T h e m a t i c Progression in Translation from
English into Norwegian
SYLVIRØRVIK
1
Introduction
T h e focus o f the present s t u d y is o n t h e m a t i c progression in texts
translated f r o m E n g l i s h into N o r w e g i a n . T h e objective is to analyze a n d
c o m p a r e t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n in an E n g l i s h s o u r c e text a n d five different
translations o f the s a m e E n g l i s h text. (See section 2 for a m o r e detailed
d e s c r i p t i o n o f the material.)
A c c o r d i n g to D a n e s , "text c o n n e x i t y is represented, inter alia, b y
t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n ( T P ) " ( D a n e s 1 9 7 4 : 1 1 4 ) . T h u s the s t u d y o f
t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n is interesting b e c a u s e it is o n e o f the factors that
c o n t r i b u t e to m a k i n g a text a text, as it were. T h e s t u d y o f t h e m a t i c
progression in translated texts a d d s a n o t h e r d i m e n s i o n to this, insofar as it
also s h e d s light o n t h e translating process. A translation is m e a n t to c o n v e y
the s a m e m e a n i n g as the source text; it s h o u l d h a v e the s a m e
c o m m u n i c a t i v e effect. T h i s does n o t necessarily entail a process o f w o r d
for w o r d translation, in fact it rarely does. B u t d o e s the f r e e d o m to c h o o s e
o t h e r w o r d i n g s e x t e n d to c h o i c e o f theme? After all, if the t h e m e is seen as
t h e starting p o i n t o f the clause, " t h e p e g o n w h i c h the m e s s a g e is h u n g "
( H a l l i d a y 1 9 7 0 : 1 6 1 as q u o t e d in Fries 1 9 9 5 : 3 1 8 ) a n d " t h a t with w h i c h
t h e clause is c o n c e r n e d " ( H a l l i d a y 1 9 9 4 : 3 7 ) , then the c h o i c e o f a different
t h e m e will alter, if o n l y subtly, the m e a n i n g / c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e
( V e n t o l a 1 9 9 5 : 8 8 ) . S u c h a c h a n g e will, in turn, c a u s e a c h a n g e in the
s u r r o u n d i n g sentences, since it will alter the p r o g r e s s i o n o f the a r g u m e n t .
Alternatively, is it p o s s i b l e that w o r d order, t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , a n d the
c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e are n o t as closely linked as o n e w o u l d expect? It is
q u e s t i o n s like these that the present s t u d y a i m s to answer.
N O R D I C J O U R N A L O F E N G L I S H S T U D I E S V O L . 2 No.
2
245
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
2
Material and method
T h e material used in this s t u d y has been taken f r o m a m u l t i p l e translation
p r o j e c t initiated b y S t i g J o h a n s s o n a n d L i n n Ø v e r å s at the U n i v e r s i t y o f
O s l o . F o r this project, ten different translations o f the s a m e E n g l i s h source
text, a scientific article b y C o l w y n T r e v a r t h e n called " C o m m u n i c a t i o n a n d
c o o p e r a t i o n in early infancy: a d e s c r i p t i o n o f p r i m a r y intersubjectivity",
w e r e c o m m i s s i o n e d . T h e present s t u d y m a k e s use o f the s o u r c e text a n d
five o f the target texts. E a c h text has 2 7 0 sentences, s o the total n u m b e r o f
sentences in the material is 6 x 2 7 0 = 1,620 sentences. T h e s o u r c e text a n d
t h e translations have been entered into a d a t a b a s e a n d analyzed for various
features to d o with t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n ; m a i n l y w h e t h e r t h e t h e m e is a
participant, process, or c i r c u m s t a n c e , whether it represents given or new
i n f o r m a t i o n , a n d , if given, where it was last m e n t i o n e d .
T h e a d v a n t a g e o f this material is that it p e r m i t s the c o m p a r i s o n o f
different translations o f the s a m e s o u r c e text. T h i s is useful in that it
enables o n e to see w h i c h features o f the translations result f r o m
translators'
idiosyncrasies,
and which
are results o f
the
lexicogrammatical
differences between E n g l i s h a n d N o r w e g i a n .
3
Definitions of theme and thematic progression
3.1
Theme
T h e m e has been defined in m a n y different ways. T h e present study primarily
m a k e s use o f Halliday's definition, which states that "the T h e m e extends from
the beginning o f the clause u p to (and including) the first element that has a
function in transitivity" (Halliday 1 9 9 4 : 5 3 ) , i.e. a participant, circumstance,
or process (Halliday 1 9 9 4 : C h a p t e r 5). However, in a few cases it seems
sensible to stray s o m e w h a t from this definition.
When
it c o m e s
to the c o n s t r u c t i o n
labeled
thematized
comment
(equivalent to sentences with a n t i c i p a t o r y subject it in Q u i r k et al 1 9 8 5 :
1 3 9 1 ) a n d c o n s t r u c t i o n s with existential there, t h e m e will b e d e f i n e d a l o n g
t h e lines s u g g e s t e d b y T h o m p s o n ( 1 9 9 6 : 1 2 9 - 1 3 0 a n d 1 3 8 ) . In sentences
w i t h t h e m a t i z e d c o m m e n t , T h o m p s o n argues that n o t j u s t it (as H a l l i d a y
w o u l d have it), b u t also the verb a n d the c o m m e n t s h o u l d b e i n c l u d e d in
t h e t h e m e b e c a u s e " i n m a n y cases, t h e m a t i s e d c o m m e n t o c c u r s at key
transition p o i n t s in the text a n d it o b s c u r e s the m e t h o d o f d e v e l o p m e n t o f
246
Sylvi Rørvik
the text if o n e s i m p l y labels 'It' as T h e m e " ( 1 9 9 6 : 1 3 0 ) . E x a m p l e (1) s h o w s
the
theme-rheme
analysis
of a Norwegian
s e n t e n c e with
thematized
c o m m e n t (the topical t h e m e ( H a l l i d a y 1 9 9 4 : 5 2 ) is u n d e r l i n e d ) .
(1) Det er tydelig at det fins en optimal tilpassning fra mors side
overfor babyen. ( T T 4 )
Similarly, w i t h existential there, H a l l i d a y again h o l d s that o n l y 'thete' is
t h e m e . T h o m p s o n , o n the o t h e t h a n d , argues that the existence o f the
p h e n o m e n o n is "signalled n o t j u s t b y 'there' b u t b y 'there' p l u s existential
p r o c e s s " a n d that i n c l u d i n g the process in the t h e m e also " m e a n s that the
T h e m e includes experiential c o n t e n t " ( 1 9 9 6 : 1 3 8 ) . T h u s h e has s h o w n ,
u s i n g H a l l i d a y ' s t e r m s a n d criteria, that it m a k e s sense to view the p r o c e s s
as topical t h e m e in sentences with existential there, as has been d o n e in the
analysis o f e x a m p l e ( 2 ) . In c o n s e q u e n c e , 'there' will b e a structural t h e m e ,
cf. H a l l i d a y ( 1 9 9 4 : 6 1 - 6 2 ) .
(2) But there is an essential difference between a person doing
things in relation to the physical world and the control of
communication between persons, (sentence 15)
Men det er en avgjørende forskjell mellom hva en person kan utføre
i forhold til den fysiske verden og det å kontrollere kommunikasjon
mellom mennesker. ( T T 4 )
T h e r e are also a few p r o b l e m s that arise w h e n c o m p a r i n g t h e m e
t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n in E n g l i s h a n d N o r w e g i a n texts. T h e s e
and
problems
s t e m f r o m the fact that N o r w e g i a n , unlike E n g l i s h , is a V 2 - l a n g u a g e ; i.e.
in t h e vast m a j o r i t y o f cases the s e c o n d c o n s t i t u e n t in a n y N o r w e g i a n
declarative s e n t e n c e will b e the finite v e t b ( F a a r l u n d et al 1 9 9 7 : 8 5 9 ) . T h i s
means
that
whenever
a
conjunctive
Adjunct
or
a
modal
Adjunct
(equivalent to c o n j u n c t s a n d d i s j u n c t s in Q u i r k et al 1 9 8 5 : 5 0 3 ) is fronted,
the writer has n o c h o i c e b u t to p u t t h e finite v e r b s e c o n d . S i n c e the
p r e s e n t s t u d y focuses o n t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n it s e e m e d sensible to try a n d
w o r k a r o u n d this p r o b l e m s o that the t h e m e in s u c h sentences
could
c o n t a i n a p a r t i c i p a n t or a c i r c u m s t a n c e . T o this e n d it was d e c i d e d to
follow the strategy set o u t in H a s s e l g å r d ( 1 9 9 8 : 1 4 8 ) : " I n the p r e s e n t
s t u d y , I c h o o s e to regard this finite verb as a structural t h e m e ' , so that in
cases where the fronted n o n - s u b j e c t is a c o n j u n c t or a d i s j u n c t adverbial,
1
I.e. a textual theme, cf. Halliday 1994: 52-54 and 61.
247
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
t h e t h e m e will i n c l u d e the fitst experiential e l e m e n t after the finite v e r b . "
T h u s w e get analyses like that in e x a m p l e ( 3 ) :
( 3 ) Derimot kommuniserer de med mennesker ved uttrykksfulle
bevegelser. ( T T 2 )
3.2
Thematic progression
T h e c o n c e p t o f t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n ( T P ) w a s i n t r o d u c e d in s e c t i o n 1
a b o v e . A t this p o i n t , h o w e v e r , it w o u l d b e useful to s a y
about
t h e w a y in w h i c h
Danes's
patterns
o f thematic
something
progression
( 1 9 7 4 : 1 1 8 ) h a v e b e e n a p p l i e d in t h e p r e s e n t a n a l y s i s . D a n e s o u t l i n e s
t h r e e m a i n t y p e s o f T P : simple
linear
TP, w h e r e t h e r h e m e o f s e n t e n c e
1 b e c o m e s t h e t h e m e o f s e n t e n c e 2 a n d s o o n (see e x a m p l e ( 4 ) , w h e r e
" S i r A l e x a n d e r F l e m i n g " in t h e r h e m e o f t h e first s e n t e n c e b e c o m e s the
t h e m e o f t h e s e c o n d s e n t e n c e as " H e " ) ; TP with a continuous
(constant)
theme, w h e r e c o n s e c u t i v e s e n t e n c e s h a v e t h e s a m e t h e m e (see e x a m p l e
( 5 ) , w h e r e " T h e R o s s e a u i s t " is i n t r o d u c e d as t h e m e in t h e first
s e n t e n c e , a n d is also u s e d as t h e m e in all s u b s e q u e n t s e n t e n c e s ) ; a n d TP
with derived
themes, w h e r e all the t h e m e s are d e r i v e d f r o m a
h y p e r t h e m e (see e x a m p l e ( 6 ) , w h e r e " N e w J e r s e y " is t h e t o p i c o f t h e
e n t i r e p a r a g r a p h , a n d t h e t h e m e o f e a c h s e n t e n c e is r e l a t e d t o this
t o p i c ) . O f c o u r s e , o n e rarely finds j u s t o n e s u c h s t r a t e g y in a text; m o s t
texts h a v e a c o m b i n a t i o n o f s t r a t e g i e s .
(4) T h e first of the antibiotics was discovered by Sir Alexander
Fleming in 1928. H e was busy at the time investigating a certain
species of germ which is responsible for boils and other troubles,
(from Danes 1974: 118)
(5) T h e Rosseauist especially feels an inner kinship with
Prometheus and other Titans. H e is fascinated by any form o f
insurgency... H e must show an elementary energy in his explosion
against the established order and at the same time a boundless
sympathy for the victims of it... Further the Rosseauist is ever ready
to discover beauty of soul in anyone who is under the reprobation
o f society, (from Danes 1974: 119)
(6) N e w Jersey is flat along the coast and southern portion; the
northwestern region is mountainous. T h e coastal climate is mild,
but there is considerable cold in the mountain areas during the
248
Sylvi Rørvik
winter months. S u m m e r s are fairly hot. T h e leading industrial
production includes chemicals, processed food, coal petroleum,
metals and electrical equipment. T h e most important cities are
Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Trenton, Camden. Vacation
districts include Ashbury Park, Lakewood, Cape May, and others,
(from Danes 1974: 120)
In t h e present s t u d y , the d a t a b a s e u s e d for the analysis was set u p to
i n c l u d e fields for these features, so that the topical t h e m e o f each s e n t e n c e
w a s labeled a c c o r d i n g to w h e r e it c a m e f r o m 2 . F o r the p u r p o s e o f this
s t u d y , o n l y the o r i g i n 3 o f t h e t o p i c a l t h e m e was c o n s i d e r e d relevant, as o n e
w o u l d expect the p r o g r e s s i o n o f the a r g u m e n t to b e carried o u t p r i m a r i l y
b y t h e e l e m e n t with experiential c o n t e n t . T h e categories were: ' t h e m e f r o m
r h e m e in p r e c e d i n g sentence' ( D a n e s ' s s i m p l e linear T P ) , ' t h e m e f r o m
t h e m e in p r e c e d i n g sentence' ( D a n e s ' s c o n t i n u o u s t h e m e ) , ' t h e m e f r o m
h y p e r t h e m e ' ( D a n e s ' s T P with derived t h e m e ) , a n d 'other'. T h i s m a k e s it
possible
to
calculate
which
strategy
is p r e d o m i n a n t
in
each
of
the
translations a n d the target text.
4
Topical themes
T h i s section gives an overview o f the texts in t e t m s o f what sort o f topical
t h e m e s were f o u n d . T a b l e 1 s h o w s the d i s t r i b u t i o n o f the v a r i o u s types o f
t o p i c a l t h e m e s in the s o u r c e text ( S T ) a n d the target texts ( T T ) .
The
n u m b e r o f occurrences for the m o s t frequent c a t e g o r y in each text is in
b o l d type.
2
Obviously, this is only relevant for sentences where the theme represents given information.
For present purposes, 'given' is defined as something mentioned before, or inferable from the
context (cf. Chafe's 'active' and 'semi-active' (1987: 25) and Jones's 'foregrounded frame' (1983:
50)). Anything that does not fit this description will be termed 'new' information. This may
seem a somewhat subjective and haphazard way of judging what constitutes given information.
However, great care has been taken to ensure that all the texts used in this study have been
analyzed in the same way, thus ensuring the comparability of the resulting figures. Of course,
there is no guarantee that these figures can be compared with those of other studies. This is
clearly a problem, and one which is compounded by the fact that so many definitions of'given'
and 'new' exist as to make it almost impossible to ensure the general comparability of the
differenr definitions. It is to be hoped, however, that by making readers aware of the problem
one may avoid, at least in part, invalid conclusions and generalizations.
3
I.e. where the referent of the thematic element was last mentioned, if the theme is
analyzed as given.
249
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
T a b l e 1: Realization o f topical themes in the source text a n d the target texts
Topical theme
Occurrences
ST
Occurrences
TT 1
Occurrences
IT 2
Occurrences
TT 3
Occurrences
TT4
Occurrences
TT5
Participant
206
(76.3%)
197
(72.96)
193
(71.48%)
203
(75.19%)
198
(73.33%)
191
(70.74%)
Circumstance
48
(17.8%)
54
(20%)
51
(18.89%)
48
(17.78%)
49
(18.15%)
50
(18.52%)
Thematized
comment
5 (1.84%)
4(1.48%)
7 (2.59%)
6 (2.22%)
8 (2.96%)
13 (4.81%)
N o theme
5 (1.84%)
5 (1.85%)
5 (1.85%)
8 (2.96%)
7 (2.59%)
5 (1.85%)
Process
4 (1.48%)
6 (2.22%)
13 (4.81%)
3(1.11%)
5 (1.85%)
7 (2.59%)
Predicated
theme
1 (0.37%)
3 (1.11%)
1 (0.37)
1 (0.37%)
3 (1.11%)
3 (1.11%)
Other
1 (0.37%)
1 (0.37%)
-
1 (0.37%)
-
1 (0.37%)
Total
270
(100%)
270
(99.99%)
270
(99.99%)
270
(100%)
270
(99.99%)
270
(99.99%)
It is perhaps not surprising that the overwhelming majority o f topical themes
in the source text are participants (see example (7)), or that the second m o s t
frequent type is circumstantial constructions (see example (8)). T h e category
labeled 'no theme' m a y seem to contain m o r e instances than o n e w o u l d expect
in a formal text, b u t these are exclusively titles o f subsections, a n d so are not as
mysterious as they m a y at first appear (see example (9)).
(7) H e does so by means of this delicate and specifically human
system for person-to-person communication, (sentence 7)
Barnet gjør dette ved hjelp av et finstemt og særegent menneskelige
system for mellommenneskelig kommunikasjon. ( T T l )
(8) In the second month after birth their reactions to things and
persons are so different that we must conclude that these two classes
o f object are distinct in the infant's awareness (Trevarthen
forthcoming), (sentence 31)
I annen måned etter fødselen reagerer de så forskjellig på ting og
mennesker at vi må gå ut fra at barna skjelner mellom dem
(Trevarthen, kommer). ( T T 2 )
(9) 1 Introduction (sentence 2)
1 Innledning ( T T 3 )
250
Sylvi Rørvik
It is evident f r o m T a b l e 1 that there are differences between target text 1
a n d the s o u r c e text as regards types o f topical t h e m e s f o u n d . T h e s o u r c e
text has 2 0 6 instances o f t h e m e = participant, target text 1 has only 1 9 7 .
A s regards c i r c u m s t a n c e s , the s o u r c e text has fewer t h a n target text 1, 4 8
vs. 5 4 . W h e n it c o m e s to processes, however, the target text has two m o r e
t h a n the source text.
W e can see from T a b l e 1 that target text 2 has fewer
thematized
participants than b o t h the source text a n d target text 1. T h e n u m b e r o f
processes in thematic position, however, is twice that o f target text 1, 13 vs. 6,
a n d over three times as high as the n u m b e r o f thematized processes in the
source text (example (10)). T h e n u m b e r o f circumstances functioning as
topical theme is slightly lower than in target text 1, but slightly higher than in
the source text. In target text 2 , as in target text 1, the three m o s t frequendy
thematized constructions are participants, circumstances, a n d processes.
(10) They seem to be trying to communicate feelings to things as
well as to people, (sentence 35)
Det virker som om de vil vise både ting og mennesker at de føler
noe for dem. ( T T 2 )
T a r g e t text 3 is the o n l y text so far where the category o f 'process' is not
the third m o s t frequently o c c u r r i n g t h e m a t i z e d c o n s t r u c t i o n . A l s o , there
are m o r e " s e n t e n c e s " w i t h n o t h e m e in this translation t h a n in a n y o f the
o t h e r target texts involved in this study.
T a r g e t text 4 has the highest n u m b e r o f t h e m a t i z e d c o m m e n t s o u t o f
the texts d e s c r i b e d so far. It follows the pattern set in target text 3 in that it
has a l o w n u m b e r o f t h e m a t i z e d processes, a n d a relatively h i g h n u m b e r o f
" s e n t e n c e s " w i t h o u t a n y t h e m e at all.
T h e m o s t n o t a b l e a s p e c t o f the figures for target text 5 is that this text
has an u n u s u a l l y h i g h p r o p o r t i o n o f t h e m a t i z e d c o m m e n t s (see e x a m p l e
( 1 1 ) ) . W i t h 13 occurrences in this category, this text really s t a n d s out.
(11) Blindness easily goes undetected in early infancy because
looking movements seem normal (Freedman 1964; Fraiberg this
volume), (sentence 128)
Det er lett å overse blindhet i tidlig spedbarnsalder fordi
blikkbevegelsene tilsynelatende ser normale ut (Freedman 1964;
Fraiberg, i denne boken). ( T T 5 )
251
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
To
sum
u p , in the N o r w e g i a n
target texts slightly fewer t h e m e s
participants. In m o s t o f the target texts, a slightly higher n u m b e r
ate
of
c i r c u m s t a n c e s o c c u r in the t h e m e . O t h e r differences are less c o n s t a n t .
5
Origin of topical themes
L e t us n o w turn to the issue o f where these t h e m e s c o m e f r o m .
An
overview o f this is given in T a b l e 2 b e l o w .
T a b l e 2 : O r i g i n o f t h e m e s in the s o u r c e text a n d target texts
Theme from
Occurrences
ST
Occurrences
TT 1
Occurrences
TT2
Occurrences
TT3
Occurrences
TT 4
Occurrences
TT 5
Rheme in the
preceding
sentence
80
(30.19%)
83
(31.32%)
78
(29.43%)
75
(28.63%)
79
(30.04%)
81
(30.57%)
Theme in the
preceding
sentence
46
(17.36%)
40
(15.09%)
37
(13.96%)
47
(17.94%)
41
(15.59%)
35
(13.21%)
Theme
referring to new
information
46
(17.36%)
54
(20.38%)
57
(21.51%)
49
(18.7%)
52
(19.77%)
63
(23.77%)
Theme not in
the preceding
sentence
32
(12.08%)
29
(10.94%)
30
(11.32%)
32
(12.21%)
34
(12.93%)
29
(10.94%)
Rheme not in
the preceding
sentence
29
(10.94%)
30
(11.32%)
28
(10.57%)
29
(11.07%)
26
(9.89%)
27
(10.19%)
Hypertheme
21 (7.92%)
21 (7.92%)
22 (8.3%)
21 (8.02%)
21 (7.98%)
19 (7.17%)
Other
11 (4.15%)
8 (3.02%)
13 (4.91%)
9 (3.43%)
10 (3.8%)
11 (4.15%)
265
(100%)
262
(100%)
263
(100%)
265
(100%)
Total
265
(100%)
265
(99.99%)
A g a i n , there are s o m e u n s u r p r i s i n g tendencies in the s o u r c e text, like t h e
fact that the m o s t frequent origin o f t h e m e s is t h e p r e c e d i n g
( D a n e s ' s s i m p l e linear t h e m e , see e x a m p l e ( 1 2 ) ) .
(12) In the first few months, before manipulation is effective in
exploring objects, an infant establishes the basis for a deep affectional
tie to his mother and other constant companions, (sentence 6)
H e does so by means of this delicate and specifically human system
for person-to-person communication, (sentence 7)
252
rheme
Sylvi Rørvik
O n the othet h a n d , it is slightly surprising that the two categories o f 'other
t h e m e ' a n d 'other rheme' are m o r e c o m m o n than 'theme from hypertheme',
although it is o f course possible that m a n y o f these instances can b e seen as
examples o f D a n e s ' s T P with a continuous theme, despite the fact that they
s o m e t i m e s occur fairly far apart in the text (cf. e x a m p l e ( 1 3 ) ) . Alternatively,
o n e m i g h t introduce a fourth strategy o f thematic progression, o n e which
comprises a m o r e complex kind o f linear progression (cf. B u t t et al 2 0 0 1 : 1 4 2 1 4 3 ) where either the theme or rheme o f a sentence can be used as the theme
o f a sentence later in the text. T h i s seems a sensible way o f explaining the
occurrence o f thematic origins such as the following, where the t h e m e o f
sentence 4 0 is derived from a rhematic c o m p o n e n t in sentence 2 5 .
(13) Acts of these kinds have been found in research with infants
that obeys the observational tenets o f Piaget in his studies o f
cognitive development (1936). (sentence 25)
Piaget (1936, 1946) records expressions of "pleasure in mastery" and
"serious intent" with respect to cognitive tasks, and Wolff (1963, 1969)
observed that smiling and cooing or crying o f young infants may
accompany and signal recognition of a familiar toy. (sentence 40)
I f w e c o m p a r e t h e results for target text 1 with t h o s e o f the s o u r c e text, w e
see that they are s o m e w h a t different, t h o u g h n o t d r a m a t i c a l l y so. S i m p l e
linear t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n is the m o s t c o m m o n strategy in target text 1, as
it w a s in the s o u r c e text. T h i s is illustrated in e x a m p l e ( 1 4 ) :
(14) Et seks uker gammelt barn kan vise glede over en riktig
forventning og mishag over å mislykkes, selv om det er tilfreds og
avviser fysiologisk "belønning." (sentence 4 5 , T T 1 )
Uttrykk for giede er knyttet til den erkjennelsesmessige (subjektive)
forutsigeligheten (Papousek 1969, Zalao 1972). (sentence 46, T T 1 )
Howevet, the second m o s t c o m m o n thematic origin in target text 1 is 'new',
a n d it is perhaps slightly surprising that this should be so. Whilst thematizing an
element containing new information is useful insofar as it allows the writet to
emphasize something or to establish a contrast, it nevertheless lessens the
readability o f the text, since it entails the loss o f an explicit link to the preceding
context (cf. V a n d e K o p p l e 1 9 8 6 : 8 7 ) . In such cases, the translator m u s t decide
which is m o r e important: explicit discourse relations, or the achievement o f the
desited emphasis on s o m e element. If one believes what Baket says a b o u t the
universals o f translated texts ( 1 9 9 3 : 2 4 3 - 2 4 5 ) , one w o u l d expect the explicit
253
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
discourse relations to take precedence. However, o n e must also take into
account the translators' idiosyncrasies and the nature o f the texts in question.
C o m p a r e d with target text 1 a n d the source text, target text 2 has a
slightly lower percentage o f simple linear thematic progression. O n the other
h a n d , target text 2 has a higher proportion o f themes containing
new
information than both target text 1 a n d the source text. T h e figures for
c o n t i n u o u s theme show that target text 2 has fewer instances than both the
source text a n d target text 1. T h e figures for theme derived from hypertheme,
o n the other h a n d , are almost identical for the three texts discussed so far.
T h e p a t t e r n s o f t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n in target text 3 are generally
very similar to those o f target texts 1 a n d 2 . T a r g e t text 3 differs f r o m the
s o u r c e text in the s a m e w a y that target text 1 a n d target text 2 d o , n a m e l y
in that the s e c o n d m o s t frequent category o f t h e m e s is that o f t h e m e s
referring to n e w i n f o r m a t i o n . In the s o u r c e text the categories o f ' n e w ' a n d
' p r e c e d i n g t h e m e ' h a d the s a m e n u m b e r o f occurrences.
T a r g e t text 4 clearly has very similar patterns o f thematic progression to
those o f the other target texts. T h e m a i n difference from the source text is
o n c e again that there are m o r e themes containing new information in the
target text, a n d fewer that are part o f a T P strategy with continuous t h e m e .
A s regards the origin o f topical t h e m e s , target text 5 very m u c h
follows the s a m e pattern as the other translations. It does, however, h a v e a
slightly higher p r o p o r t i o n o f t h e m e s c o n t a i n i n g n e w i n f o r m a t i o n t h a n a n y
o f the o t h e r target texts. It is n o t i m m e d i a t e l y clear w h a t the reason for this
difference m a y b e , since, as m e n t i o n e d , the t h e m a t i z a t i o n o f an e l e m e n t
c o n t a i n i n g n e w i n f o r m a t i o n leads to a potential decrease o f readability
t h r o u g h the loss o f an explicit link with the p r e c e d i n g discourse. H o w e v e r ,
as will b e c o m e clear f r o m T a b l e s 3 a n d 4 , target text 5 differs in m a n y
w a y s f r o m b o t h the other tatget texts a n d the source text (except, p e r h a p s ,
target text 2 ) , a n d the higher p r o p o r t i o n
o f themes containing
new
i n f o r m a t i o n in target text 5 c o u l d therefore result f r o m the fact that this
translation is relatively free.
6
Grammatical
change leading to change of theme
T h e five target texts all exhibit a varying n u m b e r o f sentence changes that lead
to a target-text theme which is different from that o f the corresponding
source-text sentence. T a b l e 3 shows the various patterns o f change. T h e m o s t
i m p o r t a n t o f these are exemplified in section 7.
254
Sylvi Rørvik
T a b l e 3: G r a m m a t i c a l change leading to change o f theme in the target texts
Type of change
Occurrences
TT 1
Occurrences
TT2
Occurrences
TT 3
Occurrences
TT4
Occurrences
TT5
Passive to active
3 (18.75%)
15(28.85%)
1 (7.14%)
2 (8.33%)
7(13.46%)
Fronting of circumstance
3 (18.75%)
3 (5.77%)
2 (14.29%)
5 (20.83%)
6 (11.53%)
2 (8.33%)
12 (23.08%)
1 (4.17%)
4 (7.69%)
Due to difference in
preceding sentence
3 (18.75%)
7(13.46%)
1 (7.14%)
Into construction with
'det virker som' or similar
2 (12.5%)
6 (11.54%)
-
Noun phrase to adverbial
clause
2 (12.5%)
1 (1.92%)
From existential 'there'5
1 (6.25%)
1 (1.92%)
1 (7.14%)
1 (4.17%)
2 (3.85)
Into existential 'det'
(existential 'there')'
1 (6.25%)
4 (7.69%)
1 (7.14%)
2 (8.33%)
2 (3.85)
Active to passive
1 (6.25%)
-
-
-
-
Change in word order
-
5 (9.62%)
2 (14.29%)
2 (8.33%)
2 (3.85)
From fronted
circumstance
-
3 (5.77%)
1 (7.14%)
3 (12.5%)
4 (7.69%)
Into thematized comment
-
3 (5.77%)
2 (14.29%)
4 (16.67%)
8 (15.38%)
Nominal construction to
verbal construction
-
4 (7.69%)
Sentence to phrase (no
theme)
2 (3.85)
1 (1.92%)
3 (21.43%)
2 (8.33%)
Other
-
-
-
-
2 (3.85)
Total
16(100%)
52 (100%)
14(100%)
24 (99.99%)
52 (100%)
O f the 2 7 0 sentences in target text 1, 16 ( 5 . 9 3 % ) h a v e a t h e m e that is in
s o m e w a y different f r o m the t h e m e in the c o r r e s p o n d i n g sentences in the
s o u r c e text. H o w e v e r , n o t all o f these have c a u s e d a c h a n g e in the t h e m a t i c
progression.
F o r instance, in s o m e instances where the translator
has
c h o s e n a different t h e m e , b o t h the s o u r c e text t h e m e a n d the new target
4
This category refers to instances where the themes are identical in the source text and
target text, but because there are differences in the theme-rheme structure in the sentences
they originate from, the themes are considered to have different origins.
5
In this category we find translations where the source text has a construction with
existential there, but where the translator has chosen a non-presentative construction, which
makes an unmarked theme possible (cf. section 3.1).
6
This category refers to instances where the translator has gone from a non-presentative
construction in the source text to one with existential 'det' ('there') in the target text, i.e.
the opposite of the one described in footnote 5.
255.
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
text t h e m e c o m e f r o m the p r e c e d i n g r h e m e . T h u s , w e o n l y find 9 cases
where t h e c h o i c e o f a different t h e m e has led to differences in the t h e m a t i c
progression (as defined b y D a n e s ) .
T a r g e t text 2 has 5 2 sentences ( 2 1 . 8 5 % ) w i t h a t h e m e w h i c h is
different f r o m that o f their c o r r e s p o n d i n g source text sentences. A s with
target text 1, t h o u g h , o n l y s o m e o f these t h e m a t i c c h a n g e s have led to a
c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c progression. T a r g e t text 1 h a d 9 cases o f c h a n g e in T P ;
target text 2 has 3 9 s u c h cases.
In target text 3 there are 14 sentences ( 5 . 1 9 % ) where the translatot
has c h a n g e d the t h e m e . T h e m o s t surprising p o i n t in c o n n e c t i o n with this
a s p e c t o f target text 3 is the fact that the m o s t frequent c h a n g e is a c h a n g e
f r o m a verbal c o n s t r u c t i o n to a n o m i n a l c o n s t r u c t i o n (see e x a m p l e ( 1 4 ) ,
w h e r e the verb has been left o u t in the ttanslation). T h e translator has thus
r e d u c e d the n u m b e r o f verbal c o n s t r u c t i o n s in the target text as c o m p a r e d
t o the s o u r c e text. T h i s is in stark contrast to the results o f F a b r i c i u s H a n s e n ( 1 9 9 8 ) , w h o s h o w e d that N o r w e g i a n relies m o r e heavily o n verbal
constructions
than English
does. However,
b e c a u s e there are s o
few
occurrences o f this, a n d b e c a u s e it m o s t l y does n o t o c c u r in the other
target texts, it is i m p o s s i b l e to d r a w a n y c o n c l u s i o n s , except to say that this
m a y well b e an area in w h i c h the translator's idiosyncrasy shines t h r o u g h .
(14) This is because they fail to support the infant's expressions o f
pleasure or his prespeech and gestures, (sentence 235)
Dette fordi de mislykkes med å støtte spebarnets gledesuttrykk eller
dets førtale eller gester. (sentence 2 3 5 , T T 3 )
In 8 o f the 14 cases m e n t i o n e d a b o v e the alteration in topical t h e m e leads
t o a c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n .
T h e translator o f target text 4 has c h a n g e d the t h e m e in 2 4 sentences
( 8 . 8 9 % ) . As T a b l e 3 s h o w s , the c h a n g e s are d i s t r i b u t e d over a w i d e range
o f categories, with o n l y a few instances in each. T h i s m a k e s it difficult to
d r a w a n y firm c o n c l u s i o n s , b u t it s h o u l d b e n o t e d that for the first t i m e ,
t h e m o s t frequent g r a m m a t i c a l c h a n g e l e a d i n g to a c h a n g e o f t h e m e is the
fronting o f a c i r c u m s t a n c e in the target text. O f the 2 4 sentences with a
different t h e m e f r o m their c o r r e s p o n d i n g target text sentences, o n l y 15
l e a d to a c h a n g e in the t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n as c o m p a r e d to that o f the
s o u r c e text.
T a r g e t text 5 has the s e c o n d highest n u m b e r o f c h a n g e d t h e m e s o u t
o f all the target texts analyzed in this study. T h e t h e m e has been c h a n g e d
256
Sylvi Rørvik
in
52
o f the
270
sentences
( 1 9 . 2 6 % ) . As
noted
above,
thematized
c o m m e n t s feature q u i t e p r o m i n e n t l y in target text 5. In the s o u r c e text
there are o n l y 5 s u c h c o n s t r u c t i o n s (cf. T a b l e 1), s o it is n o t s u t p r i s i n g that
the r e m a i n i n g 8 in the target text are listed as causes o f c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c
p o s i t i o n . A l s o , there are q u i t e a few instances o f c h a n g e f r o m passive to
active in this text.
7
Grammatical
progression
change leading to change in thematic
A s m e n t i o n e d , not all o f the grammatical changes causing a change in theme
result in a different pattern o f thematic progression. T a b l e 4 below shows the
n u m b e r a n d distribution o f changes in thematic progression in the five target
texts (for explanations o f the types o f change, see T a b l e 3 (footnotes)).
T a b l e 4: G r a m m a t i c a l c h a n g e l e a d i n g to c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n in
the target texts
Type of change
Occurrences
TT 1
Occurrences
TT 2
Occurrences
TT3
Occurrences
TT4
Occurrences
TT 5
Due to difference in
preceding sentence
3 (33.33%)
6 (15.38%)
1 (12.5%)
2 (13.33%)
10 (27.78%)
Into existential 'det'
(existential 'there')
1 (11.11)
4 (10.26%)
1 (12.5%)
1 (6.67%)
2 (5.56%)
Passive to active
2 (22.22%)
12 (30.77%)
-
2 (13.33%)
4(11.11%)
Into constnxction with
'det virker som' or similar
2 (22.22%)
5 (12.82%)
-
1 (6.67%)
4(11.11%)
Fronting of circumstance
1 (11.11)
1 (2.56%)
-
3 (20%)
3 (8.33%)
Into thematized
comment
-
2 (5.13%)
1 (12.5%)
2 (13.3.3%)
5 (13.88%)
From fronted
circumstance
-
2 (5.13%)
1 (12.5%)
2 (13.33%)
3 (8.33%)
2 (5.56%)
Change in word order
-
3 (7.69%)
1 (12.5%)
-
Nominalization to
verbal construction
-
2 (5.13%)
-
-
From existential 'there'
-
1 (2.56%)
-
2 (5.56%)
Noun phrase to
adverbial clause
1 (2.56%)
Sentence to phrase (no
theme)
3 (37.5%)
3 (37.5%)
2 (13.33%)
39 (99.99%)
8 (100%)
15 (99.99%)
Total
9 (99.99%)
1 (2.78%)
36 (100%)
257
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
T a b l e 4 s h o w s that target text 1 has 9 instances where the c h a n g e o f t h e m e
leads to a c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n . O f these 9 instances, two result
f r o m a c h a n g e o f v o i c e , f r o m passive in the s o u r c e text to active in the
target text (see e x a m p l e ( 1 5 ) ) . T w o are cases where the translator has
c h o s e n the N o r w e g i a n c o n s t r u c t i o n 'det kan virke s o m / d e t virker s o m ' ("it
appears
that/it s e e m s
that"), one
is d u e
to the translator
using
the
N o r w e g i a n equivalent o f existential 'there', a n d o n e is a case where a
c i r c u m s t a n c e has been fronted. T h e final three cases are sentences where
the different origin o f the t h e m e is c a u s e d b y a c h a n g e in t h e s e n t e n c e
f r o m which the t h e m e is derived. In other w o r d s , the t h e m e s themselves
are identical in the s o u r c e text a n d the target text, b u t b e c a u s e there are
differences in the t h e m e - r h e m e structure in the sentences they originate
f r o m , these t h e m e s b e l o n g to different strategies o f t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n .
(15) Facial expressions closely similar to those o f adults for the
emotions of pleasure, displeasure, fear, surprise, confusion and
interest may be distinguished in newborns, or young infants
(Charlesworth & Kreutzer 1973; Oster & Ekman forthcoming).
These movements are automatically perceived as "emotional" by
adults, (sentences 41 & 42)
Ansiktsuttrykk som ligner svært på ansiktsuttrykkene til voksne når
de føler giede, mishag, frykt, overraskelse, forvirring og interesse
kan skjelnes hos nyfødte, eller hos spedbarn (Charlesworth &
Kreutzer 1973, Oster & Ekman, under utgivelse).
Voksne mennesker oppfatter automatisk disse bevegelsene som
"emosjonelle", (sentences 41 & 4 2 , T T l )
Overall, the differences
between the s o u r c e text a n d target text 1 are
neither m a n y e n o u g h in n u m b e r nor consistent e n o u g h in the p a t t e r n s
they exhibit to e n a b l e c o n c l u s i o n s a b o u t the relationship between different
structures o f t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n s a n d differences in m e a n i n g .
T a r g e t text 2 has 3 9 sentences where the t h e m e c h a n g e has c a u s e d a
c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c progression. Clearly, the fact that the n u m b e r
of
c h a n g e s in T P is so m u c h larger in target text 2 t h a n in target text 1
enables us to d r a w s o m e tentative c o n c l u s i o n s w h i c h w e c o u l d n o t d o
b a s e d o n the figures for target text 1. T h e c h a n g e that m o s t frequently
leads to a c h a n g e in T P is that f r o m passive voice in the s o u r c e text
s e n t e n c e to active v o i c e in the target text sentence.
258
Sylvi Rørvik
(16) What they say gives us access to how they perceive infants.
T h e content of baby talk to one two-month-old infant girl, in
films taken under the conditions we have standardised, has been
analysed by Sylvester-Bradley (Sylvester-Bradley & Trevarthen
1978). (sentences 259 & 260)
Det de sier, viser hvordan de oppfaner barna.
Sylvester-Bradley (Sylvester-Bradley og Trevarthen 1978) har analysert
innholdet av småsnakk med en liten jente på to måneder, tatt opp på film
under deforholdene vi har standardisert, (sentences 259 & 260, T T 2 )
It is n o t s u r p r i s i n g that this c h a n g e leads to c h a n g e in T P , as it involves a
c o m p l e t e reordering o f s e n t e n c e e l e m e n t s . B u t w h y d o e s this c h a n g e o c c u r
a t all? T h e passive v o i c e has been s h o w n to b e very frequent in a c a d e m i c
texts (e.g. B i b e r et al 1 9 9 9 : 9 3 8 ) , so the c h a n g e is n o t m o t i v a t e d b y the
g e n r e o f the texts. O n e e x p l a n a t i o n m i g h t b e the t e n d e n c y o f translators to
explicitate d i s c o u r s e relations (Baker 1 9 9 3 : 2 4 3 - 2 4 5 ) ; the c h a n g e
passive
to
active entails
the explicit
mentioning
o f a subject
from
which
p e r f o r m s the action, a n d this m a k e s the p r o g r e s s i o n o f the a r g u m e n t easier
to follow. T h e c h a n g e f r o m passive to active a c c o u n t s for over 3 0 % o f all
t h e c h a n g e s l e a d i n g to a c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , so it s e e m s fair to
c o n c l u d e that the translator o f target text 2 c o n s i d e r e d the n e e d to h a v e an
explicit a g e n t an i m p o r t a n t reason to stray f r o m the s o u r c e text. C o m p a r e d
w i t h the other target texts, target text 2 has a m u c h higher n u m b e r o f
c h a n g e s f r o m passive to active. I f the total n u m b e r o f c h a n g e s m a d e in all
target texts is taken into a c c o u n t , t h e shift f r o m passive to active is actually
t h e s e c o n d m o s t frequent. H o w e v e t , as over h a l f o f these o c c u r in target
text 2 ( 1 2 o f 2 0 ) , it s e e m s that, on the evidence o f the present material at
least, w e m u s t conclude that the change from passive to active resulting in a
c h a n g e in T P probably reflects the idiosyncrasy o f the translatot o f target text
2 . (It m i g h t also be useful to see h o w m a n y similar sentences there are in the
texts where the translator has not f o u n d it necessary to change the voice from
passive to active. Unfortunately, this is outside the scope o f the present study.)
A s regards target text 3, there are 8 cases in w h i c h the alteration in
t o p i c a l t h e m e leads to a c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n . A s m e n t i o n e d
a b o v e , it is extremely s u r p r i s i n g that a c h a n g e f r o m a verbal c o n s t r u c t i o n
in the s o u r c e text to a n o m i n a l c o n s t r u c t i o n in the target texts s h o u l d
o c c u r at all. H o w e v e r , as m a n y o f the c h a n g e s involve the h e a d l i n e s o f
s u b s e c t i o n s , this figure is n o t as strange as it m i g h t a p p e a r .
259
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
T a r g e t text 4 has 15 sentences w h e r e a t h e m a t i c c h a n g e leads to a
c h a n g e in the t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n as c o m p a r e d to that o f the s o u r c e text.
A g a i n , the fact that thete are so few instances o f these c h a n g e s m a k e s it
difficult to base a n y firm c o n c l u s i o n s o n the figures p r e s e n t e d above. It
s h o u l d b e n o t e d , p e r h a p s , that the m o s t frequent c a u s e o f c h a n g e in
t h e m a t i c progression in target text 4 is the fronting o f a circumstance (see
e x a m p l e (17)), b u t the extremely low n u m b e r o f occurrences in each category
makes it all b u t impossible to say that this suggests a general pattern.
(17) T h e techniques used have been designed to obtain detailed
records of both mother and infant while they are in close
communication, (sentence 54)
Mothers visit the laboratory from the time their babies are two to
three weeks old. (sentence 56)
Fra tid til annen kommer mødrene på besøk til laboratoriet sammen
med barna sine fra de er to til tre uker gamle, (sentence 56, T 1 4 )
In target text 5 w e find 3 6 cases o f change in thematic progression. T a b l e 4
a b o v e shows that the various causes o f change in thematic progression are
m o r e or less equally c o m m o n in this text as far as the n u m b e r o f occurrences
g o , but the percentages vary somewhat more. E x a m p l e (18) shows the change
f r o m a construction with 'seem' in English into 'det virker s o m ' in N o r w e g i a n ,
which occurs four times in target text 5 (for m o r e o n the translation o f English
'seem' into N o r w e g i a n , see J o h a n s s o n ( 2 0 0 1 ) ) . T h i s way o f translating 'seem'
causes a m o r e c o m p l e x clause structure in N o r w e g i a n , where a matrix clause
with an e m p t y subject is introduced, thus leading to a change in T P .
(18) Experiments with artificial stimuli show that even neonates
prefer to look at simplified face-like patterns (Fantz 1963).
T h e y seem to explore the configuration of the face, being most
attracted to the eyes (Lewis 1969; Carpenter et al. 1970; Wolff
1963, 1969). (sentences 161 & 162)
Forsøk med kunstige stimuli viser at til og med nyfødte foretrekker
å se på enkle ansiktslignende mønstre (Fantz 1963).
Det virker som de er opptatt av å finne ut av ansiktets form, og
særlig er de opptatt av øynene (Lewis 1969; Carpenter et al. 1970;
Wollf 1963, 1969). (sentences 161 & 162, T T 5 )
260
Sylvi Rørvik
8
Summary and conclusion
In
the
introduction
to
this
study
two
opposing
hypotheses
were
i n t r o d u c e d . O n e s t a t e d that the c h o i c e o f a different t h e m e f r o m that o f
the s o u r c e text, w o u l d alter the c o n t e n t o f the target text m e s s a g e . T h e
o t h e r i n t r o d u c e d the possibility that w o t d order, t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , a n d
t h e c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e m a y n o t b e as closely l i n k e d as has b e e n
a s s u m e d . T h r o u g h the d i s c u s s i o n o f the five target texts it has b e c o m e clear
t h a t the n u m b e r o f t h e m a t i c c h a n g e s m a d e b y the different
translators
varies considerably, a n d , furthermore, that n o t all o f these c h a n g e s lead to
a c h a n g e in the t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n o f the texts. T h i s is pattly d u e to the
fact that a t h e m e c a n b e different f r o m that o f its c o t r e s p o n d i n g s o u r c e
text sentence, b u t still c o m e f r o m the s a m e p a r t o f a p r e c e d i n g s e n t e n c e
(for
instance,
if t w o
different
parts
o f the
same
rheme
have
been
t h e m a t i z e d ) . H o w e v e r , d e s p i t e the fact that s o m e o f the texts have w h a t
s e e m s to b e a faitly large n u m b e r o f c h a n g e s in t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , they
nonetheless follow t h e pattern o f the s o u r c e text pretty closely, e x c e p t i n g
the
general
trend
that
the
proportion
of
themes
containing
new
i n f o r m a t i o n is slightly larger in the target texts t h a n in the s o u r c e text. In
o t h e r w o r d s , the p e r c e n t a g e o f sentences b e l o n g i n g to each o f D a n e s ' s
strategies o f t h e m a t i c progression is a l m o s t identical. T h i s c o u l d b e seen as
a h i n t that the translators try to the best o f their abilities to follow the
t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n o f the s o u r c e text, a n d c o u l d thus b e taken as p r o o f
o f t h e i m p o r t a n c e o f T P in e n s u r i n g the c o m m u n i c a t i o n o f a m e s s a g e that
is
equivalent
in
meaning
to
that
of
the
source
text.
However,
as
m e n t i o n e d , there are q u i t e a few instances where the translator has c h o s e n
a different t h e m e f r o m that o f the s o u r c e text, b u t since b o t h t h e m e s c o m e
f r o m the t h e m e , say, o f the p r e c e d i n g sentence, n o c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c
p r o g r e s s i o n is recorded. T h u s , it is i m p o s s i b l e to say a n y t h i n g a b o u t the
link between w o r d o r d e r a n d t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n w i t h o u t l o o k i n g at each
t h e m e in m o r e detail. In other w o r d s , it is still possible that the s e c o n d
h y p o t h e s i s o u t l i n e d a b o v e is correct, n a m e l y that w o r d order, t h e m a t i c
p r o g r e s s i o n , a n d the c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e are n o t closely linked.
V e n t o l a ( 1 9 9 5 ) gives e x a m p l e s o f " t h e m a t i c c h a n g e s in translation
w h i c h ate likely to c o m p l i c a t e the r e a d i n g process o f a translated a c a d e m i c
article" (1995:
1 0 2 ) . S h e s e e m s to take this as p r o o f that c h a n g e s
in
t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n will alter the c o n t e n t o f the tatget text m e s s a g e , or at
least the way the m e s s a g e is perceived. H o w e v e r , a l t h o u g h this s e e m s to
h o l d true for the e x a m p l e s she gives, t h e t e is n o clear e v i d e n c e that this is
t h e case in general. V e n t o l a ' s p a p e r c o n t a i n s e x a m p l e s f r o m o n l y a few
261
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
texts, w h i c h m a k e s generalization difficult, b u t she nevertheless c o n c l u d e s
t h a t a failure to closely follow the t h e m e - r h e m e structure o f the s o u r c e text
will c o m p l i c a t e the target text to a p o i n t w h e r e it m a y b e extremely
difficult to read. T h i s c o n c l u s i o n s e e m s a bit p r e m a t u r e ; at the very least,
t h e s t u d y o f a m u c h higher n u m b e r o f texts is required to allow s u c h a
general c o n c l u s i o n . A n o t h e r p o i n t to bear in m i n d is that the p r o b l e m s
c o n c e r n i n g translations between E n g l i s h a n d G e r m a n are n o t necessarily
the s a m e as those c o n c e r n i n g the translation between other languages.
Clearly, t h e evaluations o f the target texts will always have to be b a s e d o n
subjective criteria, a n d the definition o f t h e m e e m p l o y e d b y V e n t o l a
( 1 9 9 5 : 8 7 ) is n o t the s a m e as the o n e u s e d in this study. I c a n n o t , however,
at this p o i n t find conclusive evidence in m y material t o s u p p o r t V e n t o l a ' s
b r o a d claim that a t h e m a t i c c h a n g e as c o m p a t e d to the s o u r c e text will
m a k e t h e target text c o n s i d e r a b l y m o r e difficult to read. T h e c l a i m that the
c h o i c e o f a different t h e m e will c h a n g e the v i e w p o i n t o f the sentence
certainly s e e m s to h o l d true, t h o u g h , a n d m i g h t b e a n indication that o n e
n e e d s to d i s t i n g u i s h between the clause level a n d the d i s c o u r s e level w h e n
d i s c u s s i n g the readability o f sentences with t h e m a t i c c h a n g e s . In other
w o r d s , while c h o o s i n g a different t h e m e f r o m the s o u r c e text will s u b t l y
c h a n g e t h e c o n t e n t o f the sentence in q u e s t i o n , it will n o t necessarily
c h a n g e the c o n t e n t o f the target text m e s s a g e as a w h o l e .
A s m e n t i o n e d a b o v e , it is i m p o s s i b l e to say a n y t h i n g a b o u t the link
between w o r d order, t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , a n d the c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e
c o n v e y e d w i t h o u t a closer investigation o f each t h e m e . T h i s is d u e to the
fact that D a n e s ' s patterns o f t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n , as a p p l i e d in
this
analysis, d o n o t d i s t i n g u i s h between t h e m e s c o m i n g f r o m different parts o f
the s a m e r h e m e (for instance), so that even if, as in this case, the E n g l i s h
a n d N o r w e g i a n sentences have a different t h e m e , it has n o t been analyzed
as a c h a n g e in t h e m a t i c progression if b o t h t h e m e s c a m e f r o m the s a m e
rheme. W h a t
is n e e d e d
is a m o r e detailed analysis o f the
rhematic
c o m p o n e n t s . W i t h s u c h a s y s t e m o f labeling in p l a c e , o n e c o u l d m o r e
clearly see t h e c o n n e c t i o n ,
if o n e
exists,
between
changes
in
word
o r d e r / t h e m a t i c p r o g r e s s i o n a n d c h a n g e s in the c o n t e n t o f the m e s s a g e .
T h i s s e e m s to b e a fruitful area for further research.
University
262
of Oslo
Sylvi Rørvik
References
Baker, Mona. 1993. "Corpus linguistics and translation studies: Implications and
applications." In Baker, Mona, Gill Francis, and Elena Tognini-Bonelli
(eds.), Text and Technology. In Honour of John Sinclair. Amsterdam:
Benjamins, 233-250.
Biber, Douglas, Stig Johansson, Geoffrey Leech, Susan Conrad, Edward Finegan.
1999. Longman Grammar of Spoken and Written English. London:
Longman.
Butt, David, Rhondda Fahey, Susan Feez, Sue Spinks, Colin Yallop. 2 0 0 1 . Using
Functional Grammar: An Explorer's Guide 2" 1 ed. Sydney: National Centre
for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University.
Chafe, Wallace. 1987. "Cognitive constraints on information flow". In Tomlin,
Russel, (ed.). 1987. Coherence and Grounding in Discourse. Amsterdam: J o h n
Benjamins Publishing Company, 2 1 - 5 2 .
Danes, Frantisek. 1974. "Functional sentence perspective and the organization of
the text." In Danes, Frantisek (ed.), Papers on Functional Sentence
Perspective. Prague: Academia, 106-128.
Faarlund, Jan Terje, Svein Lie, Kjell Ivar Vannebo. 1997. Norsk
Referansegrammatikk. Oslo: Universitetsforlaget.
Fabricius-Hansen. Cathrine. 1998. "Information density and translation, with
special reference to German - Norwegian - English." In Johansson, Stig and
Signe Oksefjell (eds.), Corpora and Cross-linguistic Research: Theory, Method,
and Case Studies. Amsterdam: Rodopi, 197-234.
Fries, Peter H. 1995. "Themes, development and texts". In Hasan, Ruqaiya and Peter
Fries (eds.), On Subject and Theme. Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 317-359.
Halliday, Michael Alexander Kirkwood. 1970."Language structure and language
function". In Lyons, J o h n (ed.), New Horizons in Linguistics.
Harmondsworth: Penguin, 140-164.
Halliday, Michael Alexander Kirkwood. 1994. An Introduction to Functional
Grammar. 2" 1 ed. London: Edward Arnold.
Hasselgård, Hilde. 1998. "Thematic structure in translation between English and
Norwegian". In Johansson, Stig and Signe Oksefjell (eds.), Corpora and
Cross-linguistic Research: Theory, Method, and Case Studies. Amsterdam:
Rodopi, 145-167.
Johansson, Stig. 2 0 0 1 . " T h e English verb seem and its correspondences in
Norwegian: What seems to be the problem?" In Aijmer, Karin (ed.), A
Wealth of English: Studies in Honour of Göran Kjellmer. Gothenburg:
Gothenburg Studies in English 8 1 , 221-245.
263
Thematic Progression in Translation from English into Norwegian
Jones, Larry Bert. 1983. Pragmatic Aspects of English Text Structure. Arlington: T h e
Summer Institute of Linguistics. Chapter 3: Functions of first Mention
References in Discourse, 49—75.
Quirk, Randolph, Sidney Greenbaum, Geoffrey Leech, Jan Svartvik. 1985. A
Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. London: Longman.
Thompson, Geoff. 1996. Introducing Functional Grammar. London: Edward Arnold.
Vande Kopple, William J. 1986. Given and New Information and Some Aspects
of the Structures, Semantics, and Pragmatics of Written Texts. In Cooper,
Charles R. and Sidney Greenbaum (eds.), Studying Writing, Beverly Hills:
Sage Publications, 7 2 - 1 1 1 .
Ventola, Eija. 1995. "Thematic development and translation". In Ghadessy, Mohsen
(ed.) Thematic Development in English Texts. London: Pinter, 85-104.
264