The transformation of meanings of the semantic space of a literary text under translation to a foreign language

Abstract

The transformation of the semantic structure of a literary text under translation into a foreign language is inextricably linked with the transformation of conceptually significant meanings of this text. In order to establish the direction of changing the meanings that make up the paradigm of the key statements for this text, it is necessary to comprehensively study the paradigm of meanings arising in the translation text using a definitional analysis of key lexemes in the source language and the translation language and contextual analysis of the meaning-forming contexts of this text. In this connection, the subject of the study is the semantic structure of a key utterance in a polyphonic text. Particular attention is paid to the change in the volume of meanings formed during translation and the change in the actualization of meanings arising as the text is semantically unfolded. The scientific novelty lies in the material chosen for the study: the paper presents contexts from the translation of the novel by F.M. Dostoevsky "The Idiot", made by Eva M. Martin, published by Everyman's Library in 1914 and republished in 1916. Previously, this translation text was not used as a valuable source for obtaining new knowledge about the semantic structure of a literary text and its transformation during translation, in particular, the aspect concerning the functioning of text dominants at the aesthetic and linguistic level. The contexts given in the study give reason to believe that the paradigm of the meanings of the key sign is significantly narrowed in the translation text, which leads to flattening of conceptually significant meanings and violation of the basic properties of the polyphonic word.