英语双关语及其翻译[Abstract English pun is one of the important figures of speech,and it is widely used in variousliterary works,such as poems,novels,stories,advertisements and riddles,etc.Based on thedefinitions of English pun,this paper points out that homonyms,homophones,and homographsare available to construct puns.According to the characteristics and functions of their formation,Lv Xu divided English pun into three types,they are homophonic puns,homographic puns,punson both pronunciation and meaning.English pun takes advantage of its distinctive features innature and tries to produce ambiguity on purpose in order to get the effect of aiming at a pigeonand shooting at a crow.English puns can achieve many effects:humor,satire,vivid expression ofthe characters'feelings,which can increase the beauty of language and improve readability inorder to attract the readers'interest.However,the translation of English pun is always consideredto be extremely difficult.Many people even consider puns as "untranslatable".Since there is muchdifference between Chinese and English in phonology and morphology,it is difficult to findequivalence both in sound and in meaning in the target language for a translator.But there is nosource text that is absolutely untranslatable;the translation of puns is possible to a certain extent.This paper introduces 3 main types to translate English puns.They are literal translation,freetranslation,and annotated translation.Key Words English pun;classification;characteristics;function;translation【摘要】英语双关语是重要的修辞格之一，这种修辞格广泛运用于各种文学作品，如诗歌、小说、故事、广告及谜语中。本文在英语双关的定义基础上提出了同形同音异义词、同音异义词、同形异义词，这3种词可构成双关。并根据其结构成分所起的作用，再仔细地探讨了吕煦把英语双关主要分为三类：同音双关、同词双关、音义双关。英语双关利用其特有的本质特点，故意造成歧义，来达到言在此而意在彼的特殊效果。英语双关语的应用能起到一种诙谐幽默，冷嘲热讽，形象生动的作用并能充分体现人物的性格特征，加强语言的美感，提高该作品的可读性来引起读者的兴趣。然而，英语双关语的翻译又是极其困难的，很多人甚至认为是不可译的，因为英汉两种语言的语音不同，两种语言的多义词并不能一一对应，但英语双关语还是存在一定的可译性。本文主要介绍3种主要翻译方法：直译法，意译法，注释法。【关键词】英语双关语：分类：本质特点：作用：翻译1.IntroductionIn a certain context,a word or phrase that is relevant to two or more conceptions,ideas or feelingsis often employed to make an expression more effective or humorous.This is achieved when thereexists identity or similarity between certain words in such aspects as pronunciation,formation ormeaning.This identity or similarity produces double meanings,which enables people to connectnaturally the literal meaning with the implied meaning.Of these two meanings,the impliedmeaning is the principal part.This is what we call the use of pun."The use of pun dates back to ancient days.Shakespearefavored pun particularly.It is estimated that there are about 3000 puns employed in Shakespeare'sworks [1]."The employment of pun in English novels,poems,speeches,advertisements andriddles makes them highly readable and prompts people to appreciate the beauty of language.Andthe translation of English puns into Chinese enhances the charm of the original works and theunderstanding of the version.2.Definition and classification of puns2.1 Definition of punsLooking at the same issue from different perspectives,we may often come up with differentdefinitions of the thing under discussion.And,not surprisingly,pun can be thus defined in manyways.There is such a humorous explanation about pun:"punning-to torture one poor word tenthousand ways (John Dryden)"[2].In Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English,pun is defined as"An amusing use of a word orphrase that has two meanings,or words with the same sound but different meanings"[3].According to The Oxford English Dictionary,pun is defined as"the use of word in such a way asto suggest two or more meanings or different associations,or the use of two or more words of thesame or nearly the same sound with different meanings,so as to produce a humorous effect"[4].InPrinceton Encyclopedia of Poetry and Poetics,pun is defined as"A figure of speech dependingupon a similarity of sound and a disparity of meaning"[5].From the above definitions,we can see that homonyms,homophones,and homographs all areavailable to construct puns with2.1.1 HomonymsA homonym is a word that is identical to another word in pronunciation and spelling but not inmeaning [6].For example:(1)Can:n.v.Put something in a containerCan:modal verb Be able to(2)Change:v.To become differentChange:n.Money in the form of coins(3)Bear:v.Sustain responsibility;endure difficulty,etcBear:n.A kind of animal,having thick fur and walking on its soles(4)Book:n.A written or printed workBook:v.Engage (a seat etc.)in advance;make a reservation of2.1.2 HomophonesA homophone is a word that is identical to another word in pronunciation but not in spelling andmeaning.For example:(⑤)Bale:n.A large bundleBail:v.To remove water from a boat(6)Knew:v.Past of knowNew:adj.Of recent origin or arrival(7)Soul:n.Spiritual or immaterial part of man,held to survive deathSole:n.Lower surface of human or other foot(8)Pair:n.A set of two persons or things used together or regarded as a unitPear:n.A yellowish or brownish-green fleshy fruit,tapering towards the stalk2.1.3 HomographsA homograph is a word that is identical to another word in spelling but not in pronunciation andmeaning.For example:(9)Minute:n.Sixtieth part of an hourMinute:adj.Very small;trifling(10)Digest:v.To change food in the stomach into a form your body can useDigest:n.A short piece of writing that gives the most important facts from a book,reportetc(11)Lead:v.Guide by the hand,direct movements ofLead:n.A kind of metal(12)Wind:n.Air in more or less rapid natural motionWind:v.Go in circular,spiral course2.2 Classification of English punsConcerning the classification of puns,different linguists have different standpoints.As HeShanfen states in"Contrastive Studies of English and Chinese-Languages",puns can be roughlydivided into three kinds.They are named antalaclasis,paronomasia and syllepsis [7].Here theauthor uses two examples to explain the first two parts.Antalaclasis refers to a word used twice or more,but each time with a different meaning.Forexample:(13)To England will I steal and there I'll steal.The first"steal"means"to go to England secretly without being noticed",while the second "steal"is used in its most commonly used meaning.Paronomasia is the use of two words,which are similar in pronunciation but different in meaning.For example:(14)Catch the Raincheetahs and cheat the rainHere "raincheetahs"is the brand name of the product.It is pronounced similarly to"raincheater"which echoes to“cheat the rain”.In "English Writing and Rhetoric"written by Prof.WenJun,a more specific means ofclassification brings about five categories of puns 8:homophonic pun,paronomasia,antalaclasis,Sylletic pun and asteimus.However,according to Li Xinhua,in his work,"A Detailed Study of Figures ofSpeech in English",he points that those five categories classified by Prof.Wenjun are clear butover-elaborate.In summary,it is clearer to divide into these two types:one is homophonic pun,the other is homographic pun.He also points out that,in those five categories,Nol and No2belong to the homophonic pun;the others belong to the homographic pun,which is the way tobring complication into simplicity.And it is easier to master the characteristics of figure of speech.However,as Lv Xu states in"Practical English Rhetoric",according to the characteristics and