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Research Article
The Syntax and Semantics Interface of Auxiliary Verbs in Embosi
Kiba Ngapoula*
,
Yvon-Pierre Ndongo-Ibara
Issue:
Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2026
Pages:
29-36
Received:
5 April 2026
Accepted:
22 April 2026
Published:
8 May 2026
Abstract: This contribution tackles the scrutiny of the syntax and semantics interface of auxiliary verbs in Embosi, a Bantu language spoken in the northern part of the Republic of Congo. This paper draws data from observation, traditional folklore and some written books on the language under discussion. It comes out from the analysis that Embosi has three types of auxiliaries: the primary auxiliaries, modals, and semi-modals. The work proves that Embosi has two primary auxiliaries: idzà “be” and idià “have”; four pure modals: kà “duty with hesitation”, kòmi “obligation”, onami “condition”, and pènà “probability”; and five semi-modals: ikòngàà “futurity”, ipèrà “capacity”, ipùrà “desire”, itáá “prohibition”, and iwénà “progressive aspect”. It also demonstrates that Embosi primary auxiliaries and semi-modals are pre-verbal, whereas the pure modals are pre and post-verbal, and some of them (onami and pènà) may occur before the subject without affecting the semantics of the sentence. The analysis also specifies that two pure modals (kà and kòmi) may precede the subject and keep the same meaning. The study also attests that primary auxiliaries and semi-modals, in Embosi, have the morphosyntactic properties of finite-based auxiliaries, whilst pure modals are non-finite-based. Finally, the study proves that the negative auxiliary invariably parallels the syntactic function of a dummy auxiliary, regardless of verb type.
Abstract: This contribution tackles the scrutiny of the syntax and semantics interface of auxiliary verbs in Embosi, a Bantu language spoken in the northern part of the Republic of Congo. This paper draws data from observation, traditional folklore and some written books on the language under discussion. It comes out from the analysis that Embosi has three t...
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Research Article
From Orality to Textuality: A Linguistic Analysis of Moroccan Folktales Translated into English
Mouna Hajjaj*,
Jamaa Ouchouid
Issue:
Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2026
Pages:
37-43
Received:
4 May 2026
Accepted:
14 May 2026
Published:
26 May 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijalt.20261202.12
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Views:
Abstract: Translation approaches based on equivalence perceive the source text as a written set of materials characterized by textual features. Their main aim is to convey the linguistic and cultural aspects of the source text to target readers. However, these approaches are challenged when translating orality since translators tend to textualize the oral source material. In this context, the translation process goes beyond the realization of equivalence between source and target texts, but tends to recreate the narrative, cultural, and performative aspects of orality. This article investigates the transmission from orality to textuality through a stylistic analysis of the Moroccan folktale: “The Pomegranate and the Talking Drum,” translated into English by Richard Hamilton. The article aims to explore how the translator textualizes the folktale by means of the linguistic means of the target language. Therefore, the article conducts a stylistic analysis of the translated folktale to demonstrate how the narrative, cultural, and performative aspects are recreated within the translation. The analysis shows that Hamilton uses different stylistic strategies to recreate these aspects. At the graphological level, he uses punctuation and paragraphing to reconstruct the narrative structure of the folktale. At the phonological level, he incorporates devices such as assonance and alliteration to recreate musicality within the folktale. Additionally, the translator introduces a set of lexical fields that contextualize the folktale within the Moroccan context. The study informs that the translation of orality involves rewriting and textual reconstruction to evoke the narrative, cultural, and performative aspects in the target text.
Abstract: Translation approaches based on equivalence perceive the source text as a written set of materials characterized by textual features. Their main aim is to convey the linguistic and cultural aspects of the source text to target readers. However, these approaches are challenged when translating orality since translators tend to textualize the oral so...
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Research Article
Methodological Analysis of Evidence Types and Comparability in Cognitive Metaphor Translation Research from 1980 to 2025
Shiqi Zhang*
Issue:
Volume 12, Issue 2, June 2026
Pages:
44-53
Received:
15 May 2026
Accepted:
26 May 2026
Published:
5 June 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.ijalt.20261202.13
Downloads:
Views:
Abstract: This study analyzes the methodological development of cognitive metaphor translation research from 1980 to 2025, with particular attention to evidence types, analytical units and comparability conditions. International studies were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, and Chinese studies were retrieved from CNKI, with Chinese sources limited to Peking University Core and CSSCI journals. After title and abstract screening, removal of irrelevant uses of the term translation, de-duplication and manual verification, the Web of Science dataset contained 478 records and the Chinese candidate set contained 75 records. The analysis combined annual publication counts with close methodological reading of research questions, material boundaries, identification procedures, process indicators and cross evidence correspondence. The results identify two relatively formed stages and one emerging trend. From 1980 to 2005, the field was shaped by conceptual metaphor theory and debates on translatability, with evidence mainly drawn from product comparison and small textual samples. From 2006 to 2019, discourse conditions, contextual variables, metaphor identification procedures and early process data entered the explanatory frame. From 2020 to 2025, corpus evidence, translation products and process data were more often placed within the same research design, increasing the need for explicit reporting of sampling rules, task settings, metric windows and correspondence rules. This study proposes a checklist for assessing whether findings from different studies can be compared. Its contribution lies in transforming a stage account of the field into a research tool for evaluating methodological alignment and inference scope. The checklist helps researchers assess whether findings from different studies address the same phenomenon under comparable conditions, thereby preventing inappropriate cross study comparison.
Abstract: This study analyzes the methodological development of cognitive metaphor translation research from 1980 to 2025, with particular attention to evidence types, analytical units and comparability conditions. International studies were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection, and Chinese studies were retrieved from CNKI, with Chinese sources ...
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