英语毕业论文致谢怎么写
时间:2019-05-24 18:01:17
英语专业毕业论文( thesis)一般被视为该专业学生所写的第一篇正规学术性论文,论文写作中的每个部分对该专业学生来说都是十分重要的,当然,“致谢”(acknowledgements)也不例外。学术性论文中的“致谢”是指作者以书面形式对帮助鼓励过自己完成论文的人所表示的谢意,它是论文的有机组成部分,一般置于题名页( title page)之后,独立成篇、单另成页。“致谢”不仅能反映论文的写作背景及作者学术的严谨态度和道德,而且在一定程度上还能反映作者的学术水平。然而在指导学生论文写作的过程中,笔者发现,不少学生难于写好“致谢”。
一、问题与分析
学生论文“致谢”写作时存在的问题主要表现在以下三个方面。
1.对象不明。例如:
i am grateful tomy parents, without their support, i cannotfinish my thesis. i am also thankful to all my classmates andteachers, without their encouragement, i cannotgetdown towri?ting the thesis. and finally iwant to thank the foreign languagesdepartmentof university forprovidingme a computer to typeand print outmy thesis.
从对象分析,该“致谢”尽管提到了父母、同学和老师,但排名先后顺序不当,而对导师(supervisor)的指导却只字不提。
看来,学生还不清楚“致谢”的主要对象应该是谁。
2.文体混乱。例如:
itwas really a laborious task to accomplishmy thesis. manypeople gaveme support and help in the process ofwriting the pa?per. i’d like first to givemy gratitude tomy dear teacher, pro.f who generously gaveme her kind help and instructions dur?ing thewhole process ofmy paper-writing. then i’d like to givemymany thanks tomy classmateswho helpedme a lotwithmy in?formation collecting and paper-polishing.
从文体上分析,此“致谢”混用了正式文体和非正式文体。
如laborious, gratitude属正式文体语言,短语a lot和缩合词i’d属非正式文体语言。另外在此用dear teacher来表示“导师”也不当或欠妥。可见学生尚未掌握“致谢”写作的文体。
3.内容牵强。例如:
iwould like to thankmy supervisor, mrs. who helpedme draw an outline of the thesis and correctmy mistakes in thethesis. also iwant to thank allmy teachers. i learned a lot fromthem, notonly the knowledge butalso theworking attitude. more?over, i thankmy classmates aswel.l during the studywe becamegood friends, and spenthappy time. and finally i am grateful tomy parents, without their support, i cannotaccomplishmy study.
从内容来看,本“致谢”除第一句外,其他句子都与撰写论文无关,这表明学生不知道“致谢”内容实质是什么。
二、解决对策
在对以上所存在问题的分析过程中,笔者对论文“致谢”的写作也进行了一些研究。《英语科研论文写作概要》一书中这样指出:“in western academic circles, there are strict con?ventions aboutwhat should be put in such an acknowledgement,and theway in which it should be written.”[1]由此可见,“致谢”写作是有一定规定的,因循惯例是关键,也是解决“致谢”写作问题的对策。具体对策有以下三点:
1.明确“致谢”的对象
《英语科研论文写作概要》一书中还指出:”generallyspeaking, thanks are rendered only to those who have helped thewriter academically….”[2]。具体说来,“致谢的对象是在研究过程以及在论文的写作过程中、对作者的研究和成文起了一定的指导、帮助、支持和鼓励作用的人员。”[3]由此看来,英语专业学士学位论文“致谢”的对象应主要是对论文进行指导的导师,同时包括对论文提出过建议或意见的教师、同学和朋友,以及对论文写作提供具体帮助的机构和关心论文的作者家人等。
2.采用“致谢”写作的文体
“毕业论文或学士论文是一种研究性论文( research pa?per)。它的语气、格调和格式不同于非正式文体……毕业论文是一种正规作文,必须遵循正规作文的规范。”[4]英语毕业论文属研究性论文,在写作上理应采用正式文体,“致谢”的文体也在其中,包括宜用学术性词汇、采用单个动词、使用单词的全拼形式、多用平行句子。例如:i also extend my sincere gratitude to professor for hisconstant support throughoutmywork on this thesis and forhis in?formed guidance and advice.
本句中使用的学术性词汇有extend, sincere gratitude和informed guidance,这些词汇的使用可使“致谢”严谨、庄重。
i am most grateful to my supervisor professor withoutwhose support and patience this thesiswould not have been com?pleted.
此句中用了单个动词“completed”,意思比较明确,在此则不可采用短语动词“carried out”。因为短语动词为非正式语言,“短语动词往往不止一种含义,而且常常难以确定,写专业论文时往往要用意义比较明确的单个动词来代替……”[5]carry out就有“实施(计划)”、“举行(义务、约定)”、等含义。
iwould like to thank my supervisor professor withoutwhosemost helpful instructions and guidance, the completion ofthis thesiswould have been impossible.
此句中的“iwould like to”不宜缩写为“i’d like to”。英语缩写词“一般用于非正式文体。”[6]iwould like to express my deep gratitude to my supervisorprofessor for spendingmuch time reading and improving thisthesis.
iwould also like to extendmy sincere thanks tomr. forevaluatingmy thesis and offering valuable input.
finally, iwould like to give thanks tomy classmate forfindingmemany valuable references in the course ofmywriting.
此“致谢”中的三个句子相互平行,结构相似,均采用的是“iwould like to do sth. to sb. fordoing sth.”这一句子结构。
带有平行结构的句子常用于正式文体[7],以表强调。
3.掌握“致谢”内容的实质
尽管英语毕业论文“致谢”的篇幅不大,但其内容安排要求对其排列有序、段落层次分明、理由实在具体篇例如:i am most grateful to my supervisor professor withoutwhosemosthelpful instructions andwarm encouragement this the?siswould nothave been finished.
i am also grateful tomy classmates and for theirtime spentwithme discussing questions concerned.