Speech corpus–based study on the speakability in translation of Chinese classical operas
Speakability in drama involves the level of ease with which an individual can coordinate the pronunciation,
singing, and emotion of a text. In translations of classical Chinese operas, reproducing the speakability of the original can
determine the success of the stage performance of the opera. However, speakability in such translations has not been explored in
the literature. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the similarity of the speakability in translations of An
Enchanting Dream
惊梦 from
The Peony Pavilion
牡丹亭 to
that of the original Chinese through a corpus-driven investigation of versions of the opera annotated by Xu Yuanchong and
translated by Xu Yuanchong and Xu Ming, Wang Rongpei, and Cyril Birch. We developed a prosodic phonological evaluation system in
which duration and pitch were used to compare the source text and target texts by using InterPhonic 5.0 and Praat software. The
results indicated that for duration when the context and characterization in the drama are considered, Wang’s translation did not
adequately convey emotions. For pitch, the tone ranges of Xu and Xu’s translation fluctuated more drastically, which more
effectively conveyed the emotional changes of the original text. Furthermore, the waviness of the pitches in Xu and Xu’s
translation was similar to that of the original text. In this study, relative corpora were developed to determine the translated
speakability of a Chinese classical opera. Our results may be valuable to translation studies and for the dissemination of
traditional Chinese culture.
Article outline
- 1.Introduction
- 2.Literature review
- 2.1Translation of The Peony Pavilion
- 2.2Studies on stage-oriented drama translation
- 2.3Studies on prosodic phonology
- 3.Research design
- 3.1Conceptual framework
- 3.2Research objectives: Duration and pitch
- 3.3Methods
- 4.Prosodic phonological analysis of The Peony Pavilion and Its English translations
- 4.1Duration analysis of An Enchanting Dream
- 4.1.1Poem duration analysis
- 4.1.2Clause duration analysis
- 4.1.3Duration analysis results
- 4.2Pitch analysis of An Enchanting Dream
- 4.2.1Tone range analysis
- 4.2.2Pitch waviness
- 4.2.3Pitch analysis results
- 5.Conclusions
- 5.1Major findings
- 5.2Implications
- 5.3Limitations and Suggestions for Further Research
- Notes
-
References