Transpositions

TYPES OF GRAMMATICAL TRANSFORMATIONS

As has been said, divergences in the structures of the two languages are so considerable that in the process of translation various grammatical and lexical transformations are indispensable to achieve equivalence. These transformations may be classed into four types:

1. transpositions;

2. replacements;

3. additions;

4. omissions.

This classification, however, should be applied with reservation. In most cases they are combined with one another, moreover, grammatical and lexical elements in a sentence are so closely interwoven that one change involves another, e.g.:

The following types of transformations have been resorted to in the translation of this complex sentence.

1. The complex sentence is translated by a simple one (replacement of the sentence type).

2. The word order is changed (transposition).

3. The subordinate clause of time is rendered by an adverbial modifier of place (replacement of member of the sentence).

4. The meaning of the predicate and of the adverbial modifier is rendered by the predicate (both lexical and grammatical transformations – replacement and omission).

5. The meaning of the definite article is rendered lexically (addition).

The above analysis shows that all the four types of transformations are used simultaneously and are accompanied by lexical transformations as well.

Transpositions

Transposition may be defined as a change in the order of linguistic elements: words, phrases, clauses and sentences. Their order in the TL text may not correspond to that in the SL text.

This change of order is necessary to preserve fully the content of the utterance while observing the norms of the TL.

In considering the universal categories of definiteness and indefiniteness mention has been made of the two main parts of the sentence from the point of view of communication, viz. the known (theme) and new (rheme) elements of the utterance and their respective place in English and in Ukrainian sentences. It should also be noted that the traditional word order in English is Subject – Predicate – Object – Adverbial modifiers while the common tendency in Ukrainian is to place adverbial modifiers at the beginning of the sentence to be followed by the predicate and the subject at the end, e.g.:

Transposition can also be effected within a complex sentence. The arrangement of clauses in English is often governed by syntactical hierarchy, whereas in Ukrainian precedence is taken by logical considerations, e.g.: