Attitude in Appraisal Theory: A Comparative Analysis of English Versions of Changgan Xing

Abstract

This study intends to explore the distribution of appraisal resources in the English versions of Li Bai’s poem Changgan Xing. It aims to make a comparative analysis and find out the similarities and differences of the translated poems based on J. R. Martin’s Appraisal Theory. Two classical English versions of the Chinese poem, which were translated by Ezra Pound and Xu Yuanchong, have been chosen. The distribution of attitudinal resources in the two English versions has been analyzed under the attitude system from three aspects: affect, judgment and appreciation. The distribution of polarity and explicitness in the poems has been explored as well. The study has adopted quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct a comparative analysis of the attitudinal resources in the translated poems. Further, the reasons for the differences of attitudinal resources in the translated versions have been explored. Through revealing the similarities and differences of the attitudinal resources, this study shows the applicability of the Appraisal Theory in the comparative studies of Chinese-English poems.