Address Pronouns Revisited: A Case of Theatre and Translation Pragmatics
Author(s)
Date Issued
2021
Type
article
Volume
24
Issue
1
Start Page
119
End Page
135
Journal
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.
Subjects