Vladan Pavlovic

Prototype Theory and Translation Equivalent Selection: The Case of Motion Verbs

The paper aims to investigate whether prototypicality effects (e.g., Rosch 1973a, b; Lakoff 1987) correlate with selecting Serbian translation equivalents of English motion verbs in cases in which we have no context determined (one-word translation). By applying three empirical stages, we have generated a potential prototypicality list for English motion verbs. We have then tested 60 translators in another procedure, so as to check whether there were statistically valid links between a verb’s typicality and the choice of a translation equivalent. The results indicate that a higher degree of prototypicality positively correlates with a more consistent choice of a translation equivalent. At the same time, there is a negative correlation between the determined prototypicality and the diversity of translation equivalents offered for the verb in question. These results may reveal certain psychological aspects of translation, while simultaneously corroborating the tenets of prototype theory.

Anti-Proverbs in English and Serbian

The paper presents a set of anti-proverbs – innovative and typically satirical, ironic, or humorous alterations of traditional proverbs, from English and Serbian (e. g. Taste makes waist < Haste makes waste; Dobro se dobro zaboravlja < Dobro se dobrim vraca), and examines the strategies employed in the two languages in the process of their creation. The paper concludes that the process of creation of anti-proverbs from proverbs involves a number of strategies, all of them typically leading to the emergence of a new expression with a clear communicative message. Those strategies generally involve lexical substitution or lexical addition, whereby the overall syntactic pattern can be either preserved or changed. It also concludes that the strategies used in the creation of anti-proverbs, as well as their topics, are quite comparable both in English and in Serbian. The paper also presents a number of theoretical and methodological implications for further research.