PRAGMATICS OF G. CHAUCER`S “GENTILESSE” BALLADE TRANSLATION

The present article provides an example how to analyse reproduction of pragmatic potential within literary translation. The ballade Gentilesse by Geoffrey Chaucer (1340–1400), “the father of English poetry”, serves as the sample material. The purpose of the study undertaken is to determine the pragmatic value of the ballade professional translations by T.Yu. Stamova and V.V. Rogov. The research exploits the terminology and equivalence level theory proposed by V.N. Komissarov. Thus, it turned out for the translators to be impossible to reach complete semantic, syntactic equivalence and the level of situation description means due to the limits of the ballade (rigid rhyme scheme, the refrain). The translators did not reproduce all of the original stylistic devices (kennings, metonymy, parallel syntactic and parenthetical constructions, a nonverbal sentence), except metonymy (both through calquing), a kenning (by T.Yu. Stamova), and parallel syntactic constructions (by V.V. Rogov). Communicative intention of the author was in general transferred, the communicative effect was reached, although with the shift in the speech style: T.Yu. Stamova`s version is a strict moral teaching, general tone of V.V. Rogov`s version is less serious that that of the original. Both translators did not manage to convey such essential cultural and historic element as the Forefather`s image.