Contrast, Contact, Convergence? Afrikaans and English Modal Auxiliaries in South African Parliamentary Discourse (1925–1985)

Bertus Van Rooy,Haidee Kotze

doi:10.1163/26660393-bja10033

Bertus Van Rooy, Haidee Kotze

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1163/26660393-bja10033

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Abstract

Abstract This article investigates modal auxiliaries in original and translated Afrikaans and South African English parliamentary discourse in the period 1925–1985. Against the background of the sociolinguistic history of language contact in the bilingual South African parliament (1910–1994), it analyses (a) the contrastive differences in the use of modal auxiliaries in South African English and Afrikaans, (b) potential cross-linguistic influence in the use of modals between the two languages, and (c) the way in which contrastive differences and cross-linguistic influence are reflected in translations. In both languages, modal auxiliaries are more common in parliamentary discourse than in general usage. There is little evidence of overall convergence; there are, however, cross-linguistic similarities in specific pragmatic uses of modals in parliament. Translations show a large degree of shining-through from the source text, alongside adjustment to target norms; the tension between these two forces is variable, and influenced by social factors.

Highlights

Contrastive pragmatics is concerned with the comparison of how different languages are used to perform similar functions in similar situations, often with teaching or translation applications in mind (Verschuren, 2016)
In settings where different languages are in contact, these differences in the use of pragmatic resources may lead to cross-linguistic influence (Verschuren, 2016); findings from contact linguistics clearly demonstrate that such influence takes place at all levels of language, including the pragmatic
Our analysis focuses on (a) the contrastive differences in the use of modal auxiliaries in English and Afrikaans, (b) cross-linguistic influence in the use of modals between the two languages, potentially leading to convergent usage over time, and (c) the way in which contrastive differences and cross-linguistic influence are reflected in translations, in the two languages

Summary

Introduction

Contrastive pragmatics is concerned with the comparison of how different languages are used to perform similar functions in similar situations, often with teaching or translation applications in mind (Verschuren, 2016). Prolonged contact may result in changes in the use of one language under the influence of another language, a possibility that Kranich (2016) investigates for translation-induced pragmatic change in German, and for which she reports qualified support. In this context, translationinduced change is a (non-prototypical) form of (indirect) contact, where translators are the main agents of contact, and the contact occurs largely in the written mode, from there disseminating to non-translational usage Kádár and House (2020: 142–151) explain how the notion of a ritual frame provides a meaningful context of comparison through delineating standard situations within which data from different languages can be sampled and compared

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