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The Semantic View of Translating Litotes from English Into Arabic J J. Edu. Sci., Vol. (19) No. (5) 2012 K The Semantic View of Translating Litotes from English into Arabic Dhuha Ghanim Mohammed Mohammed Nihad Ahmed College of Pharmacy College of Dentistry University of Mosul University of Mosul Received Accepted 09 / 05 / 2011 05 / 10 / 2011 ﺍﻟﺨﻼﺼﺔ ﻴﻌﻨﻰ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺙ ﺒﺎﻟﺘﺤﻠﻴل ﺍﻟﺩﻻﻟﻲ ﻟﺘﺭﺠﻤﺔ ﺃﺴﻠﻭﺏ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴل ، ﻜﺼﻴﻐﺔ ﺒﻼﻏﻴﺔ . ﻓﻔـﻲ ﺃﺴـﻠﻭﺏ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴل، ﻴﺅﺩﻱ ﺍﻟﺴﻴﺎﻕ ﺩﻭﺭﺍ ﺭﺌﻴﺴﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻟﺘﺄﺜﻴﺭ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍﻹﺩﺭﺍﻙ ﺍﻟﻜﻠﻲ ﻟﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﺘﻌﺎﺒﻴﺭ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴـل . ﻜﻤـﺎ ﻭﺘﺭﻯ ﺍﻟﺩﺭﺍﺴﺔ ﺃﻥ ﺍﻟﻅﺎﻫﺭﺓ ﺍﻟﺤﻀﺎﺭﻴﺔ ﺘﺄﺨﺫ ﺩﻭﺭﻫﺎ ﺃﻴﻀﺎ ﻓﻲ ﺘﺤﺩﻴﺩ ﺍﻟﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﺍﻟﻜﻠﻲ ﻟﺴﻴﺎﻕ ﺍﻟﻨﺹ . ﻜﻤﺎ ﻭﻴﻬﺘﻡ ﺍﻟﺒﺤﺙ ﺒﺩﺭﺍﺴﺔ ﺤﺎﻟﺔ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﻲ ﺍﻟﻤﺯﺩﻭﺝ ﻋﻨﺩﻤﺎ ﻴﺘﻡ ﺍﺴﺘﺨﺩﺍﻡ ﺼﻴﻐﺘﻴﻥ ﻟﻠﻨﻔﻲ ﻓـﻲ ﻋﺒـﺎﺭﺓ ﻭﺍﺤﺩﺓ. ﻓﻔﻲ ﻤﻨﻁﻕ ﺒﻌﺽ ﺍﻟﻠﻐﺎﺕ ، ﻴﻠﻐﻲ ﻜل ﻤﻥ ﺼﻴﻐﺘﻲ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﻲ ﺇﺤﺩ ﺍﻫﻤﺎ ﺍﻵﺨﺭ ﻟﺘﻘﺩﻴﻡ ﻤﻌﻨﻰ ﻤﺜﺒﺘﺎ . ﻭﻓﻲ ﻟﻐﺎﺕ ﺃﺨﺭﻯ ﻴﺅﻜﺩ ﺍﻟﻨﻔﻴﺎﻥ ﺒﻌﻀ ﻴﻬﻤﺎ ﺍﻟﺒﻌﺽ . ﻭﺍﻟﻤﺼﻁﻠﺢ ﺍﻟﺒﻼﻏﻲ ﻟﻬﺫﺍ ﺍﻷﺜﺭ ﻋﻨﺩﻤﺎ ﻴـﺅﺩﻱ ﺇﻟﻰ ﻓﻬﻡ ﺍﻹﺜﺒﺎﺕ، ﻫﻭ ﺃﺴﻠﻭﺏ ﺍﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴل. Abstract This study deals with the semantic analysis of translating litotes, the rhetorical figure of speech. In litotes, context plays an essential role in determining the overall understanding of the meaning of litotes expressions. The study hypothesizes that the cultural manifestation also plays an essential role to discriminate the meaning of the overall context of the text. Also the paper deals with the case of double negation when two forms of negation are used in the same clause. In some logics and some languages, double negatives cancel each other out and produce an affirmative sense. In other languages, double negatives intensify the negation. The rhetorical term for this effect, when it leads to understand affirmation, is litotes. 1. Litotes: The Rationale Litotes is a rhetorical figure of speech in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary. Semantically speaking, this phenomenon is explained in the following examples: 1 The Semantic View of Translating Litotes from English into Arabic. 1) He is a not an unhappy man. The above example is semantically pertinent to the figurative tropes that have an impact on the contextual meaning. The meaning of the expression containing a double negation is not completely equivalent to the one without negation. There is a possibility or somehow (vagueness) in the semantic content of the example. On the basis that if the sentence (he is a happy man), means that (he is a happy man) but it is somewhat vague as regards the subject position on the happiness scale, it may be anywhere between reasonably happy and absolutely ecstatic. That means, if it is rendered as (he is a happy man), it can be inferred that there is no space for being unhappy, he is absolutely happy. On the other hand, the sentence means (he is not a sad man), this type of logical vagueness seems to be an essential feature of litotes. This usage actually cannot be the only one to be found in the literature. The term litotes is also used for logical double negation as in: 2) It is not impossible that we will visit you tomorrow. This means that: 3) It is possible that we will visit you tomorrow. The second example is fully equivalent to "it is possible", as there exist no degrees of possibilities in standard modal logic-although people may tend to try and interpret the double negation as a litotes construction after all. Litotes does not itself intensify, but it affects intensification when no lexical intensifier is present, the effect is to open the door to intensification nuanced by the context. The denial of the negative leaves the entire positive range open to whatever degree is appropriate. The litotes in fact calls attention to this gradient- the hearer is invited to consider the degree to which the facts point, a positive statement like. 2. Logic and Negative Ambiguity: The typology of litotes has its own relation to the typology of negation. So, this may be included in the study of logic, puzzles, concerning the ambiguity of constructions. Logically, if we say: 4) The present king of France is not bald. Sentence (4), has readings discriminating between the implicit negation (there is a present king of France and he is not bald) and external negation (the present king of France is not bald because there exists no present king of France) which can be probably understood along the lines of prototypes as proposed contextually determined readings. The prototype reading has non-specific scope of negation, while the context will constrain its sense either to implicit or external interpretation. The semantic interpretation may correspond to the default reading of the sense of a given context. There is always a possibility of finer conceptual 2 Dhuha Ghanim Mohammed & Mohammed Nihad Ahmed elaboration, if necessary. Hence, the elaboration depends on the contextual factors (Tomaszczyk, 1996:42; Sampson and Kang, 2006: 56). Langacker (1991:132) characterizes the scope of negation in terms of conceptualization. He argues that the relationship of semantic scope reflects the correspondence established between two predictions and the nature of their integration within some composite conceptualization that subsumes them both. Another example can be seen here about the use of negation: 5) You are wrong: she is not unmarried. This sentence means that she may be a widow or divorced and not a bachelor. The unmarked interpretation of this example is an explicit denial of an implicit and external statement that the subject might unmarried. Langacker (1991:132) refers to the distinction between implicit and external negation, where differences in scope can still be observed; he noted that the implicit negation requires no special context, while external negation refers in fact to the conception of a well-formed discourse in which each utterance in reality being just one aspect of appropriateness. 3. Double Negation: A double negative structure is a syntactic construction, often considered ungrammatical in standard modern English. It is used when two or more ways to express negation are used in the same context. In some languages, a double negative resolves to a negative, while in others it resolves to a positive. In particular, double negatives do not "cancel each other out". They are used in some languages and considered erroneous on others. In today's standard English, double negatives are not used; for example, the standard English equivalent of "I don’t want nothing" is: "I dot want anything". It should, however, be noted that in standard English, one cannot say: "I don’t want nothing!" to express the meaning "I want something!" unless there is a very heavy stress on "don’t". An adjective with negative force is often used with a negative in order to express a nuance of somewhere between the positive and the negative: - He was not infrequent visitor. Two negatives are also found together where they reinforce each other than conflict. e.g.: - He never went back, not even to collect his belongings. These two uses of what is technically a double negatives are acceptable. Double negatives were considered emphatic, but today. They are considered grammar mistake. The usage of double negatives is not considered proper or standard in English. On some occasions; mostly when speaking, the use of double negatives is 3 The Semantic View of Translating Litotes from English into Arabic. accepted; however, one must remember that the meaning of these expressions will always be positive. (The Free Dictionary: 2011. www.google.com) 4. The Semantic View: The semantic part is an interpretation of litotes involving the distinction between contradictory and contrary opposition. This sort of explanation can be seen in the following distinctive properties: A: contradictory opposition is governed by the law of contradiction and the law of excluded middle can be contrary opposite and not mutually exhausting their domain such as: 6) It is not unwise to take precautions. The cooperative listener will reason as follows: The translator may render it into (not not wise) to take precautions. This is equivalent to saying that it is wise to take precautions. Accordingly, the use of longer, marked expressions in lieu a shorter expression involving less effort on the part of speaker tends to signal that the speaker was not in a position to employ the simpler version felicitously (Horn, 1991: 24). Evidently, the sentence referred to does not claim that it is unwise to take precautions either given the fact that statement is externally denied. So, this structure can be recognized as somewhere between (wise) and (unwise) comparable to the expressions such as (it is rather wise) to take precautions, it is pretty wise to take precautions, It is neither wise not unwise to take precautions. 5. The Meanings of Litotic Expressions: The rhetorical tradition of litotes has been explained by many scholars in the field of semantics, pragmatics and cognition. Lausberg (1973: 112) states that the litotes construction is strongly positive, whereas (Bolinger:1972: 120) hypothesizes that the doubly negated expression is somewhat weaker that the straight forwardly positive one. 7) It is not impossible that I will attend the meeting. In order to be able to make sense of the above sentence, the translator must construct a non-logical scale of possibilities in which “not impossible” is somewhat less possible than “possible”. That is to say, impossible does not have its logical meaning here but it rather refers to a certain degree of “improbability”. So this statement can be inferred as "there is much possibility for the speaker to attend the meeting". The analysis of litotes as is adopted here tends to the direction of the correctness and accuracy in treating the expression, the translator deals with the referential factors (semantic structure) to refer to the correct and accurate meaning of the expression. The independent 4 Dhuha Ghanim Mohammed & Mohammed Nihad Ahmed mechanism of understatement must be held responsible for the fact that litotes constructions may be used occasionally express strong positive statements.
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