Cover not available

Article published In: Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics
Vol. 37:2 (2024) ► pp.628–655

Get fulltext from our e-platform
JBE logo with link
PDF logo with download linkDownload PDF
EPUB logo with download linkDownload EPUB
authorization required

Implicit agent se-constructions

Modeling the language style in scientific abstracts

ORCiD logo with link | University of North Carolina at Charlotte
ORCiD logo with link | University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Published online: 4 April 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/resla.22022.rod
Abstract
This study provides evidence to support the need for student-translators to be systematically exposed to analyzing and translating texts that give them the opportunity to observe how implicit agent se-constructions need to be used when translating from English into Spanish. A corpus of scientific abstracts was analyzed to compare the frequency of implicit agent se-constructions in abstracts written originally in Spanish and abstracts translated from English into Spanish. Both corpora tools and t-tests were used for comparing data. The results indicate that the abstracts written originally in Spanish feature a more frequent use of implicit agent se-constructions than the abstracts translated into Spanish. The researchers propose the use of scientific abstracts, both originally written in Spanish and translated into Spanish, as pedagogical instruments to model how implicit agent se-constructions operate, thereby promoting student-translators’ accurate use of such constructions, which are frequently used not only in scientific abstracts but also in a wide range of language domains in the Spanish language.
Resumen
Agente implícito en construcciones con se: Los resúmenes científicos como modelos textuales para traductores
Este estudio aporta datos que confirman la necesidad de que los traductores en formación tengan la oportunidad de analizar y traducir textos que les permitan observar cómo funcionan las construcciones con se caracterizadas por la ausencia de agente explícito y cómo se debe usar este tipo de estructuras al traducir del inglés al español. Se compiló y analizó un corpus de resúmenes científicos para comparar la frecuencia de uso del agente implícito en construcciones con se en resúmenes escritos originalmente en español y resúmenes traducidos del inglés al español. Se compararon los datos haciendo uso de herramientas de corpus y de pruebas t. Los resultados indican que los resúmenes escritos originalmente en español presentan un uso más frecuente de las construcciones con se con agente implícito que los resúmenes traducidos al español. Proponemos que se usen los resúmenes científicos, tanto originalmente escritos en español como traducidos al español, como recurso pedagógico con el fin de proporcionar modelos para mostrar el funcionamiento de las mencionadas construcciones con se y de este modo fomentar que los traductores en formación perfeccionen el dominio de su uso, dado que estas construcciones son frecuentes no solo en los resúmenes científicos sino también en una amplia gama de registros de la lengua española.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Literature review
    • 2.1Se-constructions
    • 2.2Obligatory use of implicit agent se-constructions
    • 2.3Learnability and teachability of implicit agent se-constructions
    • 2.4Corpus-based methodology
  • 3.Method
    • 3.1Materials
    • 3.2Procedures: Text selection and annotation
    • 3.3Data analyses
  • 4.Results
  • 5.Discussion
    • 5.1Pedagogical application
  • 6.Concluding remarks
  • 7.Limitations of the study and future research
  • Notes
  • References
References (52)
References
Ávila López-Pedraza, J. (2009). Análisis de los usos de se desde la gramática descriptiva. Hispania, 92(4), 791–799.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baker, M. (1996). Corpus-based translation studies: The challenges that lie ahead. In H. Somers (Ed.), Terminology, LSP and translation. Studies in language engineering in honour of Juan C. Sager (pp. 175–186). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baker, P. (2016). Using corpora in discourse analysis. Continuum.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Baker, P., Gabrielatos, C., Krzyżanowski, M., McEnery, T., & Wodak, R. (2008). A useful methodological synergy? Combining critical discourse analysis and corpus linguistics to examine discourses of refugee seekers in the UK press. Discourse and Society, 19(3), 273–306. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Barlow, M. (2002). ParaConc: Concordance software for multilingual parallel corpora [Computer Software]. Athelstan. Retrieved from: [URL]
Baten, K., & Keßler, J. U. (2019). Research timeline. The role of instruction. In R. Arntzen, G. Håkansson, A. Hjelde, & J. Keßler (Eds.), Teachability and learnability across languages (pp. 9–26). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Bayona, P. (2009). The acquisition of Spanish middle and impersonal passive constructions from SLA and TLA perspectives. In Y. I. Leung (Ed.), Third language acquisition and universal grammar (pp. 1–29). Multilingual Matters. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Biber, D., Conrad, S., & Reppen, R. (1998). Corpus linguistics: Investigating language structure and use. Cambridge University Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Cardona, M. D. (2015). La enseñanza de las construcciones pasivas e impersonales con “se” en español como L2. ¿Cuántas distinciones son necesarias? Didáctica. Lengua y Literatura, 271, 73–96. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Dzung, P. (2008). Research article abstracts in applied linguistics and educational technology: A study of linguistic realizations of rhetorical structure and authorial stance. Discourse Studies, 10(2), 231–250. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fantinuoli, C., & Zanettin, F. (2015). Creating and using multilingual corpora in translation studies. In C. Fantinuoli & F. Zanettin (Eds.), New directions in corpus-based translation studies (pp. 1–10). Language Science Press. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Fernández, S. S. (2003). Un acercamiento a la voz pasiva en español desde una perspectiva cognitiva y del análisis del discurso. In N. Delbecque (Ed.), Aproximaciones cognoscitivo-funcionales al español (pp. 35–49). Rodopi. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Gómez-Castejón, M. A. (2012). Contrastive analysis and translation study from a corpus linguistics perspective. International Journal of English Studies, 12(2), 111–132. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ji, M. (2012). Hypothesis testing in corpus-based literary translation studies. In M. P. Oakes & M. Ji (Eds.), Quantitative methods in corpus-based translation studies: A practical guide to descriptive translation research (pp. 53–75). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Kenny, D. (2001). Lexis and creativity in translation: A corpus-based study. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Laviosa, S. (2002). Corpus-based translation studies: Theory, findings, applications. Rodopi. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Leow, R. P. (2019). Noticing hypothesis. In The TESOL encyclopedia of English language teaching (pp. 1–6). John Wiley & Sons. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
López-Tello, J. M. (1999). Psicología del lenguaje: «animismo» y «logicismo» del español. Cuadernos CANELA: Revista Anual de Literatura, Pensamiento e Historia, Metodología de la Enseñanza del Español como Lengua Extranjera y Lingüística de la Confederación Académica Nipona, Española y Latinoamericana, 111, 159–171.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Maia, B. (2003). Training translators in terminology and information retrieval using comparable and parallel corpora. In F. Zanettin, S. Bernardini, & D. Stewart (Eds.), Corpora in translator education (pp. 43–53). Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Malmkjær, K. (2003). On a pseudo-subversive use of corpora in translator training. In F. Zanettin, S. Bernardini, & D. Stewart (Eds.), Corpora in translator education (pp. 43–53). Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Martín Martín, P. (2003). El discurso académico: hacia una descripción textual de los resúmenes de los artículos científicos. Revista de Filología, 211, 203–2018.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McCarthy, M., & O’Keefe, A. (2010). Historical perspective: What are corpora and how have they evolved? In A. O’Keefe & M. McCarthy (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of corpus linguistics (pp. 3–13). Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
McManus, K. (2015). L1/L2 differences in the acquisition of form-meaning pairings: A comparison of English and German learners of French. The Canadian Modern Language Review / La Revue Canadienne des Langues Vivantes, 71(2), 51–77. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mendikoetxea, A. (2012). Passives and se constructions. In J. I. Hualde, A. Olarrea & E. O’Rourke (Eds.), The handbook of Hispanic linguistics (pp. 477–502). Blackwell Publishing. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Monzó Nebot, E. M. (2008). Corpus-based activities in legal translator training. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 2(2), 221–252. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Munday, J. (1997). Systems in translation: A computer-assisted systemic approach to the analysis of the translations of García Márquez. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, Department of Modern Languages, University of Bradford.
Navarro, F. A., Hernández, F., & Rodríguez-Villanueva, L. (1994). Uso y abuso de la voz pasiva en el lenguaje médico escrito. Medicina Clínica, 103(12), 461–464.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oakes, M. P. (1998). Statistics for corpus linguistics. Edinburgh University Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Oliver, S. (2015). Spanish authors dealing with hedging or the challenges of scholarly publications in English L2. In A. R. Plo & C. Pérez-Llantada (Eds.), English as a scientific and research language: Debates and discourses (pp. 141–157). De Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Olohan, M. (2004). Introducing corpora in translation studies. Routledge. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Otañi, I. (2005). El resumen o abstract del artículo de investigación en español: Características retórico-lingüísticas. In G. Vázquez (Ed.), Español con fines académicos: De la comprensión a la producción de textos (pp. 45–72). Edinumen.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Pienemann, M. (2011). The psycholinguistic basis of PT. In M. Pienemann & J. U. Keßler (Eds.), Studying processability theory (pp. 27–49). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2015). An outline of Processability Theory and its relationship to other approaches to SLA. Language Learning, 65(1), 123–151. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Rabadán, R., Labrador, B., & Ramón, N. (2009). Corpus-based contrastive analysis and translation universals. Babel, 55(4), 303–328. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Ramón, N., & Gutiérrez-Lanza, C. (2018). Translation description for assessment and post-editing: The case of personal pronouns in translated Spanish. Target: International Journal of Translation Studies, 30(1), 112–136. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Real Academia Española (RAE) (2009). Oraciones activas, pasivas, impersonales y medias. In Real Academia Española (RAE), Nueva gramática de la lengua española (pp. 3037–3112). Vol. II1. Espasa Libros.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Saldanha, G., & O’Brien, S. (2013). Research methodologies in translation studies. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Scott, M. (2020). WordSmith Tools version 81, Stroud: Lexical Analysis Software.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Schmidt, R. (2012). Attention, awareness, and individual differences in language learning. In W. Chan, K. Chin, S. Bhatt & I. Walker (Eds.), Perspectives on individual characteristics and foreign language education (pp. 27–50). De Gruyter. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Sorace, A. & Serratice, L. (2009). Internal and external interfaces in bilingual language development: Beyond structural overlap. International Journal of Bilingualism, 13(2), 195–210. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Spada, N. & Lightbown, P. M. (2012). Instructed second language acquisition. In P. Robinson (Ed.), The Routledge encyclopedia of second language acquisition (pp. 319–326). Taylor & Francis Group.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Tremblay, A. (2006). On the second language acquisition of Spanish reflexive passives and reflexive impersonals by French- and English-speaking adults. Second Language Research, 22(1), 30–63. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Van Aertselaer, J. N. (2008). Contrasting English-Spanish interpersonal discourse phrases. In F. Meunier & S. Granger (Eds.), Phraseology in foreign language learning and teaching (pp. 85–100). John Benjamins. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Vanderplank, R. (2008). The significance of first language development in five to nine year old children for second and foreign language learning. Applied Linguistics, 29(4), 717–722. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Van der Slik, F. W. P. (2010). Acquisition of Dutch as a second language: The explanative power of cognate and genetic linguistic distance measures for 11 west European first languages. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(3), 401–432. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
VanPatten, B. (2002). Processing instruction: An update. Language Learning, 52(4), 755–803. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zanettin, F. (2009). Corpus-based translation activities for language learners. The Interpreter and Translator Trainer, 3(2), 209–224. Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
(2012). Translation-driven corpora corpus resources for descriptive and applied translation studies. Routledge.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Zubillaga, N., Sanz, Z., & Uribarri, I. (2015). Building a trilingual parallel corpus to analyse literary translations from German into Basque. In C. Fantinuoli & F. Zanettin (Eds.), New directions in corpus-based translation studies (pp. 71–92). Language Science Press.Google Scholar logo with link to Google Scholar
Mobile Menu Logo with link to supplementary files background Layer 1 prag Twitter_Logo_Blue