Lexical Transformations in the Translation of Tony Morrison's Novel "Song of Solomon"

Abstract

The article deals with the research of lexical transformations in the translation of Tony Morrison's novel "Song of Solomon". The main types of lexical transformations used in the translation from English to Ukrainian were highlighted. Also, it was proposed to define the term "translation transformations" based on the analysis of the views of various scholars on this issue. Three concepts are mentioned, according to which the term transformation is fixed. The multifaceted nature of the covered issue made it possible to give reasons for the use of lexical and semantic transformations and why transformations are useful for translators. The analysis was performed on the basis of a classification developed by J. Retsker. According to the famous researcher, there are seven types of transformations: concretization, differentiation, generalization, semantic development, antonymous translation, integral transformation and compensation of losses in the process of translation. Each of the types is analysed and examples of transformations in the process of translation of the work of art are presented. Despite the large number of works covering this issue, the problem of translating prose texts is relevant. There is a need to systematize and study the types of lexical and grammatical transformations, used in translating literary texts, in practice. The various scientists’ approaches to establishing the transformation types are analysed. It is revealed that due to differences in the syntactic, grammatical and morphological structures of the English and Ukrainian languages, lexical and grammatical transformations are widely used in translation. Lexical transformations are the deviations from direct vocabulary equivalents. The lexical transformations are mainly caused by the fact that the volume of the lexical units of the original language and the language of translation do not coincide. The concept of lexical transformations and their classification is defined. It is revealed that due to differences in the syntactic and morphological structures of the English and Ukrainian languages, lexical transformations are widely used in the translation. Among lexical transformations in the translation, the most common are generalization, concretization, compensation, antonymic translation.