Denotative Meaning and Translation Issues in Arabic Language
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Semantic repetition in Arabic
It is a repetition of meaning. This
involves the
use of two (or more)
synonyms or near-synonyms
but it can
also be extended to include
hyperonym-hyponym
pairs and words
and phrases standing in an ‘associative’
relationship.
Synonym and near-synonym repetition
Arabic frequently makes use of
repetition of synonyms or near-
synonyms in a way that is not
normally found in English. We will
refer to this repetition as
(near-)
synonym repetition
which is two
basic kinds:
w
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م
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ا
ص
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two words or
phrases - closely
related but
distinguishable
الاستقصاء
و التحليل
‘
investigation
and analysis’
Synonym and near-synonym repetition
(Near-)synonym repetition may be syndetic (i.e. it
may involve the use of a connective, typically
و
) or
– in the case of adjectives in particular, but also
occasionally in the case of nouns and verbs – it may
be asyndetic (i.e. it may occur without the use of a
connective).
Example:
السلوك
الھمجي والبربري
‘savage and barbaric
behaviour’. Another example is
فتیات
جمیلات انیقات
.
asyndetic doublets that are typically used to
represent a single concept.
Synonym and near-synonym repetition
The following are examples of
grammatical transposition:
وشعر الرجل
بالضیق والحرج
‘the man began to feel
slightly claustrophobic’, where the
adverb–adjective phrase ‘slightly
claustrophobic’ transposes the Arabic
noun doublet ;
الضیق والحرج
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For example, in ,
وكان منظرھا یدھشه ویذھله
the two
words
یدھش
and
یذھل
are quite close in meaning, the
phrase has been translated ‘Her appearance had
both astonished and alarmed him’; the semantic
difference between ‘astonish’ and ‘alarm’ is greater
than that between
أدھش
and
أذھل
.
This semantic
distancing
ensures that the English translation does
not involve what would otherwise be the stylistic
oddity in English of having two words with virtually
the same meaning conjoined with each other.
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition
Not only synonyms and near-synonyms
in Arabic are repeated in ways that are
unusual in English, but it is also fairly
common in Arabic for a hyperonym to
be followed by its hyponym in a way
that appears to an English speaker to
result in a semantic anomaly.
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition
وھم لا یتحدثون إلى أحد من الناس .. ولكنھــــــم
یداعبون (
الباعة
) و(
المتجولین
)
This might be translated literally as:
They don’t talk to anyone, but they
joke with the (
sellers
) and the (
barrow-
men
).
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition
Here,
الباعة
‘the sellers’ is a hyperonym of
المتجولین
‘barrow-men’ (literally, ‘travelling
[people]’ but normally used to describe
people who sell goods from a barrow or
handcart); all barrow-men are sellers but not
all sellers are barrow-men In cases such as
this, the meaning of the first word in the
particular context has to be taken as
excluding that of the second word.
Associative repetition
A third form of semantic repetition
that is frequently found in Arabic but
does not normally occur in English is
what can be termed associative
repetition. It
involves at least two or
more elements, one of which is
a basic element and the other, or
others, of which are associated with
that element
.
Associative repetition
An example is ‘
ship
’ and ‘
crew of a
ship
’. ‘Crew of a ship’ is not a type of
‘ship’ (i.e. this is not a hyperonym-
hyponym relationship); nor is it a part
of a ship (as is a ship’s mast, for
example); this would be meronymic –
that is, part–whole – relationship
List restructuring
One particularly striking feature in
Arabic is a tendency to use fairly long
lists of terms belonging to the same
semantic field
– a semantic field being
a general, normally rather
impressionistically defined, area of
meaning (e.g. the semantic field of farm
machinery, emotions or types
of movement)
ف
ھ
م
،
ك
ا
ل
س
ی
ا
س
ی
ین
،
ی
صر
و
ن
ع
لى
م
م
ا
ر
س
ة
ا
ل
و
ج
ا
ھ
ة
ب
ج
م
ی
ع
ف
ر
و
ع
ھ
ا
:
{ا
ل
ب
ی
و
ت
ا
ل
م
ف
ت
و
ح
ة
،
ا
ل
ق
ص
و
ر
،
ا
ل
ح
ر
س
ا
ل
خ
ا
ص
،
ا
ل
ز
ل
م
،
ا
ل
ب
ذ
خ
،
و
ا
ق
ت
ن
ا
ء
م
ا
ع
ز
م
ن
ا
لأ
ل
ب
س
ة
و
ا
ل
ح
لي
و
ا
ل
ح
ل
ل
}
Like politicians, they insist upon all the outward
trappings of privilege: mansions, palaces,
bodyguards,
and all the finery that money can
buy.
This translation omits specific translation of the
later listed elements in the Arabic
الزلم، البذخ، واقتناء ما عز من الألبسة والحلى والحلل ,
utilizing instead the phrase ‘all the finery which
money can buy.
T
h
a
n
k
y
o
u
The article delves into denotative meaning, semantic repetition, synonym/near-synonym repetition, grammatical transposition, and semantic distancing techniques in Arabic language translation. It discusses how Arabic utilizes various forms of repetition and transposition that differ from English, showcasing examples and insights to enhance comprehension of translation challenges.
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Presentation Transcript
Denotative meaning and translation issues By Mohammed I. Khalil Coures Touter: Prof. Ahmed Q. Abed
Semantic repetition in Arabic It is a repetition of meaning. This involves the use of two (or more) synonyms or near-synonyms but it can also be extended hyperonym-hyponym pairs and words and phrases standing in an associative relationship. to include
Synonym and near-synonym repetition Arabic frequently makes use of repetition of synonyms or near- synonyms in a way that is not normally found in English. We will refer to this repetition as (near-) synonym repetition which is two basic kinds:
(near-) synonym repetition words or phrases - fully synonymous or, at least in the context where they used - no clear difference in meaning two words or phrases - closely related but distinguishable investigation and analysis
Synonym and near-synonym repetition (Near-)synonym repetition may be syndetic (i.e. it may involve the use of a connective, typically ) or in the case of adjectives in particular, but also occasionally in the case of nouns and verbs it may be asyndetic (i.e. it may occur without the use of a connective). Example: behaviour . Another example is asyndetic doublets that are typically used to represent a single concept. savage and barbaric .
Synonym and near-synonym repetition The grammatical transposition: slightly claustrophobic , adverb adjective claustrophobic transposes the Arabic noun doublet ; following are examples of the man began to feel where the phrase slightly
Semantic Distancing Technique For example, in , words and are quite close in meaning, the phrase has been translated Her appearance had both astonished and alarmed him ; the semantic difference between astonish and alarm is greater than that between and . This semantic distancing ensures that the English translation does not involve what would otherwise be the stylistic oddity in English of having two words with virtually the same meaning conjoined with each other. the two
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition Not only synonyms and near-synonyms in Arabic are repeated in ways that are unusual in English, but it is also fairly common in Arabic for a hyperonym to be followed by its hyponym in a way that appears to an English speaker to result in a semantic anomaly.
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition .. ) ( ) ( This might be translated literally as: They don t talk to anyone, but they joke with the (sellers) and the (barrow- men).
Hyperonym-hyponym repetition Here, the sellers is a hyperonym of barrow-men (literally, travelling [people] but normally used to describe people who sell goods from a barrow or handcart); all barrow-men are sellers but not all sellers are barrow-men In cases such as this, the meaning of the first word in the particular context has to be taken as excluding that of the second word.
Associative repetition A third form of semantic repetition that is frequently found in Arabic but does not normally occur in English is what can be termed repetition. It involves at least two or more elements, one of which is a basic element and the other, or others, of which are associated with that element. associative
Associative repetition An example is ship and crew of a ship . Crew of a ship is not a type of ship (i.e. this is not a hyperonym- hyponym relationship); nor is it a part of a ship (as is a ship s mast, for example); this would be meronymic that is, part whole relationship
List restructuring One particularly striking feature in Arabic is a tendency to use fairly long lists of terms belonging to the same semantic field a semantic field being a general, normally impressionistically meaning (e.g. the semantic field of farm machinery, emotions or types of movement) rather area defined, of
: { } Like politicians, they insist upon all the outward trappings of privilege: bodyguards, and all the finery that money can buy. mansions, palaces, This translation omits specific translation of the later listed elements in the Arabic , utilizing instead the phrase all the finery which money can buy.
