Lectures on Comparative Stylistics

Sources

1. 
   Балли Ш. Французская стилистика: пер. с франц. – М., 1961.
   
2. 
   Гак В.Г. О сопоставительной стилистике // Методы сопоставительного изучения языков. – М., – С. 48 – 53.
   
3. 
   Федоров А.В. Очерки общей и сопоставительной стилистики. – М., 1971.
   
4. 
   Швейцер А.Д. Контрастивная стилистика. Газетно-публицистический стиль в английском и русском языках. – М.,1993.
   
5. 
   Shveitser A. D. Contrastive stylistics: news media style in English and in Russian. Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1997.
   

Comparative Stylistics and Translation Theory

(2 h.)
Issues for discussion

1. 
   Comparative Stylistics and Translation Theory as Separate Linguistic Disciplines
   
2. 
   The Issues of Interrelationship: Methodological Basis and Data of Research
   

Key Words
Comparative stylistics, translation theory, linguistic discipline, interlingual communication, theoretical data, practical application, principal tasks.
Comparative stylistics and translation theory are interrelated but separate (not identical) linguistics disciplines.

Comparative Stylistics and Translation Theory have common methodological basis which is characterized by the comparison of linguistic data on the level of contexts.

This common methodological basis indicates the close relationship between the two disciplines.

Comparative stylistics and translation theory should not be regarded as identical disciplines since they differ fundamentally in the object of study and in the specific character of principal tasks.

The object of translation studies is a translation as a specific means or interlingual communication. The aim of translation theory is to reveal the significance, models, mechanisms and extralinguistic factors influencing the process of translation, as well as the norms of regulation.

The general aim of comparative stylistics is to investigate the stylistic characteristics of one language in comparison with those of another one.

Thus, care should be taken not to confuse them.

Comparative stylistics and translation theory have common aspects of study – data (materials) of research (original texts and texts in translation) and common methods of research.

Using the translation data, comparative stylistics fixes the main semantic-stylistic principles of transference from one language to the other.

According to A. Malblanc, whereas comparative stylistics is concerned with a comparative study of the texts of the same content, translation serves as its basic research tool. Comparative stylistics provides the new data for translation by enriching it with a considerable amount of theoretical information.

According to J. Vinay and J. Darbelnet, translation and comparative stylistics are proximate scientific fields but their tasks are quite different. Comparative stylistics is based on translation and aims at establishing its own laws and principles. As a result, translator applies the established laws and principles to the process of translation. It follows from this fact that translation is a ractical application of comparative stylistics.

The proximate relationship between comparative stylistics and translation as a practical experience can be established by the following two aspects: on the one hand, translation serves a major source of material necessary for comparative stylistics, on the other hand, translation is a practical application of the regularities and principles obtained in the process of comparative stylistic study.

Comparative stylistic can explain the process of translation in terms of stylistics characteristics and sets forth “laws valid to the languages concerned”.

Due to the fact that the specialized and advanced learning necessarily involves academic courses such as translation theory and comparative stylistic, these disciplines should not be confused.

Finally, the aim of comparative stylistics is contrastive, while that of translation theory and practice if communicative.

According to the opinion of some scholars, comparative stylistics if considered as subsequent to translation and not prior to it, since the comparison of the two languages requires primarily the performance of translation.

Sources

1. 
   Гак В.Г. О сопоставительной стилистике // Методы сопоставительного изучения языков. – М., – С. 48 – 53.
   
2. 
   Федоров А.В. Очерки общей и сопоставительной стилистики. – М., 1971.
   
3. 
   Швейцер А.Д. Контрастивная стилистика. Газетно-публицистический стиль в английском и русском языках. – М.,1993.
   
4. 
   Malblanc A. Stylistique comparée du français et de l’allemande. Paris, 1961.
   
5. 
   Vinay J.P., Darbelnet J. Stylistique comparée du français et de l’anglais. Méthode de traduction. Paris, 1958.
   
6. 
   Shveitser A. D. Contrastive stylistics: news media style in English and in Russian. Universidad de las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 1997.