Tommaso Pellin | Università di Bologna (original) (raw)
Papers by Tommaso Pellin
In the last 150 years, Chinese linguists, often backed by the Chinese governments that have succe... more In the last 150 years, Chinese linguists, often backed by the Chinese governments that have succeeded in time, have put a strenuos effort in changing linguistic situation of China, with the goal of simplifying and standardizing it. In particular, after the Language Law has entered into force (2001), China has implemented a mature language policy, with the aim of popularizing putonghua. Nonetheless written language and spoken language still have relevant differences. This contribution has the goal of providing a sketch of the academic research on Chinese spoken language (kouyu), in its lexical and syntactic aspects, comparing it with Chinese written language (shumianyu).
The study of foreign languages in China has not been one of the most important subjects in tradit... more The study of foreign languages in China has not been one of the most important subjects in traditional Chinese education system for centuries, nor have foreign languages been among the most common knowledge to be achieved. Until the 19th century, mainly native biligual speakers and some petty interpreters in Guangzhou knew foreign languages and employed their knowledge at a very practical level. Except for Latin, which had been studied by a tiny number of literati with the Jesuits during the Ming dynasty, the first foreign languages to be studied methodically were English, French, German and later Japanese. For these languages teaching materials were published quite immediately; occasions for Chinese students to go to England, USA, France and Japan consequently grew more and more frequent. The study of the Italian language and the travels to Italy for studying reasons on the contrary have been minor until recently: teaching materials have become abundant only in the last ten years, ...
Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies, 2021
During the second half of the 19PthP century, Chinese scholars created the lexicons of many scien... more During the second half of the 19PthP century, Chinese scholars created the lexicons of many scientific domains through the translation of Western works. The aim of this article is to describe the impact of the expectations of contemporary readers on the process of coinage of the language of political economy, as an instance of the influence of users of translations on the translator ’s work. Here I will present the results of a lexicological analysis of the first two Chinese translations of English politico- economic essays, which appeared respectively before and after 1895. This will be followed by an illustration of some historical elements for identifying the general profile of the potential readership. Finally, an analysis of the link between the lexicological choices of the translators and the expectations of their public will help to assess the weight of the reader ’s profile on the terminological work.
The earliest Chinese works which may be labeled as linguistic appeared as early as 3rd century B.... more The earliest Chinese works which may be labeled as linguistic appeared as early as 3rd century B.C.E.; in the following centuries, a very solid tradition of linguistic studies was carried out (its main branches being philology, phonology, rhetoric and the study of the characters). Linguistic disciplines played a role of the utmost importance in pre-modern China as the examination for being enrolled in imperial bureaucracy, the local aristocracy, were based on the knowledge of ancient texts and on the mastery of writing skills, for which aforementioned studies were crucial. It is not hazardous to maintain that linguistic studies until the beginning of the twentieth century lacked a firm theoretical framework, comparable, for instance, to Greek-Latin traditional and then European linguistics or to Indian linguistics.
Dieser Band entstand auf der Basis von Beitragen, die zum XXIV. Internationalen Kolloquium des St... more Dieser Band entstand auf der Basis von Beitragen, die zum XXIV. Internationalen Kolloquium des Studienkreises ‘Geschichte der Sprachwissenschaft’ vom 22. bis 24. August 2013 vorgetragen wurden. Ausschlaggebend fur die Wahl des Themas war nicht ein Befolgen des Zeitgeistes, der immer wieder auf die Krise hinweist, die Europa durchlebt und die sich naturlich auch im metasprachlichen Bewusstsein niederschlagt, sondern die Absicht, eine von der Feststellung von Kontinuitaten in der Entwicklung der Sprachwissenschaft unterschiedene Forschungsperspektive einzunehmen. Krisenzeiten und Umbruche fuhren allerdings tatsachlich auch zu veranderten Diskursstrategien und Bezeichnungsmustern, die auch von linguistischen Laien wahrgenommen und diskutiert werden. Sprachwandeltheorien spiegeln zwar ein Bewusstsein von Phasen sehr dynamischer sprachlicher Entwicklungen wider, nicht jedoch ein Interesse an dem gesellschaftlich bedingten initialen Moment, an dem anfanglichen Ausloser von Sprachwandel. E...
Il paper e stato rielaborato e sottoposto al board scientifico dopo la celebrazione del convegno,... more Il paper e stato rielaborato e sottoposto al board scientifico dopo la celebrazione del convegno, e quindi rivisto dall'autore stesso alla luce del riscontro con il pubblico del convegno e poi dal board.
Starting in the mid-19th century, Chinese linguists began to import the Western study of grammar... more Starting in the mid-19th century, Chinese linguists began to import the Western study of grammar by means of translation of Western grammar books. Until then Chinese traditional linguistics had produced hardly any research on language structures. One of the most significant differences between the Indo-European languages and the Chinese language is the presence in the former of the phenomenon of grammatical case, often provided with a marker. The present paper deals with the different strategies Chinese linguists used to translate this notion they found in Western grammar books. Second, it highlights how they even tried to employ case in the description of Chinese, but in time this concept was radically modified in order to fit the Chinese grammatical system. The texts in this study consist of a number of Latin, English and Chinese grammar books, written from the mid-19th century to the 1920s.
Since the half of the twentieth century and still in the first decade of the twenty-first century... more Since the half of the twentieth century and still in the first decade of the twenty-first century, a heated debate has been going on in China about borrowings in Chinese lexicon; the peaks of this debate were reached during the 1950s and in the last ten years. In order to understand the features of such long-lasting debate, the analysis of the contents of a number of articles and of monographs dealing with borrowings in Chinese academic and non-academic journals and magazines appeared in both the above-mentioned spans of time has sketched the lines of the debating parties; a brief review of relevant official acts and statements has pointed out the lines of intervention of the State. It turned out that a persistent opposition is contrasting more and more overtly language purists and language pragmatists; Chinese government is trying to mediate between the two parties, but the latest acts indicate that the full-fledged domestic language policy, implemented by the PRC, is leaning towar...
In the last 150 years, Chinese linguists, often backed by the Chinese governments that have succe... more In the last 150 years, Chinese linguists, often backed by the Chinese governments that have succeeded in time, have put a strenuos effort in changing linguistic situation of China, with the goal of simplifying and standardizing it. In particular, after the Language Law has entered into force (2001), China has implemented a mature language policy, with the aim of popularizing putonghua. Nonetheless written language and spoken language still have relevant differences. This contribution has the goal of providing a sketch of the academic research on Chinese spoken language (kouyu), in its lexical and syntactic aspects, comparing it with Chinese written language (shumianyu).
The study of foreign languages in China has not been one of the most important subjects in tradit... more The study of foreign languages in China has not been one of the most important subjects in traditional Chinese education system for centuries, nor have foreign languages been among the most common knowledge to be achieved. Until the 19th century, mainly native biligual speakers and some petty interpreters in Guangzhou knew foreign languages and employed their knowledge at a very practical level. Except for Latin, which had been studied by a tiny number of literati with the Jesuits during the Ming dynasty, the first foreign languages to be studied methodically were English, French, German and later Japanese. For these languages teaching materials were published quite immediately; occasions for Chinese students to go to England, USA, France and Japan consequently grew more and more frequent. The study of the Italian language and the travels to Italy for studying reasons on the contrary have been minor until recently: teaching materials have become abundant only in the last ten years, ...
Linguistica Antverpiensia, New Series – Themes in Translation Studies, 2021
During the second half of the 19PthP century, Chinese scholars created the lexicons of many scien... more During the second half of the 19PthP century, Chinese scholars created the lexicons of many scientific domains through the translation of Western works. The aim of this article is to describe the impact of the expectations of contemporary readers on the process of coinage of the language of political economy, as an instance of the influence of users of translations on the translator ’s work. Here I will present the results of a lexicological analysis of the first two Chinese translations of English politico- economic essays, which appeared respectively before and after 1895. This will be followed by an illustration of some historical elements for identifying the general profile of the potential readership. Finally, an analysis of the link between the lexicological choices of the translators and the expectations of their public will help to assess the weight of the reader ’s profile on the terminological work.
The earliest Chinese works which may be labeled as linguistic appeared as early as 3rd century B.... more The earliest Chinese works which may be labeled as linguistic appeared as early as 3rd century B.C.E.; in the following centuries, a very solid tradition of linguistic studies was carried out (its main branches being philology, phonology, rhetoric and the study of the characters). Linguistic disciplines played a role of the utmost importance in pre-modern China as the examination for being enrolled in imperial bureaucracy, the local aristocracy, were based on the knowledge of ancient texts and on the mastery of writing skills, for which aforementioned studies were crucial. It is not hazardous to maintain that linguistic studies until the beginning of the twentieth century lacked a firm theoretical framework, comparable, for instance, to Greek-Latin traditional and then European linguistics or to Indian linguistics.
Dieser Band entstand auf der Basis von Beitragen, die zum XXIV. Internationalen Kolloquium des St... more Dieser Band entstand auf der Basis von Beitragen, die zum XXIV. Internationalen Kolloquium des Studienkreises ‘Geschichte der Sprachwissenschaft’ vom 22. bis 24. August 2013 vorgetragen wurden. Ausschlaggebend fur die Wahl des Themas war nicht ein Befolgen des Zeitgeistes, der immer wieder auf die Krise hinweist, die Europa durchlebt und die sich naturlich auch im metasprachlichen Bewusstsein niederschlagt, sondern die Absicht, eine von der Feststellung von Kontinuitaten in der Entwicklung der Sprachwissenschaft unterschiedene Forschungsperspektive einzunehmen. Krisenzeiten und Umbruche fuhren allerdings tatsachlich auch zu veranderten Diskursstrategien und Bezeichnungsmustern, die auch von linguistischen Laien wahrgenommen und diskutiert werden. Sprachwandeltheorien spiegeln zwar ein Bewusstsein von Phasen sehr dynamischer sprachlicher Entwicklungen wider, nicht jedoch ein Interesse an dem gesellschaftlich bedingten initialen Moment, an dem anfanglichen Ausloser von Sprachwandel. E...
Il paper e stato rielaborato e sottoposto al board scientifico dopo la celebrazione del convegno,... more Il paper e stato rielaborato e sottoposto al board scientifico dopo la celebrazione del convegno, e quindi rivisto dall'autore stesso alla luce del riscontro con il pubblico del convegno e poi dal board.
Starting in the mid-19th century, Chinese linguists began to import the Western study of grammar... more Starting in the mid-19th century, Chinese linguists began to import the Western study of grammar by means of translation of Western grammar books. Until then Chinese traditional linguistics had produced hardly any research on language structures. One of the most significant differences between the Indo-European languages and the Chinese language is the presence in the former of the phenomenon of grammatical case, often provided with a marker. The present paper deals with the different strategies Chinese linguists used to translate this notion they found in Western grammar books. Second, it highlights how they even tried to employ case in the description of Chinese, but in time this concept was radically modified in order to fit the Chinese grammatical system. The texts in this study consist of a number of Latin, English and Chinese grammar books, written from the mid-19th century to the 1920s.
Since the half of the twentieth century and still in the first decade of the twenty-first century... more Since the half of the twentieth century and still in the first decade of the twenty-first century, a heated debate has been going on in China about borrowings in Chinese lexicon; the peaks of this debate were reached during the 1950s and in the last ten years. In order to understand the features of such long-lasting debate, the analysis of the contents of a number of articles and of monographs dealing with borrowings in Chinese academic and non-academic journals and magazines appeared in both the above-mentioned spans of time has sketched the lines of the debating parties; a brief review of relevant official acts and statements has pointed out the lines of intervention of the State. It turned out that a persistent opposition is contrasting more and more overtly language purists and language pragmatists; Chinese government is trying to mediate between the two parties, but the latest acts indicate that the full-fledged domestic language policy, implemented by the PRC, is leaning towar...
... metadata.dc.contributor.advisor???: Del Gobbo, Francesca. Publisher: Università Ca' ... more ... metadata.dc.contributor.advisor???: Del Gobbo, Francesca. Publisher: Università Ca' Foscari Venezia. Issue Date: 22-feb-2008. ???metadata.dc.rights???: © Tommaso Pellin, 2008. ???metadata.dc.degree.name???: Studi orientali. ???metadata.dc.type???: Doctoral Thesis. ...
International Symposium 26th October 2018 9.30 Room 1 Salvecchio via Salvecchio 19 – Bergamo