РОЛЬ СЛОЖНЫХ ИНФИНИТИВОВ С АРАБСКИМИ КОМПОНЕНТАМИ В ТАДЖИКСКИХ ГЛАГОЛЬНЫХ СЛОВОСОЧЕТАНИЯХ И ИХ АНГЛИЙСКИХ ЭКВИВАЛЕНТАХ

Verbal phrases constitute the core of sentence structure, conveying information about actions, states, and processes. In many languages, verbs can combine with other lexical items to form complex or compound verbal units that carry specialized meanings or grammatical functions. The Tajik language, as a member of the Persian language family, exhibits a rich system of compound verbs (also referred to as complex predicates or light verb constructions), where a non-verbal element (typically a noun, adjective, or participle) combines with a light or auxiliary verb (such as кардан to do/make, шудан to become/happen, гаштан to turn/become, намудан to do). These combinations often replace or complement simple, morphologically complex verbs

A prominent distinguishing of the Tajik lexicon reflecting centuries of linguistic contact is the significant presence of borrowings, particularly from Arabic. These Arabic borrowings are not confined to nominal or adjectival usage but frequently serve as the non-verbal components of compound verbs and their non-finite forms, such as infinitives. For example, the Arabic noun сафар (travel) combines with the infinitive кардан (to do) to form the compound infinitive сафар кардан (to travel). Similarly, the Arabic adjective тоза (clean) forms тоза кардан (to clean).

The study of these compound infinitives with Arabic components is crucial for several reasons. Firstly, they represent a key aspect of the Tajik verbal system, demonstrating how borrowed lexicon integrates into native grammatical structures

The corpus of our study aims to address this gap by conducting a comparative analysis of compound infinitives with Arabic components in Tajik verbal phrases and their English translations. The research seeks to identify the structural types of these infinitives, analyze their functional roles within various verbal phrase contexts, and examine the strategies employed by translators to render them into English, highlighting the challenges and implications for translation theory and practice.

2.1. Corpus

The primary corpus of our study is the novel referred to as “Ghulomon” by S.Aini being a seminal work of modern Tajik literature written in Tajik and originally republished in 2019. “Ghulomon” was selected due to its status as a literary classic, its rich and varied language, and its widespread availability in translation, providing a suitable basis for exploring linguistic features and translation challenges.

2.2. Data Collection

The researchers conducted a systematic identification of all instances of compound infinitives featuring an Arabic-origin non-verbal component (noun, adjective, or participle) combined with a Tajik auxiliary verb infinitive (primarily кардан and шудан, but also considering less frequent auxiliaries like намудан or гаштан in their infinitive forms) occurring within verbal phrases in “Ghulomon”. Verbal phrases were defined broadly to include the infinitive used as:

a) the main predicate with modal verbs (e.g., must do);

b) a complement to other verbs (e.g., want to do);

c) a subject or object (nominalized infinitive);

d) part of a complex predicate structure;

e) in purpose clauses or other adverbial uses.

Each identified instance was recorded along with its immediate surrounding sentence context and its corresponding translation in the English version of the novel. Tajik text and English translation page numbers were meticulously documented for each example.

The conducted comparative analysis of the theme explored reveals a substantial number of compound infinitives with Arabic components used in various verbal phrase constructions. These instances exhibit a range of structural types and functional roles, with corresponding diverse English translation strategies.

3.1. Structural Types

The most frequent structural type observed is Arabic Noun + кардан (infinitive), encoding a transitive action. Examples include:

– ёрдам кардан (help + to do) to help;

– сафар кардан (travel + to do) to travel;

– тамом кардан (completion + to do) to finish;

– қабул кардан (acceptance + to do) to accept;

– назар кардан (look + to do) to look;

– хабар додан (news + to give) to inform (using a different auxiliary, додан to give).

Less frequent, but also present, are structures like Arabic Adjective + кардан (infinitive), often encoding a causative action:

– тоза кардан (clean + to do) to clean;

– озод кардан (free + to do) to free.

And Arabic Noun/Adjective + шудан (infinitive), encoding intransitive states or processes:

– тамом шудан (completion + to become) to finish / end;

– озод шудан (free + to become) to become free / be freed.

3.2. Functional Roles and Translation Equivalents

The compound infinitives identified serve various functional roles within Tajik verbal phrases. Here, we present key functions illustrated with examples from “Ghulomon” and their English translations, analyzing the translation strategy and the role of the Arabic component.

3.2.1. Encoding Transitive Action (Arabic Noun + кардан)

This is a very common type, where the Arabic noun provides the core semantic meaning of the action, and кардан provides the transitivity and verbal frame.

– Example 1: Аз ин ба баъд ба шумо ёрдам кардан даркор

This case exemplifies direct functional equivalence. The non-verbal component, the Arabic noun ёрдам (help), is lexicalized as the single English verbal unit 'help'. This mapping involves the compression of the Tajik compound construction into a monolexemic English equivalent, representing a frequently employed and efficient translation strategy. The semantic transparency of the Arabic component in Tajik facilitates this direct lexical correspondence in the target language.

– Example 2: ...то ки роҳи наҷот аз ин бадбахтиро пайдо кардан мумкин шавад

Again, a direct lexical equivalent in English. The Arabic noun пайдо (finding/discovery) combines with кардан to form the verbal concept to find. English uses a single verb find. The Arabic roots meaning is preserved in the English verb.

– Example 3: ...ваъда карданд, ки баҳори дигар ба сафаргоҳи дур сафар кардан лозим аст

Similar pattern — Tajik compound infinitive maps to a simple English verb. The Arabic noun сафар (travel) clearly indicates the core meaning. The English verb travel directly captures this. The auxiliary verb кардан here doesn’t make travel transitive in the sense of having a direct object, but rather acts as a general verbalizer for the non-verbal component.

3.2.2. Encoding Intransitive State/Process (Arabic Noun/Adjective + шудан)

These structures typically denote a change of state or a process, with шудан acting as the copula or change-of-state auxiliary.

– Example 4: Вақте ки маҷлис тамом шудан гирифт...

Proceeding from the assumption of the above-adduced example, one can assert that the Arabic noun тамом (completion) with шудан denotes the process of ending. English uses the simple verb finish. The translation accurately captures the processual meaning. The Arabic component's meaning is directly reflected in the English verb.

– Example 5: ...то ки аз ин кулфат озод шудан мумкин бошад

Designing on the premise of the relevant sentence, we can confidently express our own opinion that the Arabic adjective озод (free) with шудан denotes the state of being free or the process of becoming free. English uses a passive construction to be freed, highlighting the result of an implicit action. While to become free is also possible, to be freed fits the context of liberation. The Arabic component directly informs the English equivalent free.

3.2.3. Encoding Causative Action (Arabic Adjective + кардан)

These forms use кардан causatively, meaning to cause [the adjective] to become.

– Example 6: Ҳарчанд хонаи ӯро тоза кардан мехостем...

On the basis of the example 6 one can underscore that the Arabic adjective тоза (clean) with кардан forms the causative to make clean, commonly translated as to clean in English. Direct lexicalization is the preferred strategy. The Arabic component again directly guides the English equivalent.

3.2.4. Less Frequent Auxiliaries (Arabic Noun + намудан)

While кардан and шудан are dominant, other auxiliaries are used, often with subtle differences or in specific registers.

– Example 7: ...ки аз аҳволи ману бародарам хабар намудан мехостанд

So, the Arabic noun хабар (news) with намудан (similar to кардан to do/make) forms the action to inform or to give news. The English translation uses the receptive side of this action (to hear news of) which is functionally equivalent in this context. This shows that the translation may involve a slight shift in perspective (giving vs. receiving news) while maintaining the core semantic transfer. The Arabic component хабар is clearly related to the English news.

3.2.5. Nominalized Infinitive Use

Compound infinitives can function as nominal units (subjects, objects), although less frequently in the infinitive form compared to verbal nouns derived from the same root.

– Example 8: Сафар кардан ба шаҳри Бухоро хатарнок буд

In the last sentence, the Tajik compound infinitive, functioning nominally, translates to an English gerund, which serves a similar nominal function derived from a verb. The Arabic component сафар directly corresponds to the English root travel.

3.3. Summary of Translation Strategies

Based on the analysis of these examples and other instances in the corpus, the most prevalent translation strategy for Tajik compound infinitives with Arabic components is mapping to a simple English verb. However, as seen in Examples 7 and 8, other strategies like phrasal verbs or nominalizations (gerunds) are also employed depending on the specific context and syntactic role of the infinitive in the Tajik sentence. Literal translation of the auxiliary (кардан/шудан as to do/become) is rare, occurring only when strictly necessary for emphasis or specific semantic nuance not captured by a simple verb.

The findings from “Ghulomon” corroborate the significant role of compound infinitives with Arabic components within the Tajik verbal system and highlight key aspects of their structure, function, and translation.

Structurally, the dominance of the Arabic Noun + кардан pattern underscores how abstract nouns, often of foreign origin, are integrated into the verbal paradigm using a versatile light verb. This reflects a common strategy in Persian and related languages for expanding the verb lexicon

Functionally, these compound infinitives behave similarly to simple verb infinitives, occupying various syntactic slots within verbal phrases (complements to modals or other verbs) or as nominal elements. Their role is to express the core verbal concept derived from the Arabic root.

The comparative analysis reveals a strong tendency in the English translation to employ lexicalization, rendering the Tajik compound infinitive as a simple English verb wherever possible. This strategy is highly effective because many common Arabic roots used in these Tajik compounds (like сафар, хабар, ёрдам, қабул, тоза, озод, тамом, назар) have readily available, semantically equivalent simple verb forms in English (travel, inform/news, help, accept, clean, free, finish, look). This high degree of semantic overlap at the root level facilitates direct lexical substitution in translation.

However, the analysis also demonstrates that functional equivalence is not always achieved through simple verb substitution. When the Tajik infinitive takes on a nominal role (Example 8), English naturally employs a gerund or other nominal construction. When the combination with the non-verbal component creates a specific nuanced meaning or requires a different perspective (giving vs. receiving news in Example 7), a phrasal verb or a different verbal structure might be chosen in English. These instances underscore that translation is not merely a one-to-one mapping of structures but a process of finding functionally equivalent expressions within the target language`s idiomatic norms

The role of the Arabic component in translation is twofold. On the one hand, the clear semantic core provided by the Arabic root often simplifies translation by pointing directly to a cognate or highly similar concept in English. On the other hand, the fact that this Arabic component is embedded in a compound structure in Tajik, while English often prefers a single verb, highlights a fundamental structural asymmetry. The Tajik structure allows for easy verbalization of a vast number of Arabic nouns and adjectives, creating a flexible and productive verb-forming mechanism

Furthermore, the stylistic implications cannot be ignored. In Tajik, using a compound verb with an Arabic component might be a matter of register, formality, or specific semantic precision compared to a potential native Tajik simple verb equivalent. For example, сафар кардан and сафар намудан vs. a potential simple Tajik verb for to travel. The English translation, usually opting for a single verb, might lose some of these stylistic or nuanced distinctions present in the original Tajik. While Aini`s prose in “Ghulomon” masterfully blends native Tajik elements with borrowed vocabulary, capturing the exact stylistic flavor of these compound infinitives in translation presents a subtle, yet significant challenge.

Thus, the conducted comparative analysis beset with the semantico-functional features of the theme explored has successfully identified the prevalence and characteristics of compound infinitives with Arabic components in the verbal phrases of “Ghulomon” by Sadriddin Aini and examined their English translation equivalents. The study confirms that these forms are structurally diverse, primarily consisting of Arabic Noun/Adjective + кардан or шудан infinitive, and functionally versatile, encoding transitive actions, intransitive states, or processes.

The research highlights that the translation of these compound infinitives into English primarily relies on finding functionally equivalent structures, with a strong tendency towards lexicalization into simple English verbs. While the Arabic component often provides a clear semantic core that facilitates translation, the structural difference between the Tajik compound form and English preferences necessitates careful consideration of context, idiomaticity, and potential structural shifts. Achieving functional equivalence sometimes requires employing strategies beyond direct interjectional replacement, including nominalization or alternative verbal constructions.

The study contributes empirical data to the fields of Tajik linguistics, contrastive linguistics, and translation studies, specifically regarding the behavior of compound verbs/infinitives and the integration and translation of Arabic loan vocabulary within these structures.