Subjectless Clauses: Functions and Cross-understanding through Linguistics and Translation from English to Thai

Abstract

This research paper analyzes the function and cross-understanding of subjectless clauses through linguistics and translation from English to Thai, with narrative texts as research data. The linguistic analysis is based on Functional-typological Grammar, and the translation approach is Newmark’s global translation criteria. The results show that this clause type was translated into Thai via 3 method groups, namely 57% of the total number are literal translation; 42% non-literal translation including faithful, semantic, and communicative translation methods; and 1% un-translation. For the functions, there appear communicative and grammatical aspects. Communicative function appears at the syntactic and discourse levels. At the syntactic level, the clause type presents weather, temperature, environment, situation, time, distance, identification, and relevance. At the discourse level, it shows contrastive focus. As for the grammatical function, it has shed some light on extraposed-subject clauses which are used in place of clausal-subject clauses in the spoken mode. In general, translators understand structures and functions in uses. Only the translation of the contrastive-focus function in which translators do not occasionally retain original messages.