He said, she said
Controlling illocutionary force in the translation of literary dialogue
Published online: 19 June 2003
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.14.2.04bou
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.14.2.04bou
In this article it is suggested that the translation of speech-act report verbs may provide scope for achieving stylistic and pragmatic aims. Analysis of the translation of fictional dialogues from a contemporary English novel reveals considerable diversity in the choice of Spanish verbs used to render ‘said’ in the context of impositive directive speech acts. While the choice of a speech act with similar illocutionary force to “said” may fulfil only stylistic objectives, a pragmatic dimension is introduced by the selection of a speech-act verb with a different force. In the context of impositive directive speech acts such a choice may be viewed as an aspect of “pragmastylistics”, defined in Hickey, Leo, Rosa Lorés, Hilaria Loya Gómez and Antonio Gil de Carrasco. 1993. “A pragmastylistic aspect of literary translation”. Babel 39:3. 77–88. as “the area where pragmatic and stylistic considerations converge.”
Résumé
Dans cet article, nous essayons de montrer que la traduction de verbes exprimant un acte delangage déclaratif peut offrir des ressources stylistiques aussi bien que pragmatiques.Une analysede la traduction des dialogues d’un roman anglais contemporain révèle une grande diversité deverbes espagnols correspondant à “said” dans le contexte d’actes de langage conatifs. Alors quele choix d’un verbe ayant une force illocutoire similaire à “said” peut seulement avoir une viséestylistique, on parvient à ajouter une dimension pragmatique en choisissant un verbe chargéd’une force différente. Dans le contexte d’un acte de langage conatif, ce choix peut êtreconsidéré comme relevant de la pragmastylistique, définie par Hickey, Leo, Rosa Lorés, Hilaria Loya Gómez and Antonio Gil de Carrasco. 1993. “A pragmastylistic aspect of literary translation”. Babel 39:3. 77–88. comme“le domaine où des considérations pragmatiques et stylistiques se rencontrent”.
Article outline
- Introduction
- Sample
- Findings
- i.Punctuation shifts
- ii.Changes at word level
- Discussion
- i.Stylistic effects
- ii.Pragmatic effects
- Conclusion
- Notes
References
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2020. The translation of reporting verbs in Italian. International Journal of Corpus Linguistics 25:3 ► pp. 241 ff.
Yu, Hailing & Shangxing Guo
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Wang, Vincent X.
2009. Pragmatic shifts in two translations of FushengLiuji. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 21:2 ► pp. 209 ff.
Winters, Marion
Winters, Marion
2009. Modal particles explained. Target. International Journal of Translation Studies 21:1 ► pp. 74 ff.
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