围内。他们在该书中还指出，尽管句子性关系分句的位置固定在它所述及的分句后面，但比较起来，它在句子中的地位更像一个外加语。它们的作用相当于某些起态度外加语作用的介词短语，比如介词短语：to John's surprise，to my regret，to the delight of all present，to their disappointment等相当于用句子性关系分句。Which surprised John，which I regret或用评说分句what delighted all present，what disappoints them。句子性关系分句可能还是所有这类用法最常见的一种。他们还指出，对于各类态度外加语来说，只要能以“It is+形容词+that．．．”这样的相应分句来代替，就能用与其相应的句子性关系分句来代替：

Certainly/Obviously/Understandably/Wisely，he didn't want to have anything to do with them．

He didn't want to have anything to do with them，which was，certain/obvious/understandable/wise．

但所有各类态度外加语也同样都能和它相应的评说分句来代替，虽然这个分句经常需要一个像very或more这样的修饰语。因此，可以说：

What was even more certain，he didn't speak at the meeting．

综上所述，我们不难看出，我们不仅要重视语句形式的研究，更重要的还得从实际意义上着手来进一步探讨其语义的功能，重视关系分句的语义功能分析，必然能帮助我们正确地理解和掌握关系分句的用法，这对我们正确翻译关系分句具有较大的实践意义。