DENOTATIVE MEANING
AND TRANSLATION ISSUES
Chapter 5
Lecturer: Abrar A. Mujaddidi
Denotative meaning
Denotative meaning:
Denotative meaning is the meaning which is fully
supported by ordinary semantic conventions.
E.g. Window: refers to a particular type of aperture in a
wall or a roof.
In reality, words show more flexibility than what their
dictionary definitions denote.
When words are put into contexts, their meanings
become more flexible.
cont.,
The previous two facts makes pinning the precise
denotative meaning of any word a hard task.
This chapter discusses degrees of semantic
equivalence:
how close given expressions have identical denotative
meaning.
We will explore:
Synonymy.
Hyperonymy-hyponymy
cont.,
We will explore:
Synonymy.
Hyperonymy-hyponymy
Particularizing
and generalizing translation
Synonymy
Denotative meaning explains how language
divides the communicable experiences into
categories.
pencil
Objects that are
included in the
category of pencil
Objects that are
excluded from
the category of
pencil
cont.,
Denotative meaning:
is to specify a range covered by a word or phrase
in a way that one knows what items are included
and what items are excluded from the range or
category.
cont.,
It will better to visualize denotative meaning as
circles.
Circles can represent intersections between
categories.
Intersections show semantic equivalence between
meanings.
My mother’s
father /my
maternal
grandfather
My mother’s
father
My maternal
grandfather
•The opposite diagram shows the
strongest form of semantic
equivalence: full synonymy
•The two expressions are
synonyms of one another
Comparison of denotative meaning can be made
between expressions of two different languages:
compare the arabic word ‫ل‬78 to the English word
‘maternal uncle’.
Maternal
uncle/ ‫ل‬78
Maternal
uncle
‫ل‬78
Hyperonymy-Hyponymy
Full synonymy is rare both interlingually and
intralingually
E.g. Uncle
vs.
;< and ‫ل‬78
The relationship between uncle and ;< and the
relationship between uncle and ‫ل‬78is what we call
hyperonymy-hyponymy.
cont.,
An expression with a
wider, less specific
range of denotative
meaning is a
hyperonym or
superordinate.
An expression with a
noarrower, more
specific range of
denotative meaning is
a hyponym of a
hyperonym.
UNCLE
‫ل‬78 ;<
cont.,
When there is no full TL
synonym for a given ST
expression (e.g. ‘uncle’), the
translator must look for an
appropriate hyperonym or
hyponym.
English
‘you’
@
َ A‫أ‬
@
ِ A‫أ‬
E
ّ FA‫أ‬
;FA‫أ‬
7GFA‫أ‬
Particularizing translation
Translation where the TT has a narrower and a
more specific denotative meaning than the ST
expression: ( ‫ل‬78 instead of uncle)
( ‫وق‬JKL translated as bin or a box)
Generalizing translation
Generalizing translation refers to the case where
the TT expression has a wider and a less specific
denotative meaning than the ST expression.
E.g. Translating MNOPQ as a garment or a dress.
Partially overlapping translation
Translating concert with MNR7KS MTUV involves a
different kind of equivalence.
ST
‫ء‬7KS MTUV
TT
concert
TT: omits singing but adds the meaning of
organization, but keeps musical gathering.
Semantic repetition in Arabic
Semantic repition of synonyms or near synonyms
is common in Arabic.
Semantic repition is of two basic kinds:
When
the two words have closely related but
distinguishable meanings.(XNTYFZ‫ء و ا‬7\]F^_‫)ا‬
When the two words are completely synonymous, or
there is no clear difference between them( ‫ة‬aGFbc ‫رة‬e\O
MTL‫ا‬eFc).
Semantic repititon
1.
2.
3.
4.
Techniques used to translated semantic repition
into English:
Merge the two arabic words into one English
word.
Employ partial grmmatical transportation.
Semantic distancing
Maintain the same form of repition.
Thank you ☺