中文摘要： 中英中都存在着大量有关死亡的委婉语，而在翻译过程中，由于文化和语言的差异，委婉语的翻译成为了一大难题。《红楼梦》则为死亡委婉语提供了丰富的材料。本文将在社会符号学的指导下，对比霍克斯和杨宪益两位译者的不同版本，分析死亡委婉语的翻译。通过对指称意义，言内意义，语用意义三个维度的分析，本文发现两位译者由于个性经历的差异，在翻译过程中各有侧重，并总结出了相应的翻译策略。

关键词：《红楼梦》；死亡委婉语；社会符号学

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction...1

1.1 Background of the study..1

1.2 Research questions of the study...2

1.3 Significance of the study......2

1.4 Methodology of the study....3

1.5 Organization of the paper.4

2. Literature review5

2.1 Previous study of euphemism..5

2.2 Previous study of euphemism in Hong Lou Meng..5

3. Theoretical basis7

3.1 Development of social semiotics abroad.7

3.2 Development of social semiotics in China...8

4. Analysis of “death” euphemism in Hong Lou Meng.9

4.1 Transmission of Designative Meaning.9

    4.1.1 Complete Correspondence9

    4.1.2 Partial Correspondence...11

    4.1.3 Non-Correspondence......14

4.2 Transmission of Inter-linguistic Meaning..16

    4.2.1 Transmission of Inter-linguistic Meaning at phonetic level17

    4.2.2 Transmission of Inter-linguistic Meaning at lexical level...18

    4.2.3 Transmission of Inter-linguistic Meaning at syntactic level...19

4.3 Transmission of Pragmatic Meaning....19-

    4.3.1 Transmission of extended meaning19

    4.2.1 Transmission of affected meaning..20

5. Conclusion...22

5.1 Summary of the study22

5,2 Implication of the study.22

5.3 Limitation and Suggestions for further study23

Reference.24

Appendix.26