Converbs in translation: the role of Aktionsart in the interpretation and translation of Russian converb constructions into English and Norwegian

Abstract

My ongoing investigation of the role of Aktionsart in the interpretation and translation of Russian sentences with converb constructions (cf. Krave forthc.) suggests that the lexical aspect of a particular converb construction in the source data (Russian) may trigger a specific interpretation restricting the range of possible translation patterns found in the target data (i.e. English and Norwegian). For example, it was found that coordinate clauses (e.g. VP coordination – by means of the conjunction ‘og’ (‘and’) linking the main event and the event expressed by the converb) occur most frequently in the Norwegian translations of the ‘achievement’ type of converbs (including the semelfactive lexical type). This pattern is contrasted with the preference for the Norwegian construction with ‘etter’ (‘after’) followed by either a DP or a Perfect Infinitive construction – ‘å ha’ (‘to have’) + past participle – found in translations of the delimitative Aktionsart of the converb construction.