THE KING JAMES BIBLE AS NORM-MAKER: COSERIAN AND TRANSLATION THEORY PERSPECTIVES
THE KING JAMES BIBLE AS NORM-MAKER: COSERIAN AND TRANSLATION THEORY PERSPECTIVES

Summary/Abstract: The King James Bible as Norm-Maker: Coserian and Translation Theory Perspectives. This͏͏ paper͏͏ analyses͏͏ the͏͏ King͏͏ James͏͏ Version͏͏ (KJV)͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ Bible͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ central͏͏ site͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ creation͏͏ and͏͏ negotiation͏͏ of͏͏ linguistic͏͏ norms͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ history͏͏ of͏͏ English,͏͏ foregrounding͏͏ the͏͏ theoretical͏͏ insights͏͏ of͏͏ Eugeniu͏͏ Coșeriu on͏͏ linguistic͏͏ competence͏͏ and͏͏ normativity.͏͏ By͏͏ integrating͏͏ his framework͏͏ with͏͏ Gideon͏͏ Toury’s͏͏ norm͏͏ theory͏͏ from͏͏ Descriptive͏͏ Translation͏͏ Studies͏͏ and͏͏ Lawrence͏͏ Venuti’s͏͏ account͏͏ of͏͏ translation͏͏ as͏͏ a͏͏ culturally͏͏ productive͏͏ practice,͏͏ the͏͏ article͏͏ contends͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ KJV͏͏ operated͏͏ simultaneously͏͏ as͏͏ both͏͏ a͏͏ transmitter͏͏ of͏͏ biblical͏͏ content͏͏ and͏͏ a͏͏ generative͏͏ force͏͏ for͏͏ new͏͏ idiomatic͏͏ and͏͏ stylistic͏͏ patterns͏͏ in͏͏ English.͏͏ The͏͏ analysis͏͏ situates͏͏ the͏͏ KJV͏͏ within͏͏ its͏͏ seventeenth-century͏͏ English context͏͏ and͏͏ demonstrates͏͏ that͏͏ translation͏͏ is͏͏ an͏͏ activity͏͏ capable͏͏ of͏͏ forming͏͏ and͏͏ institutionalising͏͏ linguistic͏͏ norms,͏͏ rather͏͏ than͏͏ a͏͏ simple͏͏ reproductive͏͏ act.͏͏ Through͏͏ three͏͏ case͏͏ studies͏͏ of͏͏ idiomatic͏͏ expressions͏͏ and͏͏ the additional analysis of syntactic͏͏ and stylistic features,͏͏ the͏͏ present͏͏ work shows͏͏ how͏͏ the͏͏ KJV’s͏͏ legacy͏͏ is͏͏ best͏͏ understood͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ result͏͏ of͏͏ creative,͏͏ institutionally͏͏ mediated͏͏ processes͏͏ that͏͏ continue͏͏ to͏͏ inform͏͏ English͏͏ linguistic͏͏ conventions.͏͏ Coșeriu’s͏͏ concept͏͏ of͏͏ normativity͏͏ is͏͏ shown͏͏ to͏͏ be͏͏ helpful͏͏ for͏͏ understanding͏͏ how͏͏ translation͏͏ practices͏͏ can͏͏ lead͏͏ to͏͏ the͏͏ emergence͏͏ and͏͏ codification͏͏ of͏͏ new͏͏ language͏͏ patterns.͏͏ The͏͏ article͏͏ concludes͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ KJV͏͏ exemplifies͏͏ the͏͏ productive,͏͏ norm-generating͏͏ potential͏͏ of͏͏ translation͏͏ and͏͏ affirms͏͏ the͏͏ continued͏͏ relevance͏͏ of͏͏ Coșeriu’s͏͏ theoretical͏͏ perspective͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ study͏͏ of͏͏ linguistic͏͏ and͏͏ translational͏͏ phenomena.

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