Strutture verbali specifiche del discorso indiretto libero. Implicazioni traduttologiche
Specific Verbal Structures of Free Indirect Speech. Translation-related Implications

Summary/Abstract: Any analysis of the discursive configuration of a text and the identification of the textual spaces specific to a narrative imply the need to define the relationship between utterance and imagination, to identify the various polyphonic fragments, as well as to establish the borders between the textual areas of the various narrative settings. The different enunciators with their specific discourse and distinct ideology also influence the temporal configuration of the narrative, in terms of the sequence, duration, and occurrence of narrated events. Reported speech favours a high polyphonic density, blending, under various forms, the discourse of the narrator and that of the characters. Within this type of discourse, a privileged place is held by the free indirect speech that often insinuates itself in a narrative passage and is overlooked by the reader/translator. Such a fissure occurring in the interpretation/translation of a text sometimes leads to the distortion of its meaning; in this case, the solution lies in the reassessment/reanalysis of the discursive structure of the text, aiming at an in-depth study of how various verb tenses are used, in addition to the correct identification of deictic elements specific to different types of discourse. Our paper intends to illustrate these aspects and, thus, to underline the importance of adequately using the verb tenses when translating highly polyphonic passages.

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