’n Korpuslinguistiese vergelyking van die Totius- en Cloete-Psalmomdigting

Abstract

A corpus linguistic comparison of the psalm versifications of Totius and Cloete. Criticism of the Cloete versification of the metrical psalms is evaluated by comparing the Totius and Cloete versification with the aid of a corpus linguistic analysis. The analysis is presented against the backdrop of a critical assessment of assumptions about language and translation that underlie the recent debates on psalm versification. The assumption of a transparent relation between fixed meanings and specific words, as well as the degree to which formal equivalence can be attained in translation, is identified as the points of departure of the critics of the Cloete versification. The data analysis shows that the two versifications share many similarities, but the differences are limited. In the Totius versification, archaic forms are used more often. Dutch as well as archaic grammatical constructions such as the genitive, dative and verbal inflection are still occasionally encountered. There are also many nouns in the Totius versification, which points to a more formal poetic style. By contrast, there are more verbs in the Cloete versification, as well as language features that are typical of a spoken language register. Really substantial theological differences do not emerge from the corpus analysis. For instance, where Totius uses three names for God, Cloete uses a wider range of adjectives that encode similar meanings to what Totius encodes in proper nouns.