DEEP STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE IN LEVEL OF WORDS AND PHRASES IN DIGITAL ARTICLES OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
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DEEP STRUCTURE OF LANGUAGE IN LEVEL OF WORDS AND PHRASES IN DIGITAL ARTICLES OF NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE
I Wayan Pardika
Jurusan Sastra Inggris, Fakultas Sastra Unud
Abstrak
Dalam penterjemahan bahasa dari bahasa sumber ke bahasa sasaran, ada dua pendekatan penting yang harus diperhatikan oleh penterjemah. Pertama adalah pendekatan berdasarkan struktur di permukaan bahasa seperti grammar dan lesikal (surface structure) dan struktur di dalam bahasa (deep structure/semantic).
Kata dan frasa memiliki struktur semantic yang disebut unit konsep (concept unit) yang terdiri dari kumpulan komponen – komponen makna dari kata dan frasa itu sendiri. Unit yang disebut konsep ini ddapat dibagi menjadi empat kelas utama yaitu:
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1. Thing concept
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2. Event concept
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3. Attribute concept
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4. Relation concept
Menganalisis sebuah konsep dari kata dan frasa akan membantu penterjemah untuk menerjemahkan text dari bahasa sumber ke bahasa sasaran dengan lebih tepat, dengan menentukan teknik apa yang terbaik untuk digunakan untuk menyampaikan konsep dri sebuah kata atau frasa.
Kata kunci: struktur semantik, penterjemahan, unit konsep
In translation, there are two important approaches applied. According to Nida and taber in the book entitled Theory and Practice of Translation, Translation process is defined as producing the closest and most natural equivalence of Source Language (SL) to the Receptor Language/Target Language (RL). There also two terms in translation proposed by Nida and Taber; the first in meaning (deep structure) and
second in style or form (surface structure) (Nida and Taber, 1982: 12). Based on this statement, we know there are two important approach of translation; the first based on meaning and second based on form.
Larson (1984) also gives clear definition about these approaches in translation; there is the way to analyze at form and meaning as surface structure (grammatical, lexical, and phonological) and deep structure (semantics) of language. Semantic structure is more nearly universal than grammatical structure. In translation, both Source Language (SL) and Target Language (TL) contain deep structures and meaning components. (Larson, 1984: 29)
In translation, the concept unit is considered of part in the deep structure which occurs in the level of words and phrases, the unit contain with meaning of word or phrase. Word or phrase semantically contain with meaning component. The meaning component of word or phrase is grouped into one unit called the concept, when concept is grouped together into one unit which is called as propositions, then propositions grouped into propositional cluster, then propositional cluster into semantics paragraphs, semantics paragraphs into episode, episodes into episodes clusters, and these units unite into form larger unit of the discourse. (Larson, 1984: 31).
In the surface structure, the concept unit is mostly represented by word, morpheme, idiomatic expression, tone, or by word order. Concept unit can be identified in a given language on principle contrasts and comparison within the system of that language. (Barnwell, 1980). Barnwell also proposed that there are four types of concept unit, as follows:
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1. Thing Concept
In the deep structure of words and phrases, this class presents all things or objects, which exist in the universe, or which exist in any imaginary world. For
examples: house, tree, man, dog, fire, air, angel, soul, unicorn, fairy, dragon mostly nouns or pronouns.
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2. Event Concept
This class presents all actions, processes and happenings, including all movements and also mental processes. For example: run, jump, fall, break, write, melt, freeze, know, think, and rejoice, mostly as verbs
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3. Attribute Concept
This class presents qualities or quantities or degree of Things, or of Events, or of other Attributes. For example: red, white, long, cold, quickly, suddenly, twice, two, very, too, mostly as adjectives, adverbs.
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4. Relation Concept
In the relational concept, the class presents all sets of meaningful relationship between Things, Events and Attributes. Relations may be signaled by a word (a preposition or a conjunction), or by a morpheme. For examples of Relations: in, on, under, behind direction: towards, present, future, past logical relations: because, if, in order that, etc. conjunction, preposition, particles, enclitics, etc.
To identify the concept, in the analysis to determine the words that is referring primarily as a Thing, Events, Attributes, and Relation in level of Concept unit, the Central Concept of the words must identified. First step to find the concept by analyze the semantic features of the lexical items is find out the explicit meaning of the lexical items.
Based on the background of the study, there are two important approaches in translation, fist in based on form and second is based on the meaning. In the study of language, the term meaning in the study is considered to the deep structure of language. The concept unit is considering as the deep structure of languages which
occur in level of words and phrase. Based on the background, the problem is what is concept unit and how the concept unit identified and classified in languages in level of word and phrase?
Based on the problems of the study, the aims of this research is to explain about the deep structure of language in level of word or phrase which is called as the concept unit. In the process of translating word or phrase, the concept has important role. From analyzing the concept in the deep structure, the translator can recognize and classify which concept are shared between the source language (English) and target language (Bahasa Indonesia,) and which concepts in source language are unknown in the target language culture. Know and understand the concept will help to find which techniques are good to make an adjustment of the word or phrase between two languages.
The data source is the digital articles of the online National Geographic Magazine. The digital version is chosen because it is easier to get since to get the printed edition must be ordered from the overseas. The Magazine is available in its traditional printed edition on paper and digital edition, which is available online at is http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/, and for Bahasa Indonesia version is available at http://nationalgeographic.co.id/.
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4. 2 Data Collection
In collecting data, since the topic of the study is about concept unit that occurs in the level of words and phrases, some words and phrases collected and then the Indonesian version of the articles was checked to find the Indonesian translation presented in the English version of the articles. Finally, the data categorized based on the source language data and the target language data.
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4. 3 Data analysis
The data analyzed by using qualitative method. In this step, the collected data were categorized by the source language and the target language. Then, by the theory of Semantic Hierarchy, the data analyzed to find out the concept unit in the data. After that, the data checked for the role of translation equivalence occurs in the process of translating concept units from the source language to the target language.
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5. Deep Structure Analysis in Level of Words and Phrases in Digital Articles of National Geographic Magazine
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5. 1 Thing concept.
Thing concept is one of the concept classes which explain about all things or objects, which exist in the universe, or in any imaginary world. However, in analyze the concept of the word can be more complex since one word or phrase is constructed with more than one concept units. From several component of concept constructed in the concept unit, one of the components is must be the central concept. The analysis should be as follow:
“… , when Europeans swarmed into the New World to dominate an almost empty wilderness”. (Mann and Hecht, line 11)
In this collected data, the word Europeans analyzed by several steps. The first step the referential meaning of the word was analyzed. Because the word sometimes has multiple senses depending on the context, the concept is depending on the grammatical context in the surface structure. In the grammatical context, the word European can be as noun or can be as adjective depending the how the word is used in the passage. Determining the grammatical class in the surface structure is the clue for the translator to find the concept unit or concept cluster in the deep structure.
According the grammatical context, the word European is consider as noun in the surface structure. The word is subject which followed by predicate swarmed in the sentence. Since the word consider as noun in surface structure, the word is
determined as thing concept in the deep structure. By the referential meaning and the context, the explicit concept of the word European(s) is “a person from Europe.” There are two different components constructed into the concept, the concepts of “a person” which consider as thing concept because the concept is talk about an object, and the concept of “come from Europe” is consider as event concept because it explains about an action, process or happening.” The analysis should be as the table below:
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Central (thing concept) |
Additional (event concept) |
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“a person (or group of people)” |
“come from Europe” This concept cluster also contains with several components of concept (event-thing) |
From the table above, the thing concept is the central concept and then restricted or specified by the event concept. Thing concept as the central concept talks about “a person or a group of people,” and the event concept “come from Europe” is explain more concisely or restrict the concept of the central concept. The additional event concept distinguishes the meaning of the central concept from other that may take form of an Asian, Austronesian, or Edwardian, etc.
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4. 2 Event concept
The event concept includes all actions, processes, and happenings, including all movements and mental processes (Barnwell, 1980). This class is mostly present by verb and adverb in the surface structure. The analysis of the event concept is as follow:
“…, African slaves escaped the harsh conditions of the European plantation and mining operation and headed for the interior, into lands controlled by Indians”. (Mann and Hecht, line 14)
The word controlled is clearly implies that the word consider as verb in the surface structure. There are relationship between the surface structure and the deep structure as the clue in determining the concept class of the word (Barnwell; 1980); if
words are verbs in surface structure, it will consider as event concept in the deep structure. However, even the word is clear as event, it is still important to analyze the concept for constructing the meaning in the target language.
According to the context of passage, the explicit concept of word controlled is “limit or managing something carefully”. The word controlled contain several components; the concept unit of the word is contain an action presented by “limit” or “manage” which is consider as Event concept and the second or additional concept is explain about quality of the event concept presented by concept of “carefully”. The analysis presented by table below.
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Central (event concept) |
Additional (attribute concept) |
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“limit” or “manage” |
“Carefully” |
From the table above, “limit” or “manage” are consider as the central concept. The second concept or additional concept is the thing concept that implied by concept of “carefully” served to restrict the central concept.
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4. 3 Attribute concept
The third class in semantic classes is attribute concept. Attribute concept is different with thing concept or even concept. The attribute concept explains about quality, quantity, or degree of things, or of events, or of other attributes (Barnwell, 1980). To analyze the attribute concept in the data, the analysis presented as follows:
“…, a robot or a manned submersible has swept over Titanic’s gloomy facets, pinged a sonar beam in its direction, taken some images—and left” (Sides, line 11)
In the presented data above, there is a compound word of gloomy. In the surface structure, the word gloomy consider as adjective to describe the noun facets in the data source. This implies that the word in the deep structure is an attribute concept and there is no skewing of classification between semantic and grammatical
class occur. As mentioned above, the attribute concept is concept to explain the quality of thing concept.
In the grammatical context, the word serves as adjective to describe the quality of facets. By the context, the explicit concept of gloomy is “nearly dark” The explicit concept presents the concept units that constructed become one concept. There are several concept structured in the in the concept of word gloomy, there are the concept of “nearly or almost” which is represent an attribute concept that explain about the quality of object and there are the concept of “dark” which is consider as the thing concept in the concept. The table below presents the analysis of the central concept:
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Central (attribute concept) |
Additional (thing concept) |
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“nearly or almost” |
“dark” The word also contain with several concept (thing-attribute) |
The central concept of word gloomy is the attribute concept of “nearly or almost”. The meaning from central concept is specified by additional component of thing concept is a thing concept of “dark”. After restating the concept, the central concept is followed by thing concept as additional component. This attribute concept is explaining about the quality of the word facets in the passage.
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4. 4 Relational concept
Relation concept is the fourth class in semantic class of concept unit and different with thing, event, and attribute concept, which have referential meaning (Barnwell, 1980). The relation concept is expression of the meaningful relationship between thing, event, and attribute or between larger semantics unit. In this research, relations concept is signaled by a word such as a preposition or a conjunction. To analyze the attribute concept in the data, the analysis presented below:
“…, we pass through Boise city, following the storm toward Guymon”.
(Johnson, line 19)
The relation concept has no referential meaning when they stand-alone, they have meaning when they used in the passage and very depending with the context. The next example is the preposition toward analyzed. In the deep structure, the word consider relation concept. The word toward in the passage is the expression of relationship between two concepts or more. Consider to the context of the passage, the word toward related to the concept “in the direction.” This concept also implies an action “move.” By the analysis of the passage, the preposition builds the relationship between two different concepts. The first is the thing concept of “a storm” and other thing concept of “Guymon.” The analysis should be as follow;
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thing-event concept |
relation-event concept “toward” |
thing concept |
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“a storm” |
in the direction |
“Guymon” |
From the analysis above, the relation concept become the important feature to present what is the relationship between the concept of “trailer” and the concept of “cameras.” The relation concept in the example above implied the relationship the concept cluster of “trailer” with the concept cluster of “high-speed cameras” and “electronic gear.” The meaning of the example above is “the cameras and electronic gear is parts of 16-foot trailer.”
In languages, the concepts units are recognizable units in deep structure that contain meaning components. Depending on the grammatical class in the surface structure, the concepts are classified into four semantic classes which all of these occur and analyzed in the data source. Those types of concept can be represents as follows: Thing concept, Event concept, Attribute concept, and Relation concept.
In the process of translating word or phrase, the concept has important role. From the concept, the translator can recognize and classify which concept are shared
between the source language (English) and target language (Bahasa Indonesia,) and which concepts in source language are unknown in the target language culture. Know and understand the concept will help to find which techniques are good to make an adjustment of the word or phrase between two languages.
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Johnson, George. 2012. “Chasing Lighting” Available on: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/08/chasing-lightning/johnson-text
Larson, Mildred L. 1984. Meaning Based Translation, a Guide to Across Language Equivalence, New York: University Press of America.
Mann, Charles C & Susanna Hecht. 2012. “Brazil’s Maroon People; Where Slaves Rules” Available from: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/maroon-people/mann-hecht-text
Nida, A. Eugene & C. R. Taber. 1982. Language structure and translation. California: Stanford University Press.
Rozaq, Abdul. 2006. “The Translation Equivalence of Preposition for”. Denpasar: Faculty of Letters, Udayana University.
Sides, Hampton. 2012. “The Titanic: Unseen Titanic” Available from: http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2012/04/titanic/sides-text
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