中西文化比较 第2版 unit 2 The Chinese and Western Language.ppt

Translation? Keys 1. Dialects As a country boasting a vast territory and encompassing a large population, people in many places of China speak their own dialects. Dialects vary greatly in pronunciation but slightly in vocabulary and grammar. Some dialects, especially those from the north and the south, are so different that their speakers often have trouble understanding each other. Although dialects are considered as an integral part of the local culture, the number of people who can speak them has been undergoing a continuous decline in recent years. In order to avoid losing more local dialects, some local governments have taken measures such as setting up dialect courses and broadcasting dialect programs on radio and TV, with a hope to preserve the local cultural heritage. Translation? 汉译英 2.汉语 汉语现在是世界上被最多人用作母语的语言。汉语与西方语言的一个重要区别在于它是以汉字(而不是字母)构成的。汉语是目前仍在使用的最古老的书写系统。在中国，来自不同地区的人可能听不懂对方的方言，但由于汉字有统一的书写形式，他们交流起来几乎没有任何困难。在历史上，汉字对中华民族的统一发挥了重要作用。如今，随着中国经济的快速增长和全球影响力的增强，越来越多的外国人开始学习汉语。 Translation? Keys 2. Chinese Language The Chinese language is used as native language by the greatest number of people in the world. One of the significant distinctions between Chinese and Western languages lies in its composition of characters rather than letters. The Chinese language is the oldest writing system still in use. In China, although people from different regions may not understand each other’s dialects, they have little difficulty in communicating because Chinese characters are written in a uniform form. The Chinese language has played quite an important role in the unification of the Chinese nation in history. Nowadays, with China’s rapid economic growth and increasing global influence, more and more people in other countries begin to learn Chinese. Translation? 英译汉 1. English The English language underwent extensive sound changes during the 1400s, while its spelling conventions remained rather constant. Modern