A corpus-based study of formal register in intensifying adverbs in translation students’ assignments

Corpus linguistics has achieved tremendous popularity since the ۱۹۸۰s. Corpus linguistics, by using a variety of computer based tools, is capable of exploring different questions about language use. Exploring patterns of language use is considered to be one of the major contributions of corpus linguistics. This is mainly done by frequency of occurrence information which is the first, or most basic information that can be obtained from a corpus. Frequency information can be examined to explore some basic lexical differences across registers. In this sense, the present study aims to investigate the language register, in particular intensifying adverbs including really, very, extremely, and so, in a corpus of translations produced by translation students. The concordancing tool employed to provide the frequency list is Antconc. The results indicated that the highest used adverb is very whereas the least utilized adverb is extremely where both of these words are regarded formal in written English. Although the highest frequency is related to a single adverb very (formal), the students’ choosing the adverbs so and really (informal) indicates their lack of familiarity with the language register and subsequently ignoring the level of formality in their translation assignments. Therefore, as one of the new resources made available to translation researchers, corpora can be considered as invaluable sources for studying translated texts. For translation trainees to achieve and promote their competence on translation practice, corpora are of highly worthwhile assistance and if employed rightly, it satisfies the translator’s needs.Keywords: corpus linguistics, register, translation, intensifying adverb

کلیدواژه ها:

corpus linguistics ، register ، translation ، intensifying adverb