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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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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