TRANSLATING THE ADVERB “ONLY”: A STUDY OF THE BLUEST EYE AND ITS VIETNAMESE TRANSLATIONS

This study analyzes the translation of the adverb only in The Bluest Eye from English into Vietnamese, focusing on its scope, frequency of use, expressive meanings, and translation strategies. The primary research method employed is a contrastive analysis between the original text and its Vietnamese translations, supported by relevant translation theories. The study considers the diverse semantic meanings of “only” in the source text and the grammatical differences between the two languages. The findings indicate that “only” most frequently conveys “scope limitation, restriction, or degree” (55.17%), followed by “emphasis” (21.37%), and to a lesser extent, “temporal meaning” (4.14%). The study also explores how only is rendered in Vietnamese through expressions such as chỉ (“only/just”), duy nhất (“unique/sole”), and không gì khác ngoài (“nothing else but”). Notably, the translations demonstrate general consistency in the adopted strategies; however, in 2.86% of the instances, the meaning diverges slightly from the original to better resonate with Vietnamese readers. This study offers concrete and practical recommendations for learning and translating the adverb only. It concludes that the translation of “only” requires flexibility and nuance to align with contextual meaning, preserve emotional tone, and retain the original intent - contributing to high-quality and meaningful translations. Keywords: Translation; only; adverb; The Bluest Eye; Toni Morrison.