Address pronouns revisited: a case of theatre and translation pragmatics

Alba Graziano

doi:10.5817/TY2021-1-9

Address pronouns revisited: a case of theatre and translation pragmatics

Vol.24,No.1(2021)

Alba Graziano

https://doi.org/10.5817/TY2021-1-9

Stable URL (handle):
http://hdl.handle.net/11222.digilib/143818

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Abstract

After an overview of the general scholarship both on the uses of the second person singular pronouns in Early Modern English (EME) and on the contrast between English and the so-called "T/V" languages (such as Italian) in terms of translation issues, this article focuses on Restoration comedy. Some observations on modern Italian translations (even in the absence of explicit indications by the translators) lead to a case study drawn from a personal experience as the translator of Aphra Behn's Sir Patient Fancy, which will serve to illustrate the performative force exerted by address pronouns on the stage and the impact on both academic and dramaturgical renderings of comedic texts.

Keywords:
Restoration comedy; drama translation and performance; address pronouns; Aphra Behn; Sir Patient Fancy

Pages:
119–135

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