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Target
Vol. 22:1 (2010) ► pp.40–70

Shifts in repetition vs. shifts in text meaning

A study of the textual role of lexical repetition in non-literary translation

| Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest.

This study focuses on the discoursal role of repetition, exploring the way shifts in repetition patterns in text trigger coherence shifts, altering the meaning potential of translations. As repetition in translation has been hypothesized to be affected by certain universals of translation, the paper also offers initial data to support the universals of explicitation and avoiding repetition. Lexical repetitions are investigated using Hoey’s (1991) theory in a corpus of Hungarian—English news texts. Analyses reveal considerable shifts in repetition in translations; however, these differences are not statistically significant. The corpus also provides evidence for repetition shifts affecting the macropropositional structure of target texts, leading to macropropositional shifts, which alter the global meaning of translations compared to sources.

Keywords: repetition, cohesion, coherence, text meaning, shift, macroproposition, non-literary translation, translation universal, explicitation, avoidance of repetition
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.The study of lexical repetition in text and translation
    • 2.1The ambivalent nature of repetition
    • 2.2The study of lexical cohesion as various forms of lexical repetition
  • 3Research questions and hypotheses
  • 4.Methods
    • 4.1The corpus
    • 4.2Procedures of analysis
    • 4.3Quantitative measures in the analysis
  • 5.Results and discussion
    • 5.1Quantitative analyses
    • 5.2Qualitative analysis of the combinations of repetition bonds
  • 6.Conclusion
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 6 July 2010
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/target.22.1.04kar
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