Semio-pragmatic analysis of cartoons discourse: A step towards semiotranslation
Abstract
The primary concern of this study is to explore the subtle implications of the Semiotranslation Approach vis-à-vis analyzing the semiotic elements of discourse in Jordanian cartoons as creative artistic texts in which various signs manifest simultaneous interaction, thus achieving both entertainment and purposeful satire. Therefore, the implications of such a semiotic analysis can be conducive to realizing the significance of semiotranslation in fathoming and eliciting the infamous inevitability of both linguistic and cultural lacunae in most renditions, resulting from the dogmatic persistence on confining translation to various unilateral equivalence approaches. Furthermore, it is crucial to pinpoint that this study is not by any means intended to pedantically propose or to recklessly prescribe any set of rules that would mythically achieve optimal translation; rather it is merely a modest endeavor that may elucidate the dilemma translators oftentimes encounter while rendering such artistic works, on the one hand, and suggest some theoretical and practical framework within which translators find some guidelines while translating some relevant types of authoritative texts. In addition, the results of the present study explicitly reveal how significant it would be for translators to closely examine the pragmatic aspects of the ST in light considering and implementing some major pragmatic premises, mainly, presuppositions, implicatures, speech acts and deictic expressions. The translator’s awareness of such pitfalls and his/ her appropriate handling of these pragmatic issues are basically some of the critical factors that may lead to the ultimate success or otherwise the failure of most renditions. Furthermore, this study examines how various types of verbal and non-verbal signs interact within and outside these texts, whether these signs are verbal or pictorial is indeed insignificant, neither in quality nor in quantity. What is noticeably significant about analyzing the discourse of these cartoons is how emic or etic these signs might be and how they may interact. The more akin to the former these sign are, the wider the communicative gap can be between the TL and the TT; and the more etic and etic-like these sign are, the smoother the TT will be. Accordingly, five types of cartoons have been identified in accordance with this emic-etic dichotomy and its substantively predictable impact on interpreting and/or translating the text in question, thus encompassing a wide spectrum that ranges between absolute emic signs and absolute etic ones. However, these cartoons are always translatable as long as appropriate compensation strategies are in operation and insofar as the translator is fully aware and convinced of the fact that signs can be and should be translated interlinguistically, intralinguistically, intrasemiotically or intersemiotically.
Degree
Ph.D.
Advisors
Raskin, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Linguistics|Sociolinguistics
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