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LEXICAL TRANSFORMATION AND ITS TYPES
Jabborova Sevinch Yakubjon qizi
QarSU Faculty of Philology, 1st year student,
Philology and Languages (Uzbek language).
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16810974
Abstract. This article covers the types of lexical transformations used in translation and
their characteristics. Transformation methods such as concretization, generalization, antonymic
translation, replacement of cause with effect, compensation, addition and omission are analyzed
with examples. The function of each method in the translation process, their linguistic and
stylistic significance are explained. The article focuses on the practical application of
transformation methods, taking into account the grammatical and semantic differences between
the English and Uzbek languages. For each type of transformation, it is shown with simple
examples for what purpose it is used, when it is used, and what results it gives in translation. The
example of grammatical and semantic differences between English and Uzbek illustrates how
these methods can help make the text clear, understandable and natural for the reader in
translation.
Keywords: lexical transformation, concretization, generalization, antonymic translation,
replacement of cause with effect, compensation, addition, omission, translation.
INTRODUCTION.
In linguistics, transformation is a method of changing the grammatical structure, lexical
composition or semantic content of language units (words, phrases, sentences) in one language
or in another form within the language itself. Transformation is used to accommodate differences
in structure, meaning and style between language systems, as well as to make the text
understandable and natural for the reader. One of its main types is lexical transformation, which
is widely used in the translation process. In the current era of globalization, cultural, economic
and scientific ties between peoples are expanding. Translation activity plays an important role in
this process, as it is the main means of conveying information and knowledge created in different
languages to a wide audience. In the translation process, it is not enough to convey the literal
meaning alone, but also to correctly express the general content, style and cultural connotation of
the text. In this regard, lexical transformations are of particular importance in the theory and
practice of translation, as they serve to convey the meaning of the text in another language in a
natural and understandable form. The relevance of the topic is that there are significant
grammatical, semantic and stylistic differences between the English and Uzbek languages. To
eliminate these differences and accurately convey the content, the translator uses various
methods of lexical transformation. Methods such as concretization, generalization, antonymic
translation, replacement of cause with effect, compensation, addition and omission are important
parts of this process. The purpose of this article is to systematically study the types of lexical
transformations, determine their functions in the translation process and analyze the features of
their use in English and Uzbek languages on the basis of examples. Also, to clarify the concept
of lexical transformation and its place in translation theory, and to explain the features of each
type of transformation with examples. The analysis of previous studies shows that in the theory
of translation, such scholars as N.K. Garbovsky, V.N. Komissarov, L.S. Barkhudarov have
developed the theoretical foundations of lexical transformations.
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Although the issues of adaptation of words and phrases, expansion or contraction of
meaning in the translation process have also been studied in Uzbek linguistics, a systematic
analysis of lexical transformations on the example of the English-Uzbek language pair remains
relevant. Therefore, this article is aimed at drawing practical and theoretical conclusions in this
direction.
MAIN PART.
Lexical transformation is a method of adapting a word or phrase to the lexical system of
another language by changing its meaning, volume, or form of expression during the translation
process. In other words, lexical transformation is used to accurately and naturally convey the
meaning of words when they cannot be translated literally. In this process, the general or specific
meaning of a word can be changed, replaced by another word, expanded, shortened, or omitted.
Below are some types of lexical transformation.
Concretization. This type of lexical transformation involves the transformation of words
with a broader meaning and their acquisition of a more specific meaning. It often occurs in a
linguistic, cultural, and social context and helps to make the meanings of words more precise and
specific. N.K. According to Garbovsky, concretization is “a transformation operation in which
the translator replaces a broad and not very complex concept contained in a translated word or
phrase with a more limited, but more complex concept of a more specific content along the chain
of generalization.” [1, p. 200] Concretization is used when translating words with a broad
meaning or words whose meaning is difficult to determine. This is most often used in the process
of translating English verbs into Uzbek. English verbs are usually used in a general and vague
sense. This is especially evident in translation. Uzbek verbs express a specific and concrete
action. It can also be about giving not only the general, but also the specific meaning of a verb
with many meanings in translation. For example, if we take the verb “to be”, we can identify its
following features. The main meaning of this verb corresponds to the Uzbek verb “to be”.
However, the meaning of this verb is so broad that, depending on the word that comes
after it, its meanings are distorted in different ways. The breadth of the meaning of the verb
directly depends on which word it comes with. As an auxiliary verb, it is the most commonly
used and has a wide meaning in English, so it undergoes various transformations. If we compare
the translations of the sentences “He is in Hollywood” and “He is in Cambridge”, we will see
that the above ideas are confirmed. Thus, the first sentence is translated as “He works in
Hollywood” and the second sentence as “He studies in Cambridge”. In most cases, this auxiliary
verb corresponds to the dash (-) or the suffix -“is” in Uzbek. This verb can be used with nouns,
adjectives, numerals, adverbs and other word classes, and each time the meaning of the verb
changes accordingly. Taking into account these properties of verbs in translation creates the
basis for a successful translation. [2, p. 110]
Generalization. Generalization is the use of a word with a general or broader meaning in
this translation instead of several specific lexical units. That is, in the translation, instead of
specific and narrowly understood words in the text, their general, more broadly understood
synonyms or category names are used. For example: “The apple, the banana, and the orange are
on the table”. Generalization in translation: “The fruits are on the table”. Here, instead of the
words “apple”, “banana”, “orange”, their general name “fruits” is used. Generalization is the
opposite of concretization and involves replacing a narrowly defined word in the original with a
broad, generalizing word in the target language: He visits me practically every week-end. He
visits me practically every week-end. Generalization can also be done for stylistic purposes.
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For example, the combination “a young man of 6 feet 2 inches” can be generalized by
turning it into “a tall young man”. [3, p. 4]
Antonymic translation is a type of lexical-semantic transformation that is carried out in
the translation process by replacing the negative form with the positive form or the positive form
with the negative form, while preserving the meaning. In this method, the translator does not
translate the original language expression directly, but selects its synonym antonym, preserving
the meaning, that is, the expression is expressed in the opposite form. In this case, the translation
is not word for word, but changes in accordance with the context, logic and style. The
grammatical form or lexical unit changes, but the meaning is preserved. Often this method is
used to increase stylistic clarity, conciseness or emotional impact. For example, He is old - He is
not old. He is young - He is not old. He is no fool - He is intelligent. [4, p. 22] He came for a
reason - He came for a reason (he came for a reason)
The replacement of the cause with the result and the result with the cause. In this type of
transformation, the translation replaces the cause expressed in the original text with the result, or
the cause is replaced with the result. In these cases, the translator swaps the words without losing
the main meaning. In English, the method of moving from result to cause is more often used,
while in Uzbek the reverse order is more common. Therefore, the relative position of these two
elements is changed in the translation. The methods of expressing cause-effect relationships
differ in each language. A word-for-word translation can often be unnatural or illogical. Through
substitution, the translation becomes more natural, easier to read and more logical. For example,
in Uzbek, replacing the cause with the result:
He was late, so he missed the lesson.
(Cause: late → Result: missed the lesson)
Replaced sentence:
He missed the lesson because he was late.
In English:
Original sentence:
He was late, so he missed the class.
(Cause: being late → Effect: missing the class)
Substituted sentence:
He missed the class because he was late.
Compensation. Compensation lexical transformation is used when there is no alternative
or equivalent to a particular unit in the original language in the target language. This
transformation is also used in cases where there is no alternative or equivalent to the stylistic
methods in the original. This transformation is also used in translating situations where the
characters of the work use incorrect words in speech due to their speech characteristics,
shortcomings, oral speech, or illiteracy. Another unique aspect of this transformation is that the
target language equivalence can be not at the level of individual elements of the text, in
particular, words, but in the form of a whole text. [5, p. 37] Each language has its own lexical
system, some concepts or words may be present in one language, but not in another. In
translation or speech, if the original word itself is missing, its meaning is “filled in” or
“compensated” with the help of other words. This process helps to preserve the meaning of the
text. For example, the Uzbek term “hazil-mutoyiba” can be expressed in English by the simple
words “joke” or “fun”, but does not give the full meaning.
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Therefore, a multi-word expression such as “a humorous or playful remark” or “a form of
playful teasing” is used as compensation. The Uzbek word “eshik” corresponds to the English
“door”, but in some contexts it can be compensated by the words “gate” or “entrance”, since all
these words have different meanings in English.
Addition. Addition is a type of lexical transformation, which is expressed by introducing
an additional word, phrase, or explanation into the original text in order to convey the meaning
more fully and accurately. This change occurs not from a grammatical point of view, but on the
basis of lexical and semantic filling. An expression or metaphor specific to one language may be
incomprehensible in another language. Therefore, it is filled lexically. For example, he kicked
the bucket. He died (i.e., he passed away). “Kick the bucket” means “to die” in English. A literal
translation is unacceptable, so it is translated with a spiritual explanation. Or, she was homesick.
She was very homesick for her homeland, family, and the place where she was born and raised.
Since the word “homesick” does not have an equivalent in Uzbek, its emotional and semantic
meaning is explained. “Self-study- independently study-study”, “spring- spring has come”,
“identification card- identity document”, “laughed-laughed”. [6, p. 627]
Omission. Omission is a type of lexical transformation in which some words or word
combinations of a sentence or expression are omitted based on the context, that is, they are not
said, but their meaning is understood. Words that are not important in the sentence or are clearly
understood from the context are omitted. These words are omitted especially to shorten or
simplify the sentence. Words or word combinations are left empty
CONCLUSION.
The above analysis shows that lexical transformations are one of the most important
means of fully and naturally conveying the content of the text in the translation process. Methods
such as concretization, generalization, antonymic translation, replacement of cause with effect,
compensation, addition and omission give effective results in eliminating grammatical, semantic
and stylistic differences between English and Uzbek. Each type of transformation performs its
own specific task and serves to improve the quality of translation. Translators should study the
types of lexical transformations in depth and apply them consciously and purposefully in
practice. When choosing a transformation, the type of text, style and needs of the target audience
should be taken into account. In order to ensure that it is understandable and natural for the
reader, it is recommended to avoid excessive verbosity. Thus, lexical transformations are not
only a theoretical concept, but also one of the main tools that ensure the accuracy and naturalness
of the content in the practical translation process.
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5.
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