The BBC have broadcast a message in which they have asked a certain Mr Green to go to the Overhill Hospital when doctors are treating his wife after a severe stroke.
这里的when不可以翻译成从属连词,应该是并列连词吗?
先看一下下面一个句子:
He was about to leave the office and then the telephonce rang.
这是一个并列句,then= at that time. 而that time指带was about to leave的时间,即谓语时间。并列句的二个分句都是说话人需要强调的信息,具备同等的重要程度。假如同样是上面这个语境,说话人为了突出第一个分句,让第二个分句作为陪衬,则用主从复合句来表达这个信息。用when替换then, 删去并列连词and, 句子则为:
He was about to leave the office when the telephone rang. 他刚要离开办公室,这是电话铃响了。when=and then.
这就成了一个主从复合句。突出的是主句内容。因为when在乎义上等于and then, 所以有些语法书就把这种when称为并列连词。这种看法并没得到广泛认同,只不过部分学者的看法。其实when还是一个从属标记词,这是主从复合句,而不是并列句。但这种把when根据并列连词剖析能够帮助不同其它when从句,对于初学习英语的人理解句义还是有帮助的。比如
When the telephone rang, he was about to leave the office. 电话铃响的时候,他正要离开办公室。when=at the time when。
这二个句子的意义是不同的。别讲解为并列连词的when, 其时间意义依靠于主句,when本质上是一种关系分句,其先行词为主句的谓语所表示的时间。而第二个句子中的when则是一个融合型关系词,自带先行词,时间意义不依靠于主句。所以,前者在翻译的时候常根据并列句翻译,一般可加上忽然二字。而后者则没这种意思。
假如网友可以区别这二种不一样的when时间从句,其实也就没必要肯定把when剖析为并列连词。毕竟海外权威语法书在讨论并列连词的时候,并没when这个并列连词。
目前回到网友的这个句子:
they have asked a certain Mr Green to go to the Overhill Hospital when doctors are treating his wife after a severe stroke.
when从句修饰have asked. when=and at that time,所以这个when是有些学者觉得的并列连词,虽然这里没“忽然”的意思。这个句子可以改写为:
they have asked a certain Mr Green to go to the Overhill Hospital and at that time doctors are treating his wife after a severe stroke.