RENDERING OF THE CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS OF THE DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES


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IV. LEXICO-GRAMMATICAL ASPECTS OF TRANSLATION

RENDERING OF THE CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS OF THE DEFINITE AND INDEFINITE ARTICLES

The article, both the definite and indefinite, is a functional word serving to identify or determine the noun (cf. to work-the work), the superlative degree of its quality (thetallesttree) or the order of nouns in a word-group (the first step) or in a row of similar nouns. In some prepositional phrases and word-combinations the definite and indefinite articles, however, may change their lexico-grammatical nature (become a particle), as in the expression the more, the better (чим більше, тим краще), or acquire some peculiar grammatical, functional and lexical meaning (the Browns/Petrenkos подружжя Браунів/ Петренків); the article may be lexicalized as in the Alps/the Carpathians Альпи/Карпати, at the baker's/butcher's у пекаря/ м'ясника (в хлібному /м'ясному магазині). Such and the like lexicalized articles, naturally, in no way weaken or lose their determining, i.e., grammatical function. As a result, their lexical meaning is inseparable in these cases from their functional meaning. The determining and lexicalizing nature of the definite and indefinite articles also manifests itself in several set expressions (cf. in the cart, in a word, what a pity, all of a sudden, etc.)

1). On several other occasions the definite/indefinite article may acquire some lexical meaning in contextual environment (only for a time) and thus serve as a peculiar means of «expressive connotation»1 . This kind of articles is each time endowed in different contextual environments with some quite different meaning, which may be, nevertheless, of implicitly different semantic and lexico-gram-matical/logically-grammatical type, as for instance, that of a demonstrative, possessive, identifying, indefinite or some other pronoun: Cf.: He lived more poorly than an artisan. (S. Maugham) Жив він бідніше за будь-якого ремісника. Carot never sold a picture. (Ibid) Каро не продав жодної картини/ні однієї картини.

2) That of an adjunctive/identifying adjective and a specifying or modal particle:... and she had acquired a reputation for neatness

1 See: Rayevska N.M. Modern English Grammar. - Київ, Вища школа, Головне вид-во, 1976, p. 86.

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and accuracy (Maugham) і вона здобула за ретельно виконану роботу солідну репутацію. She would have called him a fish. (Carrol) Вона назвала б його просто карасем.

3) A distinctly nominal or rather nominalizing meaning. The latter can be explicitly illustrated in the following sentence. He (Mr. Gills) took it (the bottle) up and having surveyed and smelt it said with extraordinary expression: «The?» «The», returned the instrument maker. (C. Dickens)

The real meaning of thus emphasized article can be disclosed only in the sentence that follows, where Mr. Gills fills the glass with liquour and drinks it. Without the broader context it would certainly be impossible to guess what this definite nominalizing article stands for in the extract. Nor is it always easy for our students to identify in some sentences the rhematic and the thematic function of articles and to express their meaning. Therefore, the occurrence of lexically meaningful articles is not occasional or accidental, for it is predetermined by context. Due to this, the number of lexically meaningful articles in different speech substyles often varies. Their occurrence can also depend on the personal taste of the author who may be more or less inclined to use them in his narrative. But whatever their quantity, none of the lexically meaningful articles should be ignored or overlooked in the passage under translation and its meaning must be correctly rendered in the target language.

In order to faithfully convey each kind of the aforementioned meaningful articles, the student will be advised first of all to subject the whole passage, which is to be translated, to a thorough content analysis in order to select possible lexical substitutes for the articles in the target language. The substitutes in languages like Ukrainian (or Russian), which have no functionals of the kind, can differ by their logico-grammatical nature, as well as be contextually synonymous. Because of this the choice of the contextually equivalent substitutes depends much on the translator who, when selecting a fitting lexical equivalent for the article, has to take some factors into consideration. These include first of all the semantic factor playing a predominant role, and the stylistic factor eliminating an unnecessary repetition of the same equivalent substitute in sentences close by. In other words, the co-occurrence of the same synonymous substitutes must be strictly regulated. Besides, the translator has to keep it in mind, that some contextual meanings of the definite article may seem similar to those of the indefinite article and vice versa. Hence, the translator should be no less attentive to the style of his target lan-

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guage passage which in its turn will help him achieve a faithful translation of sentences or the passage as a whole, where both the defining and the nominalizing lexically charged articles are used.

When conveying the lexical meanings of the definite and indefinite articles into Ukrainian, attention should be paid to their functional meanings in the sentence/word-combinations. Thus, the meanings of the definite article are usually expressed through different Ukrainian attributive pronouns, adjectives, participles, adverbs or cardinal/ordinal numerals. The meaning of the numeral one, on the other hand, is always expressed only through the indefinite article, which is historically derived from this part of speech. Cf.: Most of felllows in the Quarters share a studio. (Maugham) Багато хлопців з латинського кварталу орендують удвох одну студію.

The nominalizing articles are mostly rendered through the parts of speech having the functions of attributes to the noun: «...I believe that a young person in a city tea-shop has left her situation. (Maugham) ...Гадаю, водній із кав'ярень якась офіціантка зникла.

The emphatically used articles, on the other hand, have usually particles for their contextual equivalents in Ukrainian: But I must content myself with a few paragraphs. (Maugham) Жаль, що можу обмежитьсь дише кількома епізодами.

The rhematic use of the articles introducing the new information, a new core of an utterance, and its thematic use repeating the already known information about an object or event is often disclosed in Ukrainian sentences by other than lexical means, as will be shown further. Still, the bulk of meanings which the lexically charged articles can acquire due to their syntagmatic environment in speech are those of pronouns. This can also be seen from the citied illustrations on the forthcoming pages.

REALIZATION OF CONTEXTUAL MEANINGS OF THE DEFINITE ARTICLE

The definite article when endowed with the lexical meaning in a sentence or passage can have various realizations in Ukrainian. It is expedient to begin with the most common of them which may be the following:

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1) as the demonstrative pronoun цей (ця, це, ці):

What his sister has seen in the man was beyond him. (J.London)1

The thought was fire in him. Martin came back and looked at the beady eyes ~ sneering ....

Що його сестра знайшла у цьому чоловікові, він не міг збагнути.

Ця думка пекла його, мов вогонь. Мартін опритомнів і, глянувши в ці злі, хитрі очі....

2) as the demonstrative pronouns такий (той, та, те, ті), той самий, (саме той, та сама), такий самий:

«Sometimes there is the impression that the IMF is on the same side of the barricades with the forces which are out to reverse the course of development back to Soviet times.» Ukrainian president said. (Kyiv Post)

Prime Minister's dismissal had been rumored from the date of his appointment. (Ibid.)

But surely Ruth did not understand it, he concluded. How could she, living the refined life she did?

He was amazed at the man's sympathy with the life and his incisive psychology.

The fellow behind us in the crowd was talking again. (E.Caldwell)

....and when I could see again, the fellow who stayed with me was dragging me down the street. (Ibid.)

«Іноді створюється таке враження, що МВФ стоїть на одному боці з тими самими силами, які намагаються повернути курс розвитку до радянських часів», - заявив президент України.

Чутки про зняття прем'єр-міністра поширювалися від самого початку його призначення.

Рут навряд чи розуміла цей твір. Та і як вона могла зрозуміти, живучи таким витонченим, яку неї, життям?

Його вразила така любов цієї людини до життя і її психологічне проникнення.

Той самий хлопець із натовпу позад нас тепер озвався знову.

...а коли мені розвиднілось в очах, саме той хлопець, що зостався зі мною, тяг мене за собою.

1 All cited instances in illustration of the lexical meaning of articles, unless indicated otherwise, have been picked up from J.London's works and their translations in Ukrainian.

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3) as the possessive pronoun /"/', їхні, свій (своя, своє, свої):

The room was situated over the laundry...

«Why don't you eat?» he demanded, as Martin dipped dolefully into the cold, half cooked oatmeal mush.

...Mr. Higginbotham sneered throughout mealtime at the «literary» person they had discovered in the family.

Його кімната була/ знаходилась над пральнею...

«Чому ти не їси?» - запитав він, бачачи, як неохоче Мартін копирсає свою недоварену вівсяну кашу.

...містер Хіггїнботем під час обіду стільки кепкував з «писаки», що виявився у їхній родині.

4) as the identifying pronoun весь, вся, все/цілий:

Не looked up, and it seemed that the room was lifting...

The romance and beauty, and high vigour of the books were coming true.

Her trained ear detected the overemphasis of the tyro...

«What the hell you guys blocking the street?» (E.Caldwell)

Він підвів голову і йому здалося, що вся кімната ходить ходором...

Вся романтика і краса, всі високі поривання, про які він читав у книжках, виявились правдою.

її витончене вухо враз вловило всі перебільшення новачка...

«Якого біса ви, волоцюги, запрудили всю вулицю?»

5) as the relative pronoun який (яка, яке, які):

Не caught himself imagining the wonder of a caress from such a hand, and flushed guiltily...

She did not know the actual fire of love.

Він подумав, яку насолоду повинні приносити пестощі такою рукою, і зніяковіло зашарівся...

Вона не знала, яке то справжнє полум'я коханая.

6) as the indefinite pronoun якийсь (якась, якесь), певний:

For the moment the great gulf that separated them then was bridged. He was played by the low comedian, who had intro-

Ha якусь мить через велику безодню, що розділяла їх, був наведений міст. Його роль виконував такий собі комік з

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duced gags of his own... (О. фарсовими вибриками
Wilde) власного штибу.

7) as the identifying attributive pronoun сам, сам собою, інший/
Інша:

But the man did not seem to know of the content of the great mind.

The toil meant nothing to him.

...which was new to him, for of the women he had known -that was the only way he thought.

Та, очевидно, сам бібліотекар нічого не знав про творчість цієї великої голови.

Сама собою праця нічого не важила для нього.

.... і це було нове для нього, бо про інших жінок, яких він знав, він інакше взагалі не думав.



8) as an adjective or adjectivized participle (according to the
contextual meaning):

Martin Eden did not go out to hunt for a job in the morning.

He had worked the day before in the basement and the money had been kept all the time. (E.Caldwell)

9) as a particle emphasizing or some other part of speech:

But the story was grand just the same, perfectly grand.

The man above us was talking to several persons in the crowd. (E.Caldwell)

The next afternoon, accompanied by Arthur, she arrived in the Morses carriage.

Мартін Іден не пішов наступного ранку шукати роботи.

Напередодні він також працював у підвалі фабрики і ще не витратив зароблені гроші.

the attributive pronoun, numeral

А так це оповідання -чудове, ну просто чудове.

А той чоловік над нами огризався до людей з натовпу/ сперечався з людьми з натовпу.

На другий же день в супроводі Артура вона приїхала до нього в кареті Морзів.

10) very often when the noun in the sentence has another attribute the clearly explicit lexical meaning of the definite article remains superflous:

He lay where he had fallen, Він лежав, де впав, і звідти and from there he watched the спостерігав за чоловіком у

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man in the red sweater. червоному светрі. (J.London)

Here the man in the red sweater may be translated as той чоловік у червоному светрі but the postpositive attribute у червоному (светрі) has a stronger force of definiteness than the prepositive lexically charged article. As a result, the meaning of the article remains implicit, though strongly felt.

Similarly in the sentence below where the lexically charged definite article is also suppressed by the attributive prepositional noun:

From the first mention of the 3 першої миті, як місіс

dance by Mrs. Cowperwood and Каупервуд та Анна заговорили

Anna, Ailen had been conscious про вечори з танцями, Ейлен

of a desire toward a more effec- закортіло блиснути (показати

tive presentation of herself than себе) ще яскравіше, ніж це їй

as yet. (T.Dreiser) вдавалося досі.

The definite article in the sentence above is substituted for the contextual noun вечори (з танцями) instead of ті танці as in the original sentence.

11) In many a case the definite article may point to thematic functioning of the noun, which is usually signalized by its initial position in the sentence and pointing to the core of the utterance presenting the basic, known already elements in the sentence:

The street lights were fewer Лампіонів на вулиці тепер

now. (J. Steinbeck) горіло менше.

The old man stared at the Старий з острахом дивився

open door. (Ibid.) на прочинені двері.

The night was getting colder А ніч усе холоднішала і

and more raw all the time, ставала щодалі вологішою/ і

(Е. Caldwell) ставало щодалі вологіше.

The dog had gone back to his Тут собака заходився знову

slow, spiritless barking, спроквола і неохоче

(J. Steinbeck) погавкувати.

They silently passed the stu- Повз майстерню вони

dio. (J. Fowels) пройшли мовчки.

The rheme, the new notional element in the utterance, is more frequently indicated in English by the indefinite article determining

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the noun in the initial position. When translated into Ukrainian, however, the rhematic noun, as has long been noticed1, occupies a terminating position in the sentence/clause (when the utterance is a composite sentence):

There was an old twostorey Того року на Філдінґ Авеню ще
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