Lecture Notes Dr Amira Kashgary September 2008 Amira

Lecture Notes Dr. Amira Kashgary September 2008 © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 1

Stylistic Problems Dr. Amira Kashgary Department of English King Abdulaziz University September 2008 © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 2

What’s Style is a collection of grammatical and lexical choices made by the author or the writer within a language system © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 3

Two Views of Style Traditional View: Style is a molding or a frame of the message … the dress of meaning (secondary to meaning) © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 4

Two Views of Style Functional View: Style is: l l l inseparable from meaning an important part of the message Contributes either slightly or considerably to the message © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 5

Importance of Style ¡ ¡ Shape of the text: Poetry vs. Prose Rhythmical Language has different effect Colloquial words vs. Formal words etc. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 6

Do we translate Style? YES! ¡ Retain it for functional purposes ¡ Change it for TL requirments © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 7

What’s Stylistic translation? Translation which stresses the overlapping between message and style Requirements: ¡ Style which is faithful to that of SL ¡ Style which is appropriate to the TL © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 8

What's stylistic translation? Translation which stresses the overlapping between message and style. Requirements: Style which is appropriate to the TL Style which is faithful to that of SL © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 9

Stylistic equivalence It is the proper choice of the style of the TL text (e. g. Arabic) derived from that of the SL text (e. g. English) , unless available the TL. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 10

Types of Problems Many problems faced by students while translating from English into Arabic and vice versa. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 11

Style of Formality vs. Informality Joos (1962) suggested a scale of five tones of English which is general but widely acceptable: 1. Frozen formal ﺟﺪ ﻓﺼﻴﺢ 2. Formal ﻓﺼﻴﺢ 3. Informal ﻏﻴﺮ ﻓﺼﻴﺢ 4. Colloquial ﻋﺎﻣﻲ 5. Vulgar ﺳﻮﻗﻲ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 12

Style of Formality vs. Informality The 5 styles are sometimes reduced to 2 main ones only, for ease of classification & comprehension: ¡ ¡ ¡ Frozen formal Formal ¡ Formal Informal Colloquial Vulgar ¡ Informal © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 13

Style of Formality vs. Informality Give examples (from book p. 224 -5, and by students) Usually only four styles in Arabic: ¡ Classical Arabic (the language of Quran) ¡ Modern Standard Arabic ((MSA) (e. g. the written Arabic of today) ¡ Colloquial Arabic (the language of conversation) ¡ Vulgar (slang) Arabic (very local, unkind and bad language) © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 14

Style of Formality Vs. Informality Informal ﻏﻴﺮ ﻓﺼﻴﺢ Colloquial ﻋﺎﻣﻲ Formal Vulgar (slang) ﺳﻮﻗﻲ Frozen Formal ﻓﺼﻴﺢ ﺟﺪﺍ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 15 Formal ﻓﺼﻴﺢ

Examples and Assignment 1. See Page 227 for more examples. 2. Examine translated text No 1 from handouts. Translate the text twice, first into formal Arabic and second into informal Arabic. 3. Make a short report summarizing the main points discussed in the lecture. 4. Prepare the next four stylistic problems © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 16

Stylistic Problems Formality vs. Informality Fronting Parallelism Ambiguity © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 17 Complex vs. Simple style

Style of Fronting Definition: to move a word, a phrase or a clause from its original place in the middle or at the end of a sentence to the beginning (front position) of that sentence. E. g. Allah she worshiped. (fronted) She worshiped Allah. (normal) © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 18

Style of Fronting The fronted words or clauses have a more important than the other parts of the sentence. Function Fronting is stylistic device useful to slow Emphasize and surprise + Importance © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 19

Style of Fronting Function: Fronting is a stylistic device used to show Emphasis and surprise + Importance As he had been caught red-handed, he was sentences to death. (fronted clause) ﺣﻜﻢ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ، ﻣﺘﻠﺒﺴ ﻷﻨﻪ ﻗﺒﺾ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ . ﺑﺎﻻﻋﺪﺍﻡ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes ﻧﻈﺮ 20

Style of Fronting is used both at the sentence level and the text level. See examples P 231 Translate “The Impact of Muslim Civilization on Europe” © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 21

Style of Parallelism Definition: Two structures or more are identical to one another. E. g. My father is ill. My mother is sad. My sister is worried. (parallel structures). ﺃﺨﺘﻲ ﻗﻠﻘﺔ. ﺃﻤﻲ ﺣﺰﻳﻨﺔ. ﺃﺒﻲ ﻣﺮﻳﺾ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 22

Style of Parallelism Function: Parallelism is important to meaning. Why? It implies a balance between two or more messages. Conclusion I t should be translated in Arabic to reflect the same function. More Examples: See P 232 © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 23

Style of Parallelism Text for translation in class Today we have bigger houses but smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less common sense; more knowledge, but less judgment. We have more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness. We spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get to angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too often, and pray too seldom. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 24

Style of parallelism Definition: Two structures or more are identical to one the text level. (My father)S-(is) V- (ill) C (My mother) S- (is) V-(sad) C (My sister) S- (is) V-(worried) C © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 25

Style of Ambiguity Definition It is lack of clarity of language at different lexical, cultural, or syntactic levels: word, phrase or sentence, Example: The shooting of the hunters is extraordinary ﻷﻤﺮ ﺧﺎﺭﻕ ﻟﻠﻌﺎﺩﺓ ﺇﻥ ﻗﻨﺺ ﺍﻟﺼﻴﺎﺩﻳﻦ “Shooting” has two meanings: 1. Killing the hunters ﻗﺘﻞ ﺍﻟﺼﻴﺎﺩﻳﻦ 2. Killing the birds ﻗﺘﻞ ﺍﻟﻄﻴﻮﺭ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 26

Style of Ambiguity Function ¡ Achieving complicated meaning ¡ Hiding the truth ¡ Avoiding straightforward expression of opinion ¡ Reflecting the nature of a character, a person, an idea, etc. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 27

Style of Ambiguity Function ¡ Achieving complicated meaning ¡ Hiding the truth ¡ Avoiding straightforward expression of opinion ¡ Reflecting the nature of a character, a person, an idea, etc. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 28

Style of Ambiguity How to translate ambiguous sentences (Idioms) Example: I smell a rat in what you say! Look for an indirect equivalent : ﻳﻠﻌﺐ ﺍﻟﻔﺄﺮ ﻓﻲ ﻋﺒﻲ ﻓﻴﻤﺎ ﺗﻘﻮﻝ Or resort to equally unclear phrases: ﺍﺷﺘﻢ ﺭﺍﺋﺤﺔ ﻣﻜﻴﺪﺓ Or use direct phrases: ﺗﺴﺎﻭﺭﻧﻲ ﺍﻟﺸﻜﻮﻙ ، ﺃﺸﻚ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 29

Style of Ambiguity Functions Avoiding straight forward expression of opinion. Hiding the truth. Complicating meaning Ambiguity is unclarity. It is a major stylistic device, Unclarity of message. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 30 Reflecting the nature of a character, a person, an idea.

Complex vs. Simple Style Complexity is displayed through a single sentence composed of several interconnected fronted subordinate clauses, followed by the main clause in a final position. (syntactic complexity) Example: Knowing how popular Robin Hood was among the common people (sub. clause) and how he could always slip quietly away into Sherwood forest (sub. clause) where his pursuers would be hampered by their ignorance of the terrain and their inability to adapt to the conditions of guerrilla warfare (sub. clause), the sheriff decided to take no immediate action (main clause). © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 31

Complex vs. Simple Style Function 1. To accumulate information and reasons which justify the action 2. To have impact on meaning 3. To give information Study more examples PP 238 -241 © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 33

Complex vs. simple style Complexity of style can be dominant in a text to have a function of some kind, which has impact on meaning. The same kind of style can render the same function and effect in Arabic translation. Otherwise, meaning will be incomplete Complexity of style is because the whole text is one single which composes of several interconnected fronted subordinate clauses, followed by the main clause in final position. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 34

Style of Short Sentences Functions 1. It heightens the tempo of action 2. It accelerates events and arouses suspense © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 35

Style of Long Sentences Functions Strong unity of the topic Reflection of a boring subject matter Emphasis or non-emphasis of a subject, a phrase or a clause Portrayal of a special scene Avoidance of a any shade of ambiguity Addition of extra thing to the text (legal text) © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 36

Passive vs. Active Style Both styles are used in all types of texts (English and Arabic) Active style in English is used as a straightforward, sharp, provocative, candid and aggressive style It is used to imply an invitation to some kind of action to be taken © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 37

Passive vs. Active Style Both styles are used in all types of texts (English and Arabic) Active style in English is used as a straightforward, sharp, provocative, candid and aggressive style It is used to imply an invitation to some kind of action to be taken © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 38

Passive vs. Active Style Passive is used for: 1. 2. Concentrating on the result of the action and the action itself Hiding the identity of the doer © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 39

Passive vs. Active: Translate Depression can be beaten in more than two-thirds of patients, but it takes time and trying several combinations of treatments, US researchers reported on Tuesday. The “real-world” study of 3, 671 patients with major depression showed that no one drug or class of drugs works any better, the researchers said. The right combination must be found for each individual patient. “The good news is that two-thirds of people can be relieved of their depression if they can hang in there for up to four treatment steps. That’s pretty significant for a tough illness, ” said Dr. A. John Rush, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who led the study. But the bad news, he said, is that until patients are completely symptom-free, they risk relapse. © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 40

Passive vs. Active: Translate All the patients started on the same drug — Forest Laboratories Inc. ’s Celexa, a drug in a class called SSRIs, for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. This drug sent 37 percent of patients into remission. Patients who did not get completely well were randomly assigned to take other SSRIs or Wyeth’s Effexor, a drug in a similar class called selective serotonin/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors or SNRIs. Patients could also add cognitive therapy — a type of psychological counseling — and this second step helped an additional 31 percent of patients. Those who were still not cured went to one of four treatments: nortryptyline, an antidepressant in an older class called tricyclics; Remeron, also known as mirtazapine, which is a noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant; lithium; or T-3, a thyroid hormone © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 41

Style of Repetition and Variation It is the repetition of important words or phrases over and over again Function To reflect something important to the whole message (see examples pp 249 -251) © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 42

Style of Redundancy The use of unnecessary, extra words to express something for the purpose of (Emphasis and Contrast) Examples: “As a matter of fact, to say the truth, I have to say it frankly, I’m not interested in your offer”. 1. . ﺍﻷﻤﺮ ﺃﻨﺎ ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﻬﺘﻢ ﺑﻌﺮﺿﻚ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﺔ 2. ﺃﻨﺎ ، ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺤﻘﻴﻘﺔ ﻋﻠﻲ ﺃﻦ ﺃﻘﻮﻟﻬﺎ ﺑﺼﺮﺍﺣﺔ ، ﺍﻷﻤﺮ ﻓﻲ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﻴﺔ . ﻏﻴﺮ ﻣﻬﺘﻢ ﺑﻌﺮﺿﻚ © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 43

Style of Show of Muscles © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 44

Style of Nominalization vs. Verbalization Nominalization: the use of nouns Function: to inject texts with abstraction, fixity and some kind of authority © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 45

Style of Nominalization vs. Verbalization: the use of verbs Function: indication of subjectivity, mobility and normality © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 46

Style of Irony © Amira Kashgary – Lecture Notes 47