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H-ASIA March 31, 2007 Lin Yutang further response/statement of facts ****************************************************************** From: Ryan Dunch <ryan.dunch@ualberta.ca> I am pleased to report that I have been able to sort out the question of the translation of the American Declaration of Independence on the web attributed to Lin Yutang, which has been the subject of disagreement on this list between Dr. Li Yi and Dr. Thomas Bartlett. The facts of the case are as follows: 1. The American critic and essayist H. L. Mencken published _The American Language: An Inquiry into the Development of English in the United States_ (New York: Alfred A. Knopf. 1919 and subsequent editions), a pioneering and influential study of colloquial American. As an appendix to that work he included "specimens of the American Vulgate," starting with a rendition of the Declaration into colloquial (pp. 398-402 of the third edition, 1930 – Lin used the 1923 edition, but that is not in our library). Although Mencken was well-known as a satirist, it seems to me on the basis of the whole book that his intent was more illustrative than satirical, i.e. to illustrate the divergence between formal English and American colloquial by translating a well-known formal document into colloquial. As readers will see, neither Dr. Li nor Dr. Bartlett entirely concur with my opinion on this point. 2. In 1934, Lin Yutang published in the periodical _Lun Yu_ 54 (Dec 1, 1934) a rendition into colloquial/slang Chinese of Mencken's version of the Declaration. Lin included a preface giving the source and a sample of the English text, and explaining his purpose in translating it into Beijing-region "liyu" (slang; vulgar/rustic speech). Himself Fujianese, Lin states that he had input from the Beijing writers Lao She and Lao Xiang to check the language. As I read the preface, Lin wanted to show the difficulty of writing well in _baihua_ and the necessity for detailed study of spoken Chinese and specifically a good dictionary and grammar of the Beijing dialect. In other words, Lin's intent is also not satirical, but rather an exercise in translating into Beijing slang fitting into Lin's concern with language reform in the Chinese context. The preface itself is in his usual style of highbrow colloquial with some classical elements, and he makes clear in the preface how different from his usual style the slang text is, and how difficult he found it to do the slang version. I found the full essay reproduced in a compilation from Taiwan, _Qingsuan yueliang: Yutang youmo wenxuan_, edited Lin Taiyi (Taipei: Lianjing chuban shiye gongsi, 1994), vol. 2, pp. 77-82. I have scanned both this text and Mencken's and sent them to Drs. Li and Bartlett, whose responses will follow this post. I can provide the primary texts also to any other interested readers; please put "Lin Yutang text request" in the subject line. 3. At some point in the more recent past, Lin's slang rendering of the Mencken's colloquial version of the Declaration appeared on the internet, unsourced, and detached from its explanatory context. 4. Dr. Li Yi, responding to a request for information on Lin Yutang, drew attention to this document as an example of Lin's genius as a translator. He also expressed his view that Lin's rendition showed a "profound and comprehensive understanding of American founding fathers." 5. Observing the difference between this text and Lin Yutang's usual style, Dr. Thomas Bartlett expressed doubt that the document was written by Lin. He suggested that it was probably an internet hoax intended to ridicule the intent of the original English document's authors. Dr. Li then reiterated his view, and Dr. Bartlett expanded on his. Professor Michel Hockx of SOAS provided the essential key to resolving the factual points by providing the citation to Lin's article, and I thank him for that assistance. Several points are evident from the above: A. The text is indeed by Lin Yutang, contrary to Dr. Bartlett's view. B. Strictly speaking, it is not a translation of the Declaration of Independence, but rather a translation of Mencken's colloquial translation of the Declaration – or, better, a parallel effort inspired by Mencken's to render the Declaration into low-brow vernacular. Given that, Dr. Li's suggestion that it shows a profound understanding of the American founding fathers is questionable. C. The ways texts take on new lives detached from their original contexts in cyberspace, where they are deployed in discourses and to purposes quite different from their author's original intention, is another dimension of the issue. In this case a text that was not originally satirical is easily read as a satire on the web, and this reading shaped the conclusions drawn by Dr. Bartlett. ---------------------------- I have offered each of the disputants the right of one post each subsequent to this one, with Dr. Li having the last word. They have each had the gist of the summary above for over 24 hours, along with the relevant primary texts, and have formulated their positions in response to them. As members will see, they are not of one mind, but further discussion of this particular matter on H-ASIA would be counter-productive at this time; members with points to make are welcome to contact Drs. Li and Bartlett directly. Correspondence concerning the editorial handling of the dispute, for which I take responsibility, can be directed to me or the other H-ASIA editors. Posts on Lin Yutang's work and place in history are still welcome. Ryan Dunch H-ASIA co-editor ************************************************************************* To post to H-ASIA simply send your message to: <H-ASIA@h-net.msu.edu> For holidays or short absences send post to: <listserv@h-net.msu.edu> with message: SET H-ASIA NOMAIL Upon return, send post with message SET H-ASIA MAIL H-ASIA WEB HOMEPAGE URL: http://h-net.msu.edu/~asia/
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