Examples of pragmatic text analysis
Let us assume that deictic markers (in the broad meaning of this term) include all language items (words and expressions), which rest on one of the above-mentioned axes and play the major part in manifestation of thepragmatics (communicative nature) of the text.
With this assumption in view, let's analyse two newspaper (artefact) texts and find relationships between their deictic and pragmatic parameters.
Text 1.
INQUIRY INTO POLICE DEATH UNDER WAY
A police investigation was under way yesterday after PC Edward South, facing an internal inquiry, was found dead at his home in Redditch on Wednesday.
West Mercia police would not give any details into the nature of the inquiry he was facing.
The Mirror
Deictic markers (DM) of this short newspaper text are shown in the following table:
| DM of person | DM of time | DM of space |
| a police investigation (= "it") PC Edward South (= "he") West Mercia police (= "they") he | was under way (=past) yesterday (=past) was found shot dead (=past) on Wednesday (=past) would not give (=past) was facing (=past) | in Redditch (= "there") |
In this text deictic markers are all placed on the "he-then-here" axis (i.e. on the prepositional axis of what is being reported by the newspaper) and if we take the verb inform as the Villoc, we will come out with the following communicative macro proposition (CMP) of this short text:
WE (the editorial board) hereby INFORM YOU (the reader) that PC Edward South was found shot dead
This analysis allows us to class Text 1 among texts of the "informative" (or "constative") nature, which is typical of all the "no comment" news items. Such texts "reflect" reality and refer to the events, which occurred in the past. The task of a translator in rendering such texts is mostly to give the dictionary variants of the words and expressions used in them.
Now, let's analyse a text of a different pragmatic nature.
Text 2.
THE SHERATON SKYLINE
One of Heathrow's leading luxury hotels has a vacancy for a Banqueting Secretary/Assistant.
We are looking for someone who has excellent shorthand and typing, the ability to sell effectively to senior business executives, an excellent telephone manner and the ability to work under pressure. Our Banqueting Secretary/Assistant is a key member of the Food and Beverage administration and therefore we offer an attractive salary and benefits.
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If you are interested please contact Personnel on 01-759-2537.
The Times
Deictic markers (DM) of this advert text are shown in the following table:
| DM с f person | DM of time | DM of space |
| one of Hethrow's hotels (="we", "the Personnel") we who (= "yo") our secretery (= "we", "you") we you | has a vacancy (=present) are looking (=present) has excellent shorthand (=present) is a key member (=present) are interested (=present) contact (= present/future) | Heathrow (= "here") |
In this text deictic markers are all placed on the "we - here - now" axis, i.e. on the axis of the collective author (administration of the hotel - the "Personnel ") and on the axis of the addressee "you - around - you - now". If we take the verb announce as the Villoc (because this text is an announcement), we will come out with the following communicative macro proposition (CMP):
WE(a Heathrow hotel administration) hereby ANNOUNCE to you (any addressee) that we need a secretary
This analysis allows us to class Text 2 among "performative" text [see: Максимов 1989; Austin 1962] which refer to the future (proposal to work as a secretary) and "change the world" (an applicant, if successful, gets a well-paid job).
The immediate task of a translator in this case is to render "performative", "binding" elements of this advertisement correctly, i.e. by the corresponding pragmatic means of the target language.
Practical application of the communicative (pragmatic) approach to translation
Let's now illustrate by several examples how pragmatic approach may be applied to translation.
We will have to admit that first of all it should be applied to distinguishing between performative and informative(or constative) texts, i.e. between binding texts, which "change the world", and those which "reflect the world".
Examples are:
(1) Fragment of Text 3: The Constitution of Ukraine (1996)
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Ukrainian text:
Article 17.
(...) Ha території України не допускається розташування іноземних військових баз.
Official English Translation [ Council of Europe, Strasbourg, 8 Aug 1996, Doc. № 005/95] of this clause reads as follows:
(...) The location of foreign military bases shall not be permitted on the territory of Ukraine.
It would have been wrong to translate не допускається (which is quite correct Ukrainian expression of prohibition) as * is not permitted because the text of the Constitution is an explicit performative of "We (The State) here now bind you (the addressee) to a certain kind of behaviour" pragmatic type and "binding" Ukrainian prohibition in the present tense form must be rendered by the binding English shall + verb. However, in the text of the informative (e.g., newspaper ) type, it would be quite natural to translate this phrase as is not permitted.
Fragment of Text 4: Law of Ukraine on the Introduction of Amendments to the Law of Ukraine On the Citizenship of Ukraine
Ukrainian text [ Відомості Верховної Ради, 1997, №23 ]:
Стаття 12 (...)
Дитина, батьки якої на момент її народження перебували в громадянстві України, є громадянином України незалежио від того, чи народилася вона на територїї України чи за її межами.
English translation (approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Kviv, 1997) reads as follows:
Article 12 (...)
A child, whose parents held citizenship of Ukraine at the moment of his/her birth, shall be a citizen of Ukraine, regardless of whether he/she was born on the territory of Ukraine or beyond it.
It would have been wrong to translate in the text of the law (another explicit performative) the Ukrainian binding phrase є громадянииом (where the present tense form is a natural way of expressing obligation in Ukrainian) by the English *is a citizen (which would be constative). Therefore, the translator chose a pragmatically correct variant shall be a citizen.
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Fragment of Text 5: Хартія україсько-американського партнерства, дружби i співробітництва
Ukrainian text:
10. Україна та Сполучені Штати Америки співпрацюватимуть у сприянні взаємному розповсюдженню інформації про національні надбання у галузі культури, науки i oсвіти (...).
English text (unofficial translation) reads as follows:
10. Ukraine and the United States of America are working together to encourage mutual dissemination of information concerning each other's national heritage in the spheres of culture, science and education (...).
This English translation seems to be lacking the binding force of the Ukrainian text, because Ukrainian співпрацюватимуть is much more binding (within the pragmatic framework of the Charter: We hereby agree that we shall act in a certain way in future) than the English Present Continuous verb-form are working. The translator, bearing in mind the legal (performative) nature of this international Charter should have used either will work, or shall promote, or undertake to promote mutual dissemination (...). Failure to do so makes English version of the Charter less binding (less obligatory for implementation) as compared with the Ukrainian version.
Such analysis can be applied practically to all kinds of non-fictional texts and even to fictional texts, especially where it concerns deictic markers. A satirical text by an American author Art Buchwald is offered below for further analysis and translation.
SEMINAR 9
Questions for discussion and practical assignments:
1. Identify pragmatics (pragmalinguistics) as one of the "pillars" of modern linguistics.
2. What are the main aspects of the communicative (pragmatic) approach to text?
3. Identify deixis as a linguistic category.
4. Give examples (English, Ukrainian) of the deictic markers of person, time and space.
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5. Comment on the notion of the textual communicative macro proposition.
6. Suggest pragmatic and deictic analysis of the "Remedial College" text by Art Buchwald. Translate the text into Ukrainian.
Suggested way of text analysis:
a) Identify the style (register, genre) of the text, e.g., you may choose between "the text of an official document", "the newspaper news item", "the publicistic text", "the text of newspaper satire", etc.
b) Identify three "pragmatic tiers" of the text: the narrative of the author: I (the author) hereby tell you (the reader) that...; the dialogue between the Timkens: We hereby tell/ask/convince each- other that... and the letters of the Dean of studies: I/We hereby inform you and strongly advise that....
c) Identify stylistic devices and expressive means used in the text and suggest their pragmatic analysis, e.g.:
- ...(we) strongly advise that your daughter Laura participate in it - the use of the Subjunctive-1 (participate in it) is a marker of the official, binding style and should be translated as: Ми настійно радимо, щоб ваша дочка Jlopa відвідувала ці заняття;
- ... 7000 dollars will go down the drain - this is the use of a colloquial idiomatic expression which has Ukrainian analogies : кінчитися нічим; провалитися; не дати наслідків [Баранцев 1969: 416] (nopiв. з рос. вылететь в трубу, быть выброшенным на ветер). This expression is a marker of a colloquial style - in this particular case a conversation between the spouses where the husband tries to convince his wife to pay the money.
- "That's hogwash", Timken said. This is a colloquial (even rude) expression showing irritation and anger of a person and may be translated by Ukrainian analogies like Яке свинство! or От 6icoва душа! or Та хай воно горить/ сказиться/ лусне/ іде під три чорти!
- РТА meeting (Parents and Teachers Association meeting), which should be translated by an analogy батъківсъкі збори; A-s in math (excellent marks in mathematics) which are professional abbreviations used by the author to create the "schooling" atmosphere of the story.
REMEDIAL COLLEGE
By Art Buchxcald
The Timkens sent their child Laura off to college with a check for 7,000 dollars in tuition and thought that was the end of it. But soon after they received a letter from the Dean of Studies.
"We are happy to announce that we have instituted a remedial reading class for college freshmen and strongly advise that your daughter Laura participate in it. If she doesn't, it is our opinion that Laura will not be able to keep up with her studies. The cost will be 250 dollars".
Timken read the letter. "I thought Laura could read", he said to his wife. "So did I. I think the problem is she can read, but she has no comprehension of what she reads".
"What did they teach her in public school and high school?" "I have no idea, but if the college says she needs remedial reading, we better see that she gets it or our 7,000 dollars will go down the drain". A few days later they got another letter from the Dean. "The English Department has brought to our attention the fact that your daughter Laura cannot write. They have recommended that she enrol in the remedial writing class, which we started two years ago when we discovered this was a common problem for most college students. If you agree that Laura should get this special help, please send a check for 250 dollars".
Timken was now very angry.
"How did she get in college if she can't write?"
Mrs Timken was much more sanguine about it. "Laura can write. She just can't write complete sentences".
"She went to school for 12 years and she can't write a sentence?"
"Don't you remember? They were much more interested in Laura's thoughts than they were in how she put them down. The teacher's main concern was with expanding her consciousness".
"That's hogwash", Timken said. "They made an illiterate out of my daughter".
"I believe that's a bit strong. Laura graduated with honours in analytical consciousness-raising".
"But she can't write!"
"I'm sure the college can help her learn to write. After all, is an institution of higher learning".
"So we have to pay now 250 dollars for something they should have taught her in grammar school?"
"Don't you remember when we went to the PTA meeting years ago, and the principal said it was the school's responsibility to make good citizens of the students, and parents' responsibility to teach children how to read and write? Carlton, we're the ones that failed".
Timken sent in the check, and was not surprised to find another letter waiting for him a week later. It read:
"It has come to out attention that no one in the freshmen class can add, multiply, subtract or divide simple sums. We feel it urgent that this deficiency be corrected early in a student's college career. Therefore, we are setting up a special remedial arithmetic course. The fee will be 250 dollars. If you don't want your daughter Laura to take this course, we cannot guarantee she will graduate".
Once again Timken went through the ceiling. "I though Laura got A-s in math in high school".
Mrs Timken said, "That was conceptual math. Her courses had to do with advanced integration of numbers. She never could add or subtract them. Don't you recall when you complained once about it and Laura's teacher told you, "She can always learn to add and subtract when she gets to college?"
The International Herald Tribune
Література
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