4.5.3 Representation of image-G at textual level
A discourse refers to a supra-sentential linguistic unit with pragmatical structural cohesion and semantic coherence.As for a literary discourse,it has characteristics of complex semantic structure and plenty of semantic contents with Gestalt properties.Semantic coherence is the generative basis of image-G in literary discourse and it is also the semantic foundation for translators'comprehension of image-G.Translators'accurate comprehension and construction of image-G are a necessary condition for the realization of semantic coherence in TT.Semantic coherence is fully processed to the point where it could be lexicalized as various language construct designations,such as words,phrases,or manner of syntactic expression.Thus it is clear that semantic coherence in literary discourse is always manifested in various explicit language structures of cohesive prominent such as lexicon,syntax and grammar,and is always accompanied with linguistic markers,while the construction of cohesive representation in translators'mental space is also a major requisite for semantic coherence.To be specific,implicit cognitive conceptual structures which are embedded in translators'mind,such as conceptual metaphor,conceptual metonymy and cognitive model,also have an effect on the realization degree of semantic coherence.
According to perception theory of Gestalt psychology,the perception whole is greater than the sum of all elements and perception elements are determined by the whole.Gestalt is perceived as a whole rather than as decentralized elements(Kohler,1993).The semantics of image-G in coherent literary discourse is indiscrete and not divisible into parts.It will be seen from this that its semantics is considerably richer than that of the sum of discourse components,which forms the Gestalt effect of literary discourse.In other words,the sum of Gestalt properties of individual linguistic elements involved in literary discourse at textual level is much more less than that of an entire literary discourse of its own.An entire literary discourse maximizes holistic Gestalt perception because it functionally integrates Gestalt qualities of all linguistic elements.Translators'construal of image-G at textual level is actually an integration of conceptual correlation as well as textual congruence in a literary discourse.In order to acquire superordinate conception of image-G,they bring them into a unified semantic frame of textual prototype structure and conceptual archetype models of the working of their mind.(https://www.daowen.com)
Translators'construal of the representation of image-G at textual level can be regarded as a multi-step process consisting of the realization of semantic leap in the shift of image-G scope,the acquirement of coherence mental models in scenarios,the thematic configuration of holistic image in discourse space and so on.Cognitive construction of holistic imagery in literary discourse is closely associated with scenarios of textual space.Yet it is the constituent least conspicuous or accessible to discern(Lindner,2003).Firstly,translators'cognitive construal of image-G in textual space triggers semantic frames and cognition concepts of experience space of a certain scenario.Then,various means such as the compensation for a loss of conceptual scenario,the completion of metonymic focus shifting of frame operation,and the construction of a new counter-factual scenario with optimum dynamic similarity,are served as cognitive means for translators'cognitive operation of these frames and concepts.Thirdly,Gestalt tendency is a sense that is due to the partwhole structure of a literary discourse,and is selected by a specific textual contextdependent because it only arises in a full textual context.Translators'cognition of a literary discourse also displays Gestalt tendency because semantic construction is viewed as a fundamentally conceptual process.In that case,translators can decide when the representation of image-G is conventionalized(stored in semantic memory)and when the semantic of image-G is inferred on-line as a result of information.Translators also should take account of discourse coherence,style and theme of literary context,which is contributed to their construal of the representation of image-G at textual level.However,some semantic-hidden Gestalt quality that constitutes the holistic image-G within a literary discourse is probably least perceivable and perhaps implicit.Whereas explicit Gestalt quality allows for an inferential conceptualization of the presentation of image-G at textual level,the Gestalt information contained in the initial portions is not sufficient for translators to acquire whole image-G of literary discourse(Su & Wen,2018).So,in order to acquire a comprehensive construal of the presentation of image-G at textual level,translators may make quite an effort to adopt facets of general cognition,like diagram dimension,categorization,and so on,serve to structure their cognition of implicit Gestalt and guarantee the universality of homogeneous conceptual content of image-G.