Lexical Cohesion in Text

Podcast

Play an AI-generated podcast conversation about this lesson

Questions and Answers

Explain the concept of lexical cohesion and its main kinds.

Lexical cohesion refers to the relationships in meaning between lexical items in a text, particularly content words, and the relationships between them. The main kinds of lexical cohesion are repetition, synonymy, antonymy, meronomy, prototype, collocation, and hyponymy.

Provide an example of repetition in the context of lexical cohesion.

An example of repetition in the context of lexical cohesion is the repeated use of words such as adjectives, pronouns, personal names, and verbs in a text.

Define antonymy and provide examples of gradable and non-gradable antonyms.

Antonymy describes opposite or contrastive meanings. Gradable antonyms include examples like 'hot-cold' and 'tall-short', while non-gradable or absolute antonyms include 'live-dead' and 'right-wrong'.

Explain the concept of hyponymy and provide an example.

Hyponymy refers to the relationship between a general category and its specific instances. An example of hyponymy is the relationship between 'chair' as a specific instance and 'furniture' as the general category. Signup and view all the answers

What is collocation and how is it defined in the text? Provide an example of collocation.

Collocation refers to the habitual co-occurrence of individual lexical items which are predictable due to the context. An example provided in the text is the word 'prescribe' being immediately followed by the name of a specific drug or dosage. Signup and view all the answers

Explain Vinay and Darbelnet’s classification of translation strategies and provide examples of each type mentioned.

Vinay and Darbelnet's classification of translation strategies includes seven types: 'borrowing', 'calque', 'literal translation', 'transposition', 'modulation', 'equivalence', and 'adaptation'. For example, borrowing involves transferring the source language lexical item directly into the target language due to a gap in the target language lexicon. Signup and view all the answers

Differentiate between 'direct translation' and 'oblique translation' according to Vinay and Darbelnet's classification.

According to Vinay and Darbelnet, the first three types of strategies, namely 'borrowing', 'calque', and 'literal translation', are labeled as 'direct translation'. The remaining four strategies, 'transposition', 'modulation', 'equivalence', and 'adaptation', are categorized as 'oblique translation'. Signup and view all the answers

How is Vinay and Darbelnet's classification of translation strategies influenced by Saussurean linguistics?

Vinay and Darbelnet's classification is based on the apparatus of Saussurean linguistics, specifically the concepts of langue/parole and signifier/signified. They also consider the notion that each language has its own 'spirit' which systematically compels it to express itself in a particular way. Signup and view all the answers

Discuss the concept of 'modulation' as a translation strategy according to Vinay and Darbelnet's classification.

'Modulation' involves changing the viewpoint from which the source language message is viewed, while keeping the same meaning. An example of modulation is the translation of 'He died of hunger' into 'He starved to death'. This change in expression reflects the same underlying meaning. Signup and view all the answers

Provide an example of 'calque' as a translation strategy based on Vinay and Darbelnet's classification.

An example of 'calque' is the direct translation of a source language expression or idiom into the target language, maintaining the same word order and grammatical structure. For instance, the translation of 'raison d'être' from French to English without altering the structure is a calque. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Translation Strategies

A strategy is a conscious procedure used by translators to tackle problems when rendering text from one language to another.
A strategy is different from the process of translation, as the former is conscious, while the latter is not.

Important Book on Translation Strategies

Stylistique comparée du français et de l’anglais by J.P.Vinay and J.Darbelnet (1958/1995) is a significant book on translation strategies/procedures.
The book was translated as ‘The Comparative Stylistics of French and English’ by Juan Sager and M.J.Hamel in 1995.

Key Findings of the Book

Vinay and Darbelnet conducted a study between French and English from a stylistic perspective.
They used a comparative model to contrast the interfacing languages and identify differences and nuances resulting from different strategies.

Impact of the Book

The book paved the way for similar studies between different pairs of languages, such as German and English, Spanish and English, etc.

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Description

Test your knowledge of lexical cohesion in text with this quiz. Learn about the relationships between content words, such as repetition, synonymy, antonymy, and more.