The Translating of English Extraposition Constructions into Azeri

Abstract

The aim of the research is to run the gamut of English extraposition constructions involving copular verbs, followed by “that-clause” and infinitive. Providing some evidence of the use of these constructions and comparing their translation in Azeri and investigating of linguistic properities are the purposes of this study. To this aim, the English fictions and their Azeri translations considered as sources of the data. The researcher classifies the data into two main categories: the extraposition constructions followed by “that”- clause and the extraposition constructions followed by “infinitive”. Based on 200 data, it has been cleared that in Azeri, the dummy subject “it” is not translated at all. Moreover, instead of copular verbs in Azeri translation, there are some expressions called “modal words”, functioning like verb phrases, are used according to the meaning of copular verbs. The total number of these sentences using modal words is 185 sentences. Regarding extraposition constructions followed by that-clause, it can be said that most of them translated as complex sentences in Azeri, with the percentage  of 70%. However, extraposition constructions which involve infinitive, are translated as simple sentences with the percentage of 65%. This study uses a qualitative descriptive method.

Cuvinte-cheie: traducere, construcţii extrapoziţionate, verbe copulative, „that-clause”, verb la infinitiv

REZUMAT

În articol, ne propunem să cercetăm construcţiile extrapoziţionate în engleză şi traducerea lor în azeră, adică construcţiile care înglobează verbe copulative, urmate de subordonata „that-clause” sau un verb la infinitiv. Drept exemplificare a postulatelor teoretice au servit texte literare în limba engleză şi traducerea lor în limba azeră. Autoarea identifică două tipuri de construcţie extrapoziţionată: construcţia cu subordonata „that- clause” şi construcţia cu verbul la infinitiv. În baza celor 200 de exemple analizate, autoarea demonstrează că în azeră, subiectul impersonal „it” nu are echivalent de traducere, iar în locul verbelor copulative, sunt întrebuinţate, de cele mai dese ori, „cuvinte modale” care au funcţia unor verbe copulative. Cu referire la construcţiile englezeşti extrapoziţionate cu subordonata „that-clause”, se poate spune că 70% dintre ele se tradus, în azeră,  prin propoziţii compuse, iar 65% dintre construcţiile englezeşti extrapoziţionate cu verbul la infinitiv sunt traduse, în azeră, prin propoziţii simple. La baza acestui studiu a fost pusă metoda calitativ-descriptivă.

LANGUAGE OF PUBLICATION

English (main text and corpus) and Azeri (corpus)

UDC: 81`255.4

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Received: August 10, 2011 | Reviewed: August 22, 2011 | Accepted for publication: August 23, 2011

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