Specification of reporting verbs

Predominant direction: from IE -» into Hungarian

Verbs accompanying reported speech in literary works are generally semantically depleted verbs in the four Indo-European languages (to say, sagen, dire, skazat while in Hungarian they tend to be semantically rich. The authors of literary works written in IE languages generally use the central verb of the semantic field of say­

ing, while Hungarian translators tend to choose more peripheral verbs from the same semantic field.

English: to say-» Hungarian: hálálkodik(‘to express one’s gratitude’) Hungarian TT: - Jaj, köszönöm, nagysága! - hálálkodottEdna.

(Borbás 11)

English ST:Oh, thank you, madam,’ saidEdna. (Christie 10) English: to say-» Hungarian: tiltakozik(‘to protest’)

Hungarian TT: -Te csak ne csepüld az én lábamat - tiltakozott az öregember. (Balabán 31)

English ST:‘Well, you mustn’t abuse my legs’ saidthe old man Games 9)

1.2.1. The specification of reporting verbs may take several forms in IE-►Hunga­

rian translation. In the simplest case, Hungarian translators also use reporting verbs, but more specific and less frequent ones, using a variety of Hungarian verbs of saying instead of the correspondents of central verbs say, sagen, dire, skazat\

Such variety either does not exist in IE languages, or is not set in motion in this function (in the function of verbs reporting dialogue in literary works).

In the following example, the same English reporting verb to sayis translated into Hungarian by four different reporting verbs: kezd (‘to begin’), közbeszól (‘to interrupt’), megszólal (‘to begin to speak’), megnyilatkozik (‘to express one’s ideas’).

English -» Hungarian:

English ST:Armstrong said,‘Four of us and we don't know which.' Blore said, T know.'

Vera said,T haven't the least doubt.'

Philip Lombard said, I think I’ve got a pretty good idea now.’ (Christie 144)

Hungarian TT: - Négyen vagyunk, és nem tudjuk ki a... - kezdteArm­

strong.

Blore közbeszólt - Én tudom.

Vera is megszólalt- Én is tökéletesen biztos vagyok benne.

Philip Lombard is megnyilatkozott - Úgy érzem, én is biztos vagyok benne. (Szíjgyártó 145)

1.2.2. Instead of simply indicating that something has been said translators often refer to the permanent or occasional characteristics of the speech of individ­

ual speakers (tone, rate, emphasis) using verbs that lie even farther from the cen­

tre of the semantic field of verbs of saying: hebeg(‘to stammer’), dadog(‘to stut­

ter'), hadar(‘to gabble’), makog(‘to falter’), suttog (‘to whisper'). In the choice of more specific Hungarian reporting verbs, translators are guided by the whole communicative situation in which the dialogue takes place.

English -» Hungarian:

English ST:‘Tiburon’, the waiter said.(Hemingway 72) Hungarian TT:-Tiburon - hadartaa pincér. (Ottlik 83) Commentary: English said-» Hugarian hadar(‘to gabble’) Russian -» Hungarian:

Russian ST:- Kakié besporyadki - skazalon. (Chekhov 544)

Hungarian TT: - Micsoda rendetlenség! - dörmögte ... (Szőllősy 844) Commentary: Russian skazat9-» Hungarian dörmög(‘to murmur’)

1.2.3. In specifying IE reporting verbs, Hungarian translators frequently use verbs which, also reflect the speaker’s state of mind and emotions: hüledezik (‘to be dumbfounded’), csodálkozik (‘to be astonished’), meglepődik (‘to be sur­

prised’). In this case the translator’s decision is influenced by the whole commu­

nicative situation described in the literary work. When choosing emotionally loaded verbs instead of simple verbs of saying, translators rely on their knowledge of the situation, and the speaker’s state of mind, their emotions towards each oth­

er, etc.

English -» Hungarian:

English ST: ‘Well, I’ll be damned, was I really going ninety?’, said Eddie. T didn’t realise it on this smooth road.’ (Kerouac 22)

1. Narrowing of meaning (differentiation and specification)

Hungarian TT: - Igazán kilencvennel mentem? - hüledezett Eddie, - észre sem vettem ezen a sima úton. (Bartos 24)

Commentary: English to say -» Hungarian hüledezik (‘to be dumb­

founded5)

French -> Hungarian:

French ST:-Laisse-moi!, ditelle, tu me chiffonnes. (Flaubert 59) Hungarian TT:- Vigyázz! - türelmetlenkedettEmma. - Összegyűröd a ruhámat. (Gyergyai 64)

Commentary: French dire -» Hungarian türelmetlenkedik (‘to lose patience5, ‘to get impatient5)

French ST:-Oh! j5adore la mer, ditM. Leon. (Flaubert 59)

Hungarian TT:- Ó, a tenger! - rajongottLéon úr. - Imádom az óceánt!

(Gyergyai 64)

Commentary: French dire -> Hungarian rajong (‘to be enthusiastic about5, ‘adore5)

French ST: - Supérieur! ditChick. (Vian 17)

Hungarian TT: - Isteni! - ujjongottChick,... (Bajomi 15)

Commentary: French dire-» Hungarian ujjong (‘to shout with joy5) Russian -» Hungarian:

Russian ST: - Misail - skazalaona, - sto ti s nami delaesh? (Chekhov 512)

Hungarian TT: - Miszail - zokogta, - mit csinálsz velünk? (Szőllősy 829)

Commentary: Russian skazat9 -> Hungarian zokog(‘to sob5)

Russian ST: - Chto, chto, chto? - skazalznachitelnoe litso. (Gogol 154) Hungarian TT: - Micsoda? - szörnyülködött a tekintélyes személy.

(Makai 36)

Commentary: Russian skazat9 -> Hungarian szörnyülködik (‘to be hor­

rified5)

1.2.4. Among Hungarian reporting verbs we frequently find verbs indicating bod­

ily movements that commonly accompany the act of speaking: bólint(‘to nod5), legyint(‘to wave a hand to signal indifference5), felkapja a fejét (‘to toss up one’s head5).

English -» Hungarian:

English ST:‘Them Indians5, saidMrs. Gardner. (Hemingway 32) Hungarian TT: - Indiánok - legyintettMrs. Gardner. (Lengyel 31) Commentary: English to say-» Hungarian legyint (‘to wave a hand to signal indifference5)

English ST:‘Well, really’, saidMiss Marple. (Christie 20) Hungarian TT:-Valóban! - bólintottMiss Marple. (Borbás 21) Commentary: English to say-> Hungarian bólint(‘to nod’)

1.2.5. Finally, in order to specify reporting verbs, translators may use verbs which reflect the act of speaking only by virtue of the situation. Such verbs express a change in place or bodily position: leül(‘to sit down9), feláll(‘to stand up’), be­

lép a szobába (‘to enter the room’). In the examples below, the IE verbs of gen­

eral meaning are simply omitted in the translation and the phrases expressing cir­

cumstances of saying (e.g., she said, still holding out her beautiful slim arms from her dropping breast) will offer a reporting verb for the Hungarian trans­

lator e.g., tárta szét karját(‘held out her arms’).

English -» Hungarian:

English ST: ‘No!’, she said, still holding outher beautiful slim arms from her dropping breasts. (Lawrence 247)

Hungarian TT:- Ne így! - tárta szét szép, karcsú karját keble előtt az asszony. (Falvay 306)

Commentary: English to say -> Hungarian tárja szét karját (‘to hold out her arms’)

English ST: ‘Ay!’, saidthe man, stretching his body almost painfully.

(Lawrence 249)

Hungarian TT:- Ajahaj - nyújtózott szinte fájdalmasan a férfi. (Falvay 308)

Commentary: English to say -» Hungarian nyújtózik (‘to strech his body’)

English ST: ‘Twenty-three!’, saidMrs. Bolton, as she carefully sepa­

ratedthe columbines into single plants. (Lawrence 190)

Hungarian TT: - Huszonhárom éve! - bontogatta óvatosan széjjel a galambvirág friss gyökereit a kérdezett. (Falvay 236)

Commentary: English to say-» Hungarian bontogatja széjjel(to unravel) By specifying the reporting verb, Hungarian translators often make the relations between the characters more evident. In the next example, which is a dialogue consisting of four turns, the same German reporting verb sagen is repeated four times. The Hungarian translator uses four different verbs: the first one is the cen­

tral Hungarian reporting verb, mond(‘to say’), the second and the third are less central Hungarian reporting verbs, felel (‘to answer’) and hozzátesz (‘to add’), and the fourth is a non-reporting verb in reporting function, legyint (‘to wave a hand to signal indifference or relief’). Through this latter specification (German sagte-» Hungarian legyintett)the translator illustrates the state of mind of one of the characters. At the beginning of the dialogue Margit is jealous of another woman, but realising in the course of the dialogue that she still has Herr von Schenna’s sympathy and that Agnes, the other woman, is not a rival, makes a gesture of relief (legyintett) in the Hungarian translation.

1. Narrowing of meaning (differentiation and specification)

German -» Hungarian:

German ST:"Ja", sagteHerr von Schenna nach einer Weile, "sie sieht aus wie Agnes”.

"Sie ist wunderschön”, sagte Margarete mit einer gepressten, seltsam erloschenen Stimme.

"Aber Fräulein von Flavon hat viel dümmere Augen” sagte Herr von Schenna.

“Lesen wir weiter!” sagte Margarete, und ihre Stimme klang dunkel, voll und warm wie vorher. (Feuchtwanger 50)

Hungarian TT: - Igen - mondta Jacob von Schenna hosszabb szünet után -, valóban olyan, mint Fiavon Ágnes.

- Csodaszép nő - felelteMargit fojtott, különös hangon.

- De Fiavon kisasszony szemének pillantása sokkal üresebb, ostobább - tette hozzáSchenna úr.

- Olvassunk tovább - legyintettMargit, és hangja újból olyan melegen, telin, felszabadultan csengett, mint azelőtt. (Dormándi 46)

The specification of reporting verbs in IE-H translation cannot be accounted for by IE-H interlanguage asymmetry. The Hungarian language does possess report­

ing verbs of a more general character: the Hungarian verb mond(‘to say') stands on the same level in the generic-specific hierarchy as to say, sagen, dire, skazat\

A quantitative analysis of type/token ratios in original Hungarian literary works and English, German, French and Russian literary works of the same genre found that in original Hungarian literary works writers use a greater variety of reporting verbs than found in literary works written in IE languages (Klaudy 1986). For this reason Hungarian readers would find it monotonous to read dialogues in which the only reporting verb is mondthroughout the whole work. In other words, it is Hungarian literary tradition that makes translators opt for less frequent reporting verbs in the Hungarian text, and non-reporting verbs that can occasionally be used in the reporting function. Thus, it is not differences in the lexicon that are responsible for this operation, but differences in literary traditions.

In document TRANSLATION LANGUAGES (Pldal 193-197)