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English-Language Translation Masaryk University Faculty of Arts Department of English and American Studies English-language Translation Bc. Jakub Čumíček Translation of Constructed Languages in Literature Master‟s Diploma Thesis Supervisor: Ing. Mgr. Jiří Rambousek, Ph.D. 2019 I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. …………………………………………….. Author‟s signature Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 4 2. Language ......................................................................................................................................... 6 3. Constructed Languages ................................................................................................................. 11 3.1 Terminology regarding constructed languages....................................................................... 14 3.2 History of constructed languages ........................................................................................... 18 4. Theoretical background for the analysis ....................................................................................... 29 4.1 Roles and functions ................................................................................................................. 29 4.2 Translation strategies .............................................................................................................. 33 4.2.1 Retention .......................................................................................................................... 37 4.2.2 Specification ..................................................................................................................... 37 4.2.3 Direct translation ............................................................................................................. 38 4.2.4 Generalisation .................................................................................................................. 39 4.2.5 Substitution ...................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.6 Omission ........................................................................................................................... 41 5. Analysis of the chosen literary works ........................................................................................... 43 5.1 A Clockwork Orange ................................................................................................................ 45 5.1.1 Political orientation .......................................................................................................... 45 5.1.2 Brainwashing effect .......................................................................................................... 50 5.1.3 Group identity and group separation .............................................................................. 59 5.1.4 Analysis of Nadsat elements ............................................................................................ 66 5.2 The Lord of the Rings .............................................................................................................. 77 5.2.1 Worldbuilding and cultural identity ................................................................................. 77 5.2.2 Secrecy and obscurity ...................................................................................................... 79 5.2.3 Analysis of Sindarin and Quenya ...................................................................................... 81 5.3 Watership Down ..................................................................................................................... 85 5.3.1 Cultural identity ............................................................................................................... 85 5.3.2 Contact language ............................................................................................................. 86 5.3.3 Analysis of Lapine ............................................................................................................. 88 6. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 93 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................... 100 Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 104 Résumé ............................................................................................................................................ 105 1. Introduction Despite the fact, that first attempts to create a new, artificial language date back hundreds of years, constructed languages have not gained significant amount of attention and popularity until relatively recently, with the dawn of artistic languages featured in various works of art and popular culture. This thesis then deals with approaches to translation of such artistic constructed languages featured in works of literary fiction. First, the thesis discusses general theories regarding the nature of language and observations made by various linguists regarding non-communicational functions of language in a society. Next chapter then focuses on constructed languages and gives an overview of their history and development while also discussing basic terminology. The fourth chapter then lays down the theoretical basis of analysis performed in the practical part of this thesis. The core of this chapter consists of Venuti‟s widely accepted concept of foreignization and domestication in translation, which was expanded upon by Pedersen‟s Venutian scale which arranges common translation strategies from the most foreignizing to the most domesticating. The analysis then works with the notion that constructed languages used in literary works of fiction are given sets of specific roles and functions by their creators and these must be taken into consideration by translators when choosing suitable translation strategies. The first part of the analysis performed in this thesis thus aims to identify the various functions performed by the constructed languages 4 featured in chosen literary works (A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, and Watership Down by Richard Adams) and discuss their implications for developing overall approach to their translation and choosing suitable translation strategies. Subsequently, the second part of the analysis is performed. This part consists of lexical analysis of vocabulary items of the given constructed languages using the above-mentioned Venutian scale of translation strategies. Finally, the results of both parts of the analysis are compared and discussed in terms of the translation strategies chosen by the translator and their suitability regarding the identified functions and roles of the constructed languages at hand. 5 2. Language As an introduction to the topic at large, I think it would be prudent to start with an introduction of the basic concept the thesis will be dealing with; specifically, to address the great underlying question – what is a language? – and to showcase the difficulties in providing a suitable definition of language as was found out from the source materials. As written by Crystal and Robins in the eponymous entry in the Encyclopaedia Britannica (available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/language), language is a system of conventional spoken, manual or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The authors then expand on this by listing the various functions of languages, such as communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression or emotional release. These concepts will be very important later as they are relevant regarding the and role and place of a constructed language within the fictional universe for which it was designed. Over the years of linguistic studies, many different definitions of what a language is have been proposed. As Crystal and Robins put it, the most important feature which characterises every individual human language in comparison to every known mode of communication used by animals is the infinite productivity and creativity of human languages. Unlike animals, humans are virtually 6 unrestricted in what they can communicate in their languages – not a single area is accepted as incommunicable. Nevertheless, Crystal and Robins do mention that sometimes, it may be necessary to adapt the language being used in order to deal with newly discovered things and concepts or new modes of thought. Finally, Crystal and Robins conclude that in most cases, the primary purpose human languages have is to facilitate communication, i.e., to transmit information between individual persons. Nevertheless, other linguistic fields proposed a wider range of functions that are performed by languages, among others, the expression of a national or local identity. On the same topic, Noam Chomsky states that language has been intensively and productively studied for over two thousand years with no clear answer as to what language is ever being produced (Chomsky 2013: 645). Chomsky states that there are fundamental
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