کیمیا جعفریان

Abstract

The presence of calques, particularly structural calques, has long been regarded as more than a means of word formation in the Persian language. Traditionally perceived as problematic, awkward, and marked instances of language use linked to translation error, various measures have been taken to eliminate them out of the concern that Persian language structures might be negatively affected. The present study examines the presence of structural calques across Persian literary works, both translated and authored in Persian, to determine whether these translational traces have extended into authorship and whether this perceived threat has been realized. Specifically, it investigates whether or not structural calques appearing in translations also occur in works authored by Persian writers, and which instances are most frequently shared between the two, and what implications these traces hold for textual fluency. To this end, a comparative corpus comprising twelve books (six translated and six authored), published between ۱۹۹۱ and ۲۰۲۱, was compiled. The corpus was analyzed using a list of seventy-one erroneous structural calque instances, which affect fluency, based on Najafi ۱۹۸۸. The study assessed the presence of calque, its frequency, and its shared used in the both sub-corpora within a period of three decades. The results revealed that although structural calques are more prominent in translations, there exist ۷۱.۱۵% structural calques shared in both translated and authored works. This suggests that traces of translation have permeated authorship. Moreover, the gradual increase in the frequency of structural calques across the period of study indicates the growing influence of translation on authorship and a reduction in textual fluency.

Keywords:

Authored Works, Calque, Fluency, Literary Works, Structural Calque, Translations