Title: Information structure in parallel texts : a Czech-English view
Source document: Brno studies in English. 2019, vol. 45, iss. 2, pp. [9]-34
Extent
[9]-34
-
ISSN0524-6881 (print)1805-0867 (online)
Persistent identifier (DOI): https://doi.org/10.5817/BSE2019-2-1
Stable URL (handle): https://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/142181
Type: Article
Language
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International
Notice: These citations are automatically created and might not follow citation rules properly.
Abstract(s)
The article is a contrastive study of information structure in Czech originals and their English translations. It focuses on problems arising from a different hierarchy of the word order principles in the two languages, the primary word order principle being functional sentence perspective (FSP) in Czech, in contrast to the primary grammatical function of word order in English. Three aspects are considered: linear ordering, FSP structure, and within the latter the basic distribution of communicative dynamism (CD). The study pursues two aims: to find out which configurations of linear ordering and FSP structure present translation problems, and to compare the results with the findings obtained in the opposite English-Czech direction. The research material comprising 300 examples, drawn equally from three novels, was excerpted from parallel InterCorp texts manually as the contextual and the semantic FSP factors, together with the varying realization forms of the carriers of the FSP functions, flout corpus search through query forms. The results corroborate the general validity of the principle of end focus and present some novel findings from the contrastive viewpoint.
References
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[2] Dušková, Libuše (2011) A Textual View of Noun Modification. In: Miroslav Černý, Chamonikolasová Jana, Kavka Stanislav J., Klímová Eva (eds.) New Chapters in Functional Syntax. Ostrava: Ostrava University, 18–30.
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[6] Dušková, Libuše (2018) Parallel corpora and contrastive linguistics: Where to look for pitfalls in the translation of information structure. In: Ebeling Signe Oksefjell and Hilde Hasselgård (eds.) Corpora et Comparatio Linguarum: Textual and Contextual Perspectives. BELLS 9 (1): 5–19.
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[8] Hajičová, Eva, Barbara Partee and Petr Sgall (1998) Topic-Focus Articulation. Tripartite Structures and Semantic Content. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
[9] Halliday, M. A. K. (2014) Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar. Revised by M. I. M. Matthiessen. 4th ed. London and New York: Routledge.
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[11] Chamonikolasová, Jana (2010) Communicative perspective in the theory of FSP. Linguistica Pragensia 20 (2): 86–93.
[12] Leech, Geoffrey N. (1983) The Principles of Pragmatics. London and New York: John Benjamins.
[13] Malá, Markéta and Pavlína Šaldová (2012) Complex condensation – Vilém Mathesius, Josef Vachek and Jiří Nosek, and Beyond. In: Malá, Markéta and Pavlína Šaldová (eds.) A Centenary of English Studies at Charles University: from Mathesius to Present-day Linguistics. Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 135–158.
[14] Mathesius, Vilém (1975) A Functional Analysis of Present Day English on a General Linguistic Basis. Prague: Academia.
[15] Poláčková, Milena (1988) K poměru nominálních a verbálních rysů mezi češtinou a angličtinou z hlediska překladu. Časopis pro moderní filologii 70 (Philologica Pragensia 31/4): 21–26.
[16] Quirk, Randolf, Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. and Svartvik J. (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.
[17] Svoboda, Aleš (1968) The hierarchy of communicative units and fields as illustrated by English attributive constructions. Brno Studies in English 7: 49–85.
[18] Svoboda, Aleš (1981) Diatheme. Brno: Masaryk University.
[19] Svoboda, Aleš (1987) Functional sentence perspective of the noun phrase. Brno Studies in English 17: 61–86.
[20] Vachek, Josef (1955) Some thoughts on the so-called complex condensation in Modern English. Brno Studies in English 3 (Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty brněnské univerzity (A 3): 63–77.
[21] Adams, Douglas (1990) The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. London: Macmillan Pocket. Translation Jana Hollanová (2016) Dlouhý, temný čas svačiny duše. Prague: Argo.
[22] Galbraith, Robert (2014) The Silkworm. London: Sphere. Translation Ladislav Šenkyřík, (2015) Hedvábník. Prague: Plus.
[23] Jirotka, Zdeněk (1991) Saturnin. Prague: Československý spisovatel. 1st ed. 1942. Translation Mark Corner (2003) Saturnin. Prague: The Karolinum Press.
[24] Klíma, Ivan (2006) Láska a smetí. Prague: Abonent ND. 1st ed. 1986. Translation Oswald Osers (1991) Love and Garbage. Penguin Books.
[25] Osers, Oswald (1991) Love and Garbage. Penguin Books.
[26] Viewegh, Michal (1994) Výchova dívek v Čechách. Prague: Český spisovatel. Translation A.G. Brain (1996) Bringing up Girls in Bohemia. Readers International: 1996.
[27] InterCorp: Český národní korpus – InterCorp. Prague: Ústav Českého národního korpusu. http://www.korpus.cz [last accessed 12 May 2017]
[2] Dušková, Libuše (2011) A Textual View of Noun Modification. In: Miroslav Černý, Chamonikolasová Jana, Kavka Stanislav J., Klímová Eva (eds.) New Chapters in Functional Syntax. Ostrava: Ostrava University, 18–30.
[3] Dušková, Libuše (2012) Vilém Mathesius and contrastive studies, and beyond. In Malá, Markéta and Pavlína Šaldová (eds.) A Centenary of English Studies at Charles University: from Mathesius to Present-day Linguistics. Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 21–48.
[4] Dušková, Libuše (2015) From Syntax to Text: the Janus Face of Functional Sentence Perspective. Prague: Charles University in Prague, Karolinum Press.
[5] Dušková, Libuše (2017) Kontrastivní lingvistika a paralelní korpusy. Časopis pro moderní filologii 99 (2): 193–213.
[6] Dušková, Libuše (2018) Parallel corpora and contrastive linguistics: Where to look for pitfalls in the translation of information structure. In: Ebeling Signe Oksefjell and Hilde Hasselgård (eds.) Corpora et Comparatio Linguarum: Textual and Contextual Perspectives. BELLS 9 (1): 5–19.
[7] Firbas, Jan (1992) Functional Sentence Perspective in Written and Spoken Communication. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
[8] Hajičová, Eva, Barbara Partee and Petr Sgall (1998) Topic-Focus Articulation. Tripartite Structures and Semantic Content. Dordrecht: Kluwer.
[9] Halliday, M. A. K. (2014) Halliday's Introduction to Functional Grammar. Revised by M. I. M. Matthiessen. 4th ed. London and New York: Routledge.
[10] Hladký, Josef (1961) Remarks on complex condensation phenomena in some English and Czech contexts. Brno Studies in English 3: 105–118.
[11] Chamonikolasová, Jana (2010) Communicative perspective in the theory of FSP. Linguistica Pragensia 20 (2): 86–93.
[12] Leech, Geoffrey N. (1983) The Principles of Pragmatics. London and New York: John Benjamins.
[13] Malá, Markéta and Pavlína Šaldová (2012) Complex condensation – Vilém Mathesius, Josef Vachek and Jiří Nosek, and Beyond. In: Malá, Markéta and Pavlína Šaldová (eds.) A Centenary of English Studies at Charles University: from Mathesius to Present-day Linguistics. Prague: Charles University, Faculty of Arts, 135–158.
[14] Mathesius, Vilém (1975) A Functional Analysis of Present Day English on a General Linguistic Basis. Prague: Academia.
[15] Poláčková, Milena (1988) K poměru nominálních a verbálních rysů mezi češtinou a angličtinou z hlediska překladu. Časopis pro moderní filologii 70 (Philologica Pragensia 31/4): 21–26.
[16] Quirk, Randolf, Greenbaum, S., Leech, G. and Svartvik J. (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.
[17] Svoboda, Aleš (1968) The hierarchy of communicative units and fields as illustrated by English attributive constructions. Brno Studies in English 7: 49–85.
[18] Svoboda, Aleš (1981) Diatheme. Brno: Masaryk University.
[19] Svoboda, Aleš (1987) Functional sentence perspective of the noun phrase. Brno Studies in English 17: 61–86.
[20] Vachek, Josef (1955) Some thoughts on the so-called complex condensation in Modern English. Brno Studies in English 3 (Sborník prací Filosofické fakulty brněnské univerzity (A 3): 63–77.
[21] Adams, Douglas (1990) The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. London: Macmillan Pocket. Translation Jana Hollanová (2016) Dlouhý, temný čas svačiny duše. Prague: Argo.
[22] Galbraith, Robert (2014) The Silkworm. London: Sphere. Translation Ladislav Šenkyřík, (2015) Hedvábník. Prague: Plus.
[23] Jirotka, Zdeněk (1991) Saturnin. Prague: Československý spisovatel. 1st ed. 1942. Translation Mark Corner (2003) Saturnin. Prague: The Karolinum Press.
[24] Klíma, Ivan (2006) Láska a smetí. Prague: Abonent ND. 1st ed. 1986. Translation Oswald Osers (1991) Love and Garbage. Penguin Books.
[25] Osers, Oswald (1991) Love and Garbage. Penguin Books.
[26] Viewegh, Michal (1994) Výchova dívek v Čechách. Prague: Český spisovatel. Translation A.G. Brain (1996) Bringing up Girls in Bohemia. Readers International: 1996.
[27] InterCorp: Český národní korpus – InterCorp. Prague: Ústav Českého národního korpusu. http://www.korpus.cz [last accessed 12 May 2017]