Sentential Issues in Translation Chapter 9 Ms. Abrar A. Mujaddidi

The Sentential level Different grammatical arrangements: create different assumptions for the listener or the reader Result in different communicative effects.

Textual variables on the sentential level Non syntactic features of the sentence: Prosodic features Theme and rheme Foregrounding and backgrounding

Prosodic features Different sentences can be created through the use of intonation and stress even though they have the same words in the same word order: e.g. (intonation) the salt The salt? The salt!

Arabic is not able to show similar manipulation with stress. Stress can be similarly used in English to express different shades of meaning : E.g. I know that man I know that man Arabic is not able to show similar manipulation with stress.

Although punctuation can not always show spoken stress and intonation effects, it sometimes can add extra meaning: My brother who lives in Bristol is a doctor. My brother, who lives in Bristol, is a doctor.

Punctuation in Arabic is even less systematic than punctuation in English. Arabic traditionally made no use of punctuation marks.

Theme and Rheme The theme usually precedes the rheme. sentences Predictable: theme Unpredictable: rheme The theme usually precedes the rheme.

Sentence stress In Arabic and English, theme and rheme can be related to notions of stress. Stress usually falls on the rheme.

Emphatic preposing Consider the following example: ‘In the early sixties, Ayatollah Khomeini …’ In English, a ‘preposed’ element is an element placed before the subject.

Arabic makes use of preposed emphatic themes. In Arabic, anything which comes before the verb in a sentence which contains a verb may be a preposed emphatic theme.

Theme-rheme translation Issues: In some cases, it becomes impossible to produce the same theme-rheme order and word order. This is mainly because English and Arabic both have the tendency to start with the most thematic element and end with the most rhematic element. و بنى هذا الجسر مهندسون مصريون This bridge was built by Egyptian engineers

Foregrounding and backgrounding Subordinate elements are said to convey background information. Main clauses are said to convey foreground information

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