Assonance and alliteration in the introductory lines of english translations of the bosniak ballad “Hasanaginica”

Abstract

Within the methodological framework of a phono-stylistic analysis, with respect to one of its two main aspects, this paper offers an analysis of assonance and alliteration in English translations of the Bosniak ballad "Hasanaginica". Taking into account the limited scope of this paper, we analyzed these figures of sound on the examples of introductory lines of the Slavic antithesis. The quoted lines are representative with respect to the aim of the paper. The paper emphasizes the importance of adequate translation of these phonetic and phonological figures as stylistic dominants, in whose microstructures the very literariness of the oral ballad is reflected. The paper seeks to detect, describe and explain the phono-stylistic similarities and differences between the original text and its English translations in order to shed light on the effects that a particular text exerts at the phonetic and phonological level of expression. Thus, aiming to raise awareness about the importance of style in translation, the paper further confirms the value of the results obtained by a properly conducted phono-stylistic analysis of the text. Keywords: phono-stylistic analysis, figures of sound, assonance, alliteration, English translations of Bosniak ballad "Hasanaginica".