English binominal noun phrases as seen through their Czech counterparts

• Authors: Brůhová Gabriela , Vašků Kateřina
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

This paper provides an analysis of 100 English binominal noun phrases (BNPs) and their Czech translation counterparts, using data from a parallel English-Czech corpus. BNPs, characterized by the N1-of-N2 structure, have distinct syntactic and semantic properties, where N2 typically functions as the semantic head and N1 conveys an attributive quality. The study aims to identify Czech structures performing similar functions and to specify the roles of BNPs through their Czech translations. The methodology involves manual extraction of BNPs from the corpus, classification of Czech translations into eight categories, and analysis of their evaluative, descriptive, or intensifying functions. Findings highlight the prevalence of adjectival premodification in Czech translations, the nuanced roles of BNPs, and the cultural and linguistic adaptations involved in translation. The research underscores the complexity of translating expressive constructions and offers insights into linguistic typology and translation strategies.

Keywords

EN

binominal noun phrases; contrastive linguistics; expressivity; evaluative function; semantic head

• Publisher: Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Arts, Czech Republic
• Journal: Linguistica Pragensia
• Year: 2025
• Volume: 35
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 146-160

Contributors

author

Brůhová Gabriela

• Charles University, Prague

author

Vašků Kateřina

• Charles University, Prague