Whiffling Through the Tulgey Woods of Translation: Translating the Nonsense Verse in "Jabberwocky"

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2019-06-28
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en
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The focus of this thesis is the interaction between nonsense devices and translation strategies as described by Andrew Chesterman. An analysis was made for “Jabberwocky” and four Dutch translations. It was found that the nonsense devices used in the source text were also present in all target texts, though not necessarily as equivalents. These devices are: neologism, portmanteau, and rhyme scheme, all three being subcategories of the simultaneity device. The arbitrariness device is used by Carroll as well. An additional nonsense device, imprecision, was found in one of the target texts, as a result of translation strategies. In general, neologisms and portmanteaux often got translated as one another. In cases where neologisms were involved, it was difficult to establish which translation strategies had been used, as they appear to be geared towards the translation of meaningful units, which nonsense does not always adhere to. Key words: Nonsense literature, nonsense device, translatability, translation strategies  
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Faculteit der Letteren