Language Varieties

Language Varieties, Culture and Translation

Introduction:

The present talk will be mainly confined to the varieties of the English language, related culture(s), and the aspects of Translation. The main aim behind this discussion is that language varieties, cultures and translation go hand in hand. They are basically inseparable. Translating a text actually means transferring the linguisticand cultural parallels in the target language.

The term ‘Language Varieties’ means ‘subtype(s)’ of a language on the basis of their difference from one another in terms of ‘Pronunciation’, ‘lexical choice’, ‘grammar’, ‘accent’, etc.

This includes idiolects, dialects, registers, styles and modes, as varieties of any living language. Another view is that of Pit Coder (1973), who suggestsdialects, idiolects, and sociolects. Quirk (1972) proposes region, education, subject matter, media and attitude as possible bases of language variety classification of English in particular. Quirk recognizes dialects as varieties distinguished according to geographical dispersion, and standard and substandard English as varieties within different ranges of education and social position.

The term‘culture’ refers to values, tradition, beliefs, social life, flora and fauna. It is true that each community has its own culture; while one is more materialistic, another is just living on daily hunting. Man is in one way or the other a construct of his culture, and much of his behaviour, values, and goals are culturally determined. Society and culture are clearly reflected in one’s language.

Inorder to understand the dependence of both on each other, try translating the following sentences in your mother tongue(s):

Sentence 1: ‘Your voice is not a sparrow voice in your village.’

Sentence 2: ‘So you are traitor to your salt-givers.’

Sentence 3: ‘And they got a coconut and betel-leaf good-bye.’

Sentence 4: ‘When all the guests arrived, the leaf was laid’.

Sentence 5: ‘He hadrefused bride after bride, some beautiful as new-opened guavas, and others tender as April mangoes’.

What are your reactions / responses? Did you feel something alien: structurally, linguistically and culturally?

Do you know that the Eskimos have seven different expressions / lexicons for the word – snow? What about you!!! Can you differentiate the following: ‘wet snow’, ‘packed snow’,‘powder snow’, ‘fine snow’, ‘dry snow’, soft snow’.

The Marshalese Islanders don’t have to worry about ‘snow’, but they have sixty terms for parts of the coconut and coconut tree.

What about the cross-cultural misunderstanding of addressing people by names!!! While some prefer to be addressed by the first name, the others feel offended. Someone, new in the United States, from a certain culture,refused to eat “hot dog”.

The north-Indians have many words like, roti, chapati, puri, parotha, tanduri, naan, phulka, kachauri, etc. These words do not have an English parallel. The word that comes closest is “Bread”, but again this is another variety, generally baked in the bakery - not home made.

Well, given above (in 5 sentences), you found some samples of a variety of Indian English. Mindit, a variety of Indian English!!! This means that we have Indian English, and then some varieties of this Indian English, bearing the variations due to local languages and cultures of the different regions of the Indian subcontinent.

Varieties of English: It is important to mention at the very outset that ‘language varieties’ (Varieties of English in the present context) is the product of‘Language Contact’, rather than a colonial or post colonial phenomenon. It is just that the majority of the varieties of English received an opportunity for the full flight after the fall of the British Empire in most of its colonies. In other words, a language always carries a number of varieties depending on its contact.

Indeed, for language contact, the language needs to travel. English,...