Word Order, Cohesion, and Conjunction in English and Spanish

Word Order in English and Spanish

In English, we find:

• DETERMINER + adjective + noun
• Determiner + noun + adjective
• Adjective as subject complement
• Adjective as object complement (e.g., He made his wife happy)

In Spanish and English, the attributive function shows the following word orders:

• Spanish: Noun + adjective, Adjective + noun
• English: Adjective + noun, Noun + adjective

In English, there are several cases in which the position of adjectives is usually postnominal:

Indefinite pronouns ending in -body, -one, -thing, -where can be modified only postpositively.

Textual Equivalence

Aim: To explore how word order controls information flow and other strategies at the text level.

Cohesive Devices

Cohesive devices include reference, substitution, ellipsis, conjunction, and lexical cohesion.

Cohesion is the network of lexical, grammatical, and other relations that provide links between various parts of a text.

Cohesive Devices in English

1. Reference
2. Substitution
3. Ellipsis
4. Conjunction
5. Lexical cohesion

Ellipsis

Three types of ellipsis relevant in translation:

1. Ellipsis that needs reference to situational or cultural knowledge to be deciphered in the translation (e.g., ASAP: as soon as possible).
2. Cases of ''language-specific economy'', in which the ellipsis will go unnoticed by many SL speakers.
   • Verb + adverb phrase indicating the end of an action.
   • Restrictive structures: wherever you go, I will follow you.
   • Omission of the relative pronoun and copula.
3. Ellipsis at the borderline between ellipsis and reference.

Conjunction

Conjunction involves the use of markers to relate sentences, clauses, and paragraphs.

Conjunction signals how the writer wants the reader to relate what is about to be said to what has been said before.

• Additive: and, or, also, in addition
• Adversative: but, yet, however, instead
• Causal: so, consequently, it follows, for
• Continuatives: how, of course, well, anyway

Note:

1. The same conjunction may signal different relations, depending on the context.
2. These relations can be expressed by a variety of means.