Download Immediate constituent analysis and translation

Immediate constituent analysis
and translation
Identifying autonomous units
ICA as a tool for translation
• ICA helps translators recognise ‘autonomous
units’
• An autonomous units is any stretch of language
that can be translated as a single unit in the TT.
Taylor gives the example of the following clause,
which can be broken up into three distinct
auntonomous units:
• The meeting/ broke up/ at three.
• Noun phrase (determiner+ noun); verb phrase
(verb+particle); prepositional phrase.
• La riunione/ si è sciolta/ alle tre.
What are phrases?
• Phrases are a string of words that forms a
syntactic unit – typically these contain more than
one unit. Some grammarians refer to phrases as
groups.
• It’s raining cats and dogs. (verb phrase +adverb
phrase)
• Phrases are named after the most important
word in a group, i.e. the word that defines the
type of phrase, referred to as the ‘head’ of the
phrase or the ‘head word’.
Main phrases
• All of the major classes of words (and one
minor one- prepositions) form word classes:
• Noun phrases (including pronoun phrases)
• Verb phrases
• Adjectival phrases
• Adverbial phrases
• Prepositional phrases
Noun phrases
• Noun phrases are structured as follows
• Minimal form = noun (head noun deciding verb agreement)
• Pre-modification (all words in NP appearing before Head Noun
(determiner+ adjectives) and a noun with an adjectival function
(categorizer)
• Postmodification ( everything in NP coming after head noun
(prepositional phrases, including ‘that’ and ‘of’ phrases; non-finite
clauses.
**Noun phrases are constructed round the head noun and the
structure is varied and complex, which means it can be difficult to
establish exactly where a noun phrase begins and ends. One way to
identify the noun phrase is to try replacing it with a pronoun. If the
result is grammatically correct, then you have identified it.
TU1 /T1
• Look at T1 to identify and analyse following noun
phrases:
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departure date
tour operators
package holiday companies
the same story that booking a holiday early…
planes to fill
Verb phrases
• Verb phrase
• This is a phrase with a lexical verb (not a primary one) as its
head word.
• These can be finite (I play tennis) or non-finite (playing
tennis).
• Meanings are created by the various patterns of:
• tense;
• aspect (perfective, i.e. complete, or continuous);
• mood (indicative, imperative, interrogative, subjunctive);
• voice. (active, passive).
• A special class of verb phrase is the phrasal verb
TI/ verb phrases
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Define the following verb phrases:
trot out
means
leave
are often forced
to discount
Adjective phrases
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Phrase with adjective as head.
Simplest form of Adjective phrase: single adjective in:
attributive position – last year we had a significant increase in profits;
predicative position – contemporary mobile phones are not easy to use for writing
emails.
or postpositive position - the managing director didn't say anything controversial
at the meeting.
In an Adjective phrase the head can be pre-modified by an adverb really exciting
(intensifier)
In an Adjective phrase the adjective can be post-modified by:
a preposition phrase (e.g., preposition + NP) I'm getting bored with my present
job;
a to-infinitive clause: the government is keen to avoid further conflict...;
a that-clause: It's not at all certain that United will win the premiership;
An ‘ ing ‘ clause introduced by a preposition: Are you interested in playing for us
next week
T1 define the Adjective phrases
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same
cheaper
unsold
near
Adverb phrase
• A phrase with adverb as head. Often consists of a
single adverb. Sometimes the head is pre-modified by
an intensifying adverb: very kindly, too late, etc.
• Adverbs of manner, place, time, and duration normally
go to the end of the clause. If there is more than one
adverb phrase in a clause the order is:
• Manner + place + time/duration
• I've been sleeping very well lately
• they live near now
• they work here temporarily
Adverbs of frequency and probability
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Adverbs of frequency normally precede a lexical verb,
we always listen to the radio on Sunday morning
but follow the primary verb be or the first auxiliary of a VP:
I've always hated that song.
Some adverbs of frequency can go at the beginning or the end of a
clause: sometimes, usually, frequently, often, occasionally.
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• Adverb phrases of probability
• certainly, definitely, obviously, probably, go before a lexical verb,
but follow the primary verb to be or the first auxiliary in the VP.
TI Consider the following adverb
phrases
• Every year
• early
• often
Prepositional phrase
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Consists of a preposition and a noun phrase (including a pronoun phrase) known
as the object of the preposition. They give information about:
place: in the office;
direction: up the stairs;
distance: for miles
time: on Tuesday
duration: for two days;
manner, with difficulty, on foot
cause: because of the snow
purpose: for the hell of it;
concession: despite the difficulties.
Prepositional phrases function as post-modifiers in NPs and APs, as in his cautious
approach to the euro, the lady with blonde hair.
Lexical verbs are followed by PPs with particular prepositions. These are known as
prepositional verbs.
Identify PPs in T1
Multi-word verbs
• A particular problem in translation from
English is the extensive use of multi-word
verbs, otherwise known as phrasal verbs,
which take the form of two-word or threeword units that express a single meaning.
They are formed by a verb plus a particle
(adverb or preposition).
• Consider T1 are there any example of multiword verbs?