Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation
Although cleft sentences are possible constructions in both English and German, they are far more frequent in English texts. Durrell (2002: 479) observes in his Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage that “with the exception of the type 'Er war es, der mich davon abhielt […]', cleft sentence co...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2009
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| Online Access: | https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/5721/1/Cleft%20sentences.pdf |
| _version_ | 1804072516506877952 |
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| author | Fischer, Klaus |
| author_facet | Fischer, Klaus |
| author_sort | Fischer, Klaus |
| collection | LMU |
| description | Although cleft sentences are possible constructions in both English and German, they are far more frequent in English texts. Durrell (2002: 479) observes in his Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage that “with the exception of the type 'Er war es, der mich davon abhielt […]', cleft sentence constructions sound unnatural in German and should be avoided.” The article discusses the form and function of cleft sentences in the context of other focusing devices. It shows that, although German and English cleft sentences have the same information structure, their stylistic value is very different. Using a short translation, Durrell’s observation is confirmed: in translating cleft sentences into German, semantic equivalence is often sacrificed for stylistic appropriateness. Although structural features of both languages are the ultimate cause of the contrast, they cannot explain choices in each individual case. The article argues that structural typology should be complemented with a typology of parole: the respective frequencies of cleft sentences in both languages reflect neatly into the more verbal style, more hierarchical sentence construction and, in certain respects, greater semantic transparency of English texts (by comparison with their German counterparts). |
| first_indexed | 2024-07-09T04:00:23Z |
| format | Article |
| id | oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:5721 |
| institution | London Metropolitan University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-07-09T04:00:23Z |
| publishDate | 2009 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | eprints |
| spelling | oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:57212022-10-28T08:18:51Z http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/5721/ Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation Fischer, Klaus 410 Linguistics 420 English & Old English 430 Germanic languages; German Although cleft sentences are possible constructions in both English and German, they are far more frequent in English texts. Durrell (2002: 479) observes in his Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage that “with the exception of the type 'Er war es, der mich davon abhielt […]', cleft sentence constructions sound unnatural in German and should be avoided.” The article discusses the form and function of cleft sentences in the context of other focusing devices. It shows that, although German and English cleft sentences have the same information structure, their stylistic value is very different. Using a short translation, Durrell’s observation is confirmed: in translating cleft sentences into German, semantic equivalence is often sacrificed for stylistic appropriateness. Although structural features of both languages are the ultimate cause of the contrast, they cannot explain choices in each individual case. The article argues that structural typology should be complemented with a typology of parole: the respective frequencies of cleft sentences in both languages reflect neatly into the more verbal style, more hierarchical sentence construction and, in certain respects, greater semantic transparency of English texts (by comparison with their German counterparts). Cambridge University Press 2009-06-01 Article PeerReviewed text en cc_by_nc_nd_4 https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/5721/1/Cleft%20sentences.pdf Fischer, Klaus (2009) Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation. Journal of Germanic Linguistics, 21 (2). pp. 167-191. ISSN 1470-5427 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-germanic-linguistics/article/abs/cleft-sentences-form-function-and-translation/E23F191834319E78104C44991770B313 10.1017/S1470542709000257 |
| spellingShingle | 410 Linguistics 420 English & Old English 430 Germanic languages; German Fischer, Klaus Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title | Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title_full | Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title_fullStr | Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title_short | Cleft sentences: form, function, and translation |
| title_sort | cleft sentences form function and translation |
| topic | 410 Linguistics 420 English & Old English 430 Germanic languages; German |
| url | https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/5721/1/Cleft%20sentences.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fischerklaus cleftsentencesformfunctionandtranslation |