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Article published In:
Language, Context and Text
Vol. 3:2 (2021) ► pp.227–246

Instantiation and individuation in Buddhist scripture translation

A cross-comparison of the Sanskrit ST and English and Chinese TTs of the Heart Sutra

ORCID logo | Shanghai Jiao Tong University , People’s Republic of China

This paper analyses and compares the systemic functional features of the Sanskrit original text and the Chinese and English translations of the Buddhist scripture Heart Sutra, focusing on the ideational components that are manifest on the strata of discourse semantics and lexicogrammar. Results show that there are both expected equivalence and significant differences among the Sanskrit original text and the two translated texts. The accounts for the equivalence and differences are twofold (on two hierarchies): in terms of instantiation, the translators go along different re-instantiation routes in finding corresponding potentials between the source text and their respective target texts; in terms of individuation, the English and Chinese translators’ personal and social identity has an immediate influence on their respective reproductions of the text.

Keywords: instantiation, individuation, Buddhist scripture, Heart Sutra , Sanskrit, English, Chinese, ideational meaning, discourse semantics, lexicogrammar
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Texts in focus
  • 3.Ideational meanings in ST and TTs
    • 3.1Focus text 1
    • 3.2Focus text 2
  • 4.Discussion
    • 4.1Instantiation
    • 4.2Individuation
  • 5.Conclusion
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 October 2021
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/langct.20004.wan
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