Uncovering functional potential of particles in Russian, German, English in fiction

Abstract

© 2020, Slovenska Vzdelavacia Obstaravacia. All rights reserved. The inconsistency in the speech parts classifications in related and unrelated languages present the interest for comparative linguistic research. Particular attention shall be given to function words where the controversy in existing classifications increases. Turn to function words as research subject shows that their impact on text and discourse is not fully uncovered. Looking from translation point of view, function words remain often undervalued, which can lead to failure to transmit culture-specific meanings. In this regard, particles can be called one of the most controversial classes of function words: questions on their grammatical status, semantics, and syntactical features remain open. This paper looks into the functional potential of particles in fiction and brings lights to their role in creating word pictures of literature characters in Russian, German, and English highlighting ways of particles’ translation. The authors point out the impact of particles on the text and propose to look at particles in compared languages as personification tools of speech portraits of literary characters.