Page images
PDF
EPUB

Part II.

DETAILED SUMMARY

of the Result of the

Comparison of Bodmer's Translation of Milton's
Paradise Lost with the Original.

The detailed result of my work of comparing Bodmer's translation of Milton's Paradise Lost with the original is the ascertainment of the nature and number of deviations of the German from the English. If a noun is rendered by a pronoun, or an adverb by a phrase, or a participle by a clause, each one of these variations from the literal rendering constitutes in this thesis a deviation. The total number of deviations noted is 702, comprising, altogether, 14, 132 examples.) In the following pages (18-127) one example of each of these 702 deviations has been inserted, accompanied by a figure indicating approximately the total number of examples. Sufficient text is inserted in each instance to make clear the nature of the deviation, und the illustrative word, phrase, or clause is underlined. All the examples are recorded in manuscript, which remains in my possession. The nature of the deviations will be explained further on.")

For convenience in classification these 702 deviations are arranged under eleven general headings, namely: NOUN, PRONOUN, ADJECTIVE, VERB, INFINITIVE, PARTICIPLE, ADVERB, PREPOSITION, CONJUNCTION, INTER

1) Exclusive of the 27 inaccuracies, all of which are given in Part I, pages 6-10.

2) Pages 12-15.

JECTION, CLAUSE; these headings are designated by large Roman numerals I, II, etc., and the 702 deviations are distributed among them respectively as follows: 145, 52, 112, 68, 41, 58, 75, 64, 42, 5, 40. The order in which these eleven headings have been given above is the order followed in the detailed classification of the various deviations under each heading; so, although not exactly the same number, nor the same kind of deviations occurs under all the headings, yet, inasmuch as the same general scheme of arrangement has been employed for all the headings, an explanation, with illustrative tabular view, of this arrangement in connection with the first heading that of NOUN will serve for the remaining ten headings as well, and will afford a sufficiently good idea of the nature of the complete system of classification. This explanation follows; the tabular view will be found on page 17.

As indicated above, 145 of the 702 deviations are classified under the first heading; this heading is designated in the tabular view as I. NOUN. These 145 deviations are divided into three main groups. The first main group comprises 23 deviations, designated by small Roman numerals: I, II, etc., and accompanied by the number of the page or pages on which the deviations are to be found, and are arranged under a subgeneral heading of ONE NOUN, designated, in turn, by the capital letter A. This first main group of 23 deviations is further divided into two sub-groups accordingly as they are rhetorical changes, or grammatical changes.

The rhetorical changes comprise 4 of the 23 deviations, I to IV, and bear the names: Transposition, Change, Omission, Insertion. By Transposition is meant a change in agreement of the noun, involving different government (for example see page 18, no. 1); by Change, the employment of a different noun in the German, which, however, does not depart from the thought of the original (p. 18, 2); by Omission, the suppression of a noun occurring in the original (p. 18. 3); and by Insertion, the supplying of a noun not occurring in the original (p. 18, 4).

The grammatical changes comprise the remaining 19 of the 23 deviations of the main group, V to XXIII. They consist in the rendering of one noun by single Words, namely: Pronoun, Adjective, Verb, Infinitive, Adverb (V-IX); Combination of One Noun with Single Words, as: Two Nouns (i. e. noun plus noun), Noun and Adjective (X-XII); Combination of One Noun with a Phrase (XIII); Combination of One Noun with a Clause (XIV); Combination of One Pronoun1) with Single Words (XV-XVI); Combination of One Pronoun with Phrase (XVII); Combination of One Pronoun with Clause (XVIII); Combination of Adverb with Phrase (XIX); Phrases (XX--XXI); Paraphrase (XXII); Clause (XXIII).

It has been possible to indicate on the tabular view the exact nature of the 23 deviations of One Noun; on passing to the various Combinations of One Noun, a detailed representation becomes impracticable; for this reason all possible combinations of one noun are reduced to a general statement; thus the second main group, under the general heading: NOUN, comprises 89 deviations, arranged, not under a single subheading like A. One Noun, above - but under a general statement of sub-headings, namely: Combinations of One Noun with Single Words, with Phrases, with Clauses, designated by the capital letters B to A', and Noun Phrase 2) (which, not falling under the heading "combination", is set apart by itself), designated by the capital letter B'.

As in the case of the first main group (of 23 deviations), this second main group of 89 deviations is further divided into two sub-groups, likewise accordingly as they are rhetorical changes or grammatical changes. To the list of rhetorical changes named and defined in connection with One Noun, are to be added those of Reversal, Simplification, and

1) Let it be stated again that in the detailed classification the same order is observed as that given for the eleven headings: Noun, Pronoun, Adjective, etc. . . . to Clause.

2) Only one example of Phrase is recorded under NOUN; but Phrase is an important sub-division under other main headings, as: INFINITIVE, PARTICIPLE, PREPOSITION.

Change of Expression. Reversal signifies exchange in position of two nouns (p. 21, 24); Simplification, a briefer and more concise rendering of a phrase or clause1): the term Change of Expression is employed instead of the single word Change, when comment is made upon a phrase or clause, instead of upon a single word (p. 23, 37). As may be surmised, not all the Combinations are subject to all the rhetorical changes: hence the employment of the word "variously" in the statement "subject, variously, to"; so, too, in the second sub-group of grammatical changes, where the statement "rendered, variously, by" occurs. Nor was it possible, for obvious reason, to employ small Roman numerals; instead, the pages (21-35) showing the changes are indicated.

As to the grammatical changes, whereas in the sub-group under One Noun they are given in full, these detailed results, in order to be brought within the compass of a table, had to be reduced to a general statement under Combinations; this is shown in the tabular view, where the statement reads: "rendered, variously, by Single Words, Combination of Single Words with Single Words, Combination of Single Words with Phrases, Combination of Single Words with Clauses, Phrases, Clauses."

The third and last main group comprised the remaining 33 deviations that are classified under the first general heading: I. NOUN. The deviations in this group are termed Stylistic changes, and consist in those Variations in Structure, Variations in Figure, and Miscellaneous Variations, to which a noun is subject, when construed variously, as: Appositively, Predicatively, as Subject or Object, and in Various Combinations. Double capital letters (AA to 00) serve to designate the sub-general headings; the word "variously" in the statement: "subject, variously, to" is employed with the force explained in connection with the preceding (second) group; so, too, in this group, instead of by small Roman numerals, the deviations are designated by the pages (35-40) in which they

1) No example under NOUN.

are shown. The term Variation in Structure applies to such deviations as: the employment as adjective in the German of a word construed as a noun in the English (p. 35, 113); or the reversal of subject and object (p. 37, 130). Variations in Figure refer to the employment of a different figure of speech; or to the prosaic rendering of a figure, or vice versa (p. 39, 142-4). Deviations not classified elsewhere are grouped under the heading: Miscellaneous Variations; such, for instance, as: a Negative Expression given a Positive rendering, or vice versa (p. 40, 145).

In certain instances deviations have not been noted as such, inasmuch as the examples were considered too common, or the changes were idiomatic, and, therefore, not strictly variations. Such are: variations in the use of the definite and the indefinite articles, and, often, of the possessive adjectives mein, dein, etc., and the so-called possessive dative, that is: the indication of personal relationship by the employment of a pronoun in the dative case instead of by an attributive, possessive adjective; the merging of separate words like noun and adjective, or two nouns in a compound word in the German; changes in tense, and, generally, in mood; emphatic forms of the verb "do"; often a change in construction, or agreement, in one or more words, when such change is involved in the deviation of some other word or words; for, inasmuch as this said deviation was responsible for that secondary change or those secondary changes, it seemed superfluous to note the secondary change or changes also; unimportant instances of changes, omissions, or insertions of simple connectives, correlative conjunctions, or correlative adverbs; changes in prepositions, except in a number of important instances: as their selection in the German language depends very largely upon the part of speech (verb, adjective, etc.) with which they are construed; "auch nicht" rendering "nor" (otherwise: two adverbs used instead of a conjunction), and "damit nicht" for "lest" (otherwise: conjunction and adverb used instead of a conjunction): and, in general,

« ՆախորդըՇարունակել »