中式英语之鉴读后感

zwt

Reader: 曾维庭
Reading Time: 6.1
Reading Task: Logical Connectives

As a language that relies on semantic coherence, Chinese often conveys logic through the inherent connections between context and meaning. For example, in the sentence ‘He stayed up late studying, and performed well in the exam,’ the causal relationship is implicitly understood by the reader through the natural flow of the preceding and following sentences. However, as a language that relies on formal coherence, English must use explicit conjunctions to establish a logical framework. If the above sentence were directly translated as ‘He stayed up late studying, he performed well in the exam,’ the lack of supporting conjunctions like ‘so’ or ‘therefore’ would make the logic seem loose. This is the fundamental difference between Chinese and English in how they express logic at their core—Chinese emphasises ‘semantic coherence,’ relying on semantic context to imply relationships; English emphasises ‘morphological coherence,’ depending on conjunctions as ‘mental signposts’ to guide understanding.

The book's classification and precise use of conjunctions made me realise that my previous understanding of words like ‘but’ and ‘while’ was too superficial. For example, ‘while’ often corresponds to ‘at the same time’ or ‘although’ in Chinese, but in English, it primarily indicates ‘when’ in terms of time. If used to indicate contrast, it can easily lead to ambiguity. The correct transition should use ‘although’ or ‘whereas.’ Such details have made me realise that the choice of conjunctions is not merely a grammatical issue but also a precise grasp of the logical structure of English—‘however’ is more formal than ‘but,’ and ‘hence’ emphasises the inevitability of the result more strongly than ‘so.’ These differences form the foundation of the rigor of English discourse.

The practical exercises in the book act like a mirror, revealing typical pitfalls of Chinese-style thinking in English writing. When I saw the original sentence ‘She loves music, so she decided to study composition’ revised to ‘Since she loved music, she decided to study composition,’ I suddenly realised that I often omit conjunctions due to the inertia of Chinese's implicit relationships, resulting in English sentences that appear complete but lack logical clarity. This contrast between theory and practice prompted me to develop the habit of ‘establishing logic before selecting words’ in my writing: when writing in English, I no longer correspond word-for-word with the implied relationships in Chinese, but first clarify the causal, contrastive, or progressive relationships between sentences, then select appropriate conjunctions to build the framework.

After reading this chapter, I deeply understood that language learning is not merely about accumulating vocabulary and grammar, but also about transforming one's way of thinking. The ‘beauty of meaning’ in Chinese relies on the reader's active interpretation, while the ‘strictness of form’ in English requires the author to clearly lay out the logical path. Those words I once regarded as ‘simple conjunctions’ are actually the key links supporting the coherence of English texts—they are like gears in a precision instrument; only when they mesh accurately can the transmission of ideas flow smoothly and rigorously.