Volume 15, Issue 6 (2025)
LRR 2025, 15(6): 65-104 |
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cheraghi B, Mohammadi M R. Investigating the Structural-semantic Features of Negative Pronouns in Russian and the Errors in the Translation of Sentences Containing these Pronouns into Persian Language. LRR 2025; 15 (6) :65-104
URL: http://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-66625-en.html
URL: http://lrr.modares.ac.ir/article-14-66625-en.html
1- Assistant Professor, Department of Russian and Slavic Language and literature, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran , b_cheraghi@sbu.ac.ir
2- Associate Professor, Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Human Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
2- Associate Professor, Department of Russian Language, Faculty of Human Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
Abstract: (2164 Views)
In this research, we aim to investigate the structural features of negative pronouns in Russian language to find the appropriate Persian equivalents for these pronouns and the errors in the translation of sentences containing these pronouns into Persian language. Since the topic of negative pronouns is different in terms of lexical, semantic, and functional features in Russian and Persian languages, Iranian language learners always face many problems when learning, understanding, and using these pronouns in speech. In this research, the question is raised, what were the causes of these problems and also the occurrence of errors in the translation of negative pronouns into Farsi. The purpose of this research is to find the cause of this problem by examining negative pronouns in Russian and Persian languages and showing their structural, semantic and grammatical differences and to provide solutions to solve it. The authors of this article, using the analytical-comparative method and relying on the available theoretical sources and also through the comparison of 160 cases of negative pronouns in the three existing translations of the literary novel ‘The Gambler’, carefully examined these pronouns and also the errors in their translation into Persian language. It should be noted that Iranian linguists in the semantic and grammatical classification of pronouns have never named negative pronouns as an independent group of pronouns. From the results of this research, it is possible to point to the presentation of suitable solutions for the translation of negative pronouns from Russian to Persian, the division of errors in the translation of these pronouns and the sentences containing them into Persian and how to correct them.
1. Introduction
This article examines the structural-semantic features of negative pronouns in Russian language presents the appropriate Persian equivalents for these pronouns, and explains the errors in their translation as well as the translation of sentences containing these pronouns. Since the topic of negative pronouns is different in terms of lexical, semantic and functional features in Russian and Persian languages, Iranian language learners always face many problems when learning and using these pronouns in speech. It should be noted that Iranian linguists have not named negative pronouns as an independent group of pronouns in the semantic and grammatical classification of pronouns. The subject of different types of pronouns, including Russian negative pronouns, is considered one of the most difficult topics to teach in Iran to Russian language learners due to their semantic variety and also their special morphological and syntactic uses. The use, understanding and correct translation of these pronouns are prone to errors and problems. It should be noted that the process of learning a second language is not unlike learning a first language, which itself has the nature of trial and error, for this reason, the occurrence of errors in the process of learning a foreign language is considered normal.
1.2. Research Question
In this article, the structural-semantic characteristics of negative pronouns in the Russian language are examined in detail, the appropriate Persian equivalents for these pronouns are presented, and the errors in their translation, as well as the translation of sentences containing these pronouns into Persian, are presented. Also, the question is raised that what were the causes of problems in the process of learning these pronouns and also the occurrence of errors in their translation into Farsi.
2. Literature Review
The topic of pronouns and its types is mentioned in most educational books and various Russian writers and linguists have studied it. However, there has not been much comparative research between Russian and Persian languages in this field. Olkhova (2004) and Sakalova (1964) have studied in detail the negative structures in Russian. Valerievich (2010) has studied some features of negative pronouns in the Russian language. Yermakova (2010) has also addressed this issue. In another study, Trofanova (2020) has also examined this matter. Among the Persian sources, there is no source that exclusively examines the negative pronouns in the Russian language compared to the Persian language. Hosseini (1389), Cheraghi and Mohammadi (1388), Asghari and Ahmadi (1385) have also worked in the same field. The difference between this research and the previous research is that the previous research either did not exclusively examine negative pronouns and examined one or more other pronouns along with it, or in general, expressed all kinds of negative sentences in the language. In addition, all the previous research is based on theoretical materials and the existing translations of a specific work and the detailed comparison of these translations and the selection of the best equivalent among them have not been addressed, which distinguishes all these materials of the upcoming research from the previous research.
3. Methodology
Also, in this research, with the analytical-comparative method and relying on the available theoretical sources, and also through the comparison of 160 examples containing negative pronouns and their equivalents in three existing translations of the literary novel “Gambler”, a detailed structural-semantic analysis of these pronouns and the errors in their translation into Persian have been addressed. It is necessary to remind that these examples were adapted from the “National Corpus of the Russian Language” (НКРЯ) and refrained from mentioning all 160 examples of negative pronouns and in this research only 30 of them have been expressed (with and without mistakes), but we have mentioned the results of their entire review. Then it was found out that of 160 examples, 100 sentences were translated completely correctly and in 60 cases there were errors in the translation. It should be noted that these errors are not only in the field of translation of negative pronouns, but also include other types of words, including the verb or the object of the same sentence.
4. Results
Based on what has been said, it can be concluded that the topic of negative pronouns in Russian language has special complexities, these pronouns are made by adding some word-forming suffix ни and не to interrogative pronouns, each of which has special morphological and syntactic features. The verb is used negatively in the sentences that have a negative pronoun with the suffix ни, while the sentences with a negative pronoun with the suffix не are impersonal and have a positive verb.
It should be noted that in the classification of pronouns in Persian language, negative pronouns do not exist as a separate category and this group of pronouns is considered as indefinite pronouns, while negative pronouns in Russian language are considered as an independent category. There are similarities and differences in the expression of these pronouns between the Russian and Persian languages. These pronouns in Persian language are made either by the pronoun “nothing” or by adding this pronoun to some nouns, pronouns and numbers.
The verb in all these sentences is negative, unlike in Russian. Among the other differences between the two languages, we can point out that some negative pronouns in Persian questional sentences are used in the sense of an indefinite pronoun and the verb of the sentence is positive, but such structures do not exist in the Russian language. From the similarities between the two languages, it can be pointed out that in Persian, whenever the negative pronoun “nothing” is placed before the noun, it expands or intensifies the concept of negation. For example, in the sentence “nothing said” the pronoun “nothing” only increases the intensity of negation, which applies to pronouns with the prefix ни in the Russian language.
The introduction and expression of these differences and similarities can help to understand, apply and translate them correctly by language learners in the speech. In addition, the difference between this research and the previous researches is that all the previous researches were based on theoretical materials and the existing translations of a particular work and their detailed comparison and the selection of the best equivalent among them were not addressed. It distinguishes the research from the previous ones. By examining and analyzing all research data, the following results can be pointed out:
- Generally, 160 cases of negative pronouns were found, of which 138 cases were negative pronouns with the suffix ни and 22 cases with the suffix не.
- Among all the negative pronouns, the negative pronouns нечего and ничего are the most numerous. It should be noted that the use of these two pronouns in other Russian literary works also has a high frequency.
- Negative pronouns are rarely used in cases with prepositions. Only the pronoun ничто is used 3 times in the preposition mode (with the preposition о).
- The equivalent of impersonal sentences with negative pronouns with не in Persian language are both two-part and one-part sentences.
- The equivalent of the sentences in which the negative pronoun is used with ни is, in most cases, two-part sentences. Among these pronouns, the equivalents of the sentences with the pronouns ничего and никогда are in some cases single-membered.
- The equivalent of the negative pronoun нечего is often translated as the phrases “there is no reason, there is no use, it is not necessary, we have nothing to do and ...” along with the verb. The equivalent of negative adverbial pronouns with the prefix не is also expressed in the Persian language in the present tense as “I don't have any place”, “I don't have time”. The equivalents of negative pronouns with the prefix ни are also mentioned in detail in the text.
- The errors in the translation of negative pronouns and sentences containing these pronouns were classified into five categories, where the highest number of translators' errors were of the type of not translating different parts of the sentence, and the lowest number of their errors were the type of stylistic errors in the translation.
- Among the translators, the total number of errors were in Habibi's translation is 22, Atash Barab 22 and Asgharzadeh 43. Among these, Asgharzadeh's translation has the highest number of errors in the translation. Habibi and Atesh Barab are in second place.
1. Introduction
This article examines the structural-semantic features of negative pronouns in Russian language presents the appropriate Persian equivalents for these pronouns, and explains the errors in their translation as well as the translation of sentences containing these pronouns. Since the topic of negative pronouns is different in terms of lexical, semantic and functional features in Russian and Persian languages, Iranian language learners always face many problems when learning and using these pronouns in speech. It should be noted that Iranian linguists have not named negative pronouns as an independent group of pronouns in the semantic and grammatical classification of pronouns. The subject of different types of pronouns, including Russian negative pronouns, is considered one of the most difficult topics to teach in Iran to Russian language learners due to their semantic variety and also their special morphological and syntactic uses. The use, understanding and correct translation of these pronouns are prone to errors and problems. It should be noted that the process of learning a second language is not unlike learning a first language, which itself has the nature of trial and error, for this reason, the occurrence of errors in the process of learning a foreign language is considered normal.
1.2. Research Question
In this article, the structural-semantic characteristics of negative pronouns in the Russian language are examined in detail, the appropriate Persian equivalents for these pronouns are presented, and the errors in their translation, as well as the translation of sentences containing these pronouns into Persian, are presented. Also, the question is raised that what were the causes of problems in the process of learning these pronouns and also the occurrence of errors in their translation into Farsi.
2. Literature Review
The topic of pronouns and its types is mentioned in most educational books and various Russian writers and linguists have studied it. However, there has not been much comparative research between Russian and Persian languages in this field. Olkhova (2004) and Sakalova (1964) have studied in detail the negative structures in Russian. Valerievich (2010) has studied some features of negative pronouns in the Russian language. Yermakova (2010) has also addressed this issue. In another study, Trofanova (2020) has also examined this matter. Among the Persian sources, there is no source that exclusively examines the negative pronouns in the Russian language compared to the Persian language. Hosseini (1389), Cheraghi and Mohammadi (1388), Asghari and Ahmadi (1385) have also worked in the same field. The difference between this research and the previous research is that the previous research either did not exclusively examine negative pronouns and examined one or more other pronouns along with it, or in general, expressed all kinds of negative sentences in the language. In addition, all the previous research is based on theoretical materials and the existing translations of a specific work and the detailed comparison of these translations and the selection of the best equivalent among them have not been addressed, which distinguishes all these materials of the upcoming research from the previous research.
3. Methodology
Also, in this research, with the analytical-comparative method and relying on the available theoretical sources, and also through the comparison of 160 examples containing negative pronouns and their equivalents in three existing translations of the literary novel “Gambler”, a detailed structural-semantic analysis of these pronouns and the errors in their translation into Persian have been addressed. It is necessary to remind that these examples were adapted from the “National Corpus of the Russian Language” (НКРЯ) and refrained from mentioning all 160 examples of negative pronouns and in this research only 30 of them have been expressed (with and without mistakes), but we have mentioned the results of their entire review. Then it was found out that of 160 examples, 100 sentences were translated completely correctly and in 60 cases there were errors in the translation. It should be noted that these errors are not only in the field of translation of negative pronouns, but also include other types of words, including the verb or the object of the same sentence.
4. Results
Based on what has been said, it can be concluded that the topic of negative pronouns in Russian language has special complexities, these pronouns are made by adding some word-forming suffix ни and не to interrogative pronouns, each of which has special morphological and syntactic features. The verb is used negatively in the sentences that have a negative pronoun with the suffix ни, while the sentences with a negative pronoun with the suffix не are impersonal and have a positive verb.
It should be noted that in the classification of pronouns in Persian language, negative pronouns do not exist as a separate category and this group of pronouns is considered as indefinite pronouns, while negative pronouns in Russian language are considered as an independent category. There are similarities and differences in the expression of these pronouns between the Russian and Persian languages. These pronouns in Persian language are made either by the pronoun “nothing” or by adding this pronoun to some nouns, pronouns and numbers.
The verb in all these sentences is negative, unlike in Russian. Among the other differences between the two languages, we can point out that some negative pronouns in Persian questional sentences are used in the sense of an indefinite pronoun and the verb of the sentence is positive, but such structures do not exist in the Russian language. From the similarities between the two languages, it can be pointed out that in Persian, whenever the negative pronoun “nothing” is placed before the noun, it expands or intensifies the concept of negation. For example, in the sentence “nothing said” the pronoun “nothing” only increases the intensity of negation, which applies to pronouns with the prefix ни in the Russian language.
The introduction and expression of these differences and similarities can help to understand, apply and translate them correctly by language learners in the speech. In addition, the difference between this research and the previous researches is that all the previous researches were based on theoretical materials and the existing translations of a particular work and their detailed comparison and the selection of the best equivalent among them were not addressed. It distinguishes the research from the previous ones. By examining and analyzing all research data, the following results can be pointed out:
- Generally, 160 cases of negative pronouns were found, of which 138 cases were negative pronouns with the suffix ни and 22 cases with the suffix не.
- Among all the negative pronouns, the negative pronouns нечего and ничего are the most numerous. It should be noted that the use of these two pronouns in other Russian literary works also has a high frequency.
- Negative pronouns are rarely used in cases with prepositions. Only the pronoun ничто is used 3 times in the preposition mode (with the preposition о).
- The equivalent of impersonal sentences with negative pronouns with не in Persian language are both two-part and one-part sentences.
- The equivalent of the sentences in which the negative pronoun is used with ни is, in most cases, two-part sentences. Among these pronouns, the equivalents of the sentences with the pronouns ничего and никогда are in some cases single-membered.
- The equivalent of the negative pronoun нечего is often translated as the phrases “there is no reason, there is no use, it is not necessary, we have nothing to do and ...” along with the verb. The equivalent of negative adverbial pronouns with the prefix не is also expressed in the Persian language in the present tense as “I don't have any place”, “I don't have time”. The equivalents of negative pronouns with the prefix ни are also mentioned in detail in the text.
- The errors in the translation of negative pronouns and sentences containing these pronouns were classified into five categories, where the highest number of translators' errors were of the type of not translating different parts of the sentence, and the lowest number of their errors were the type of stylistic errors in the translation.
- Among the translators, the total number of errors were in Habibi's translation is 22, Atash Barab 22 and Asgharzadeh 43. Among these, Asgharzadeh's translation has the highest number of errors in the translation. Habibi and Atesh Barab are in second place.
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