UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA

Oddelek za anglistiko in amerikanistiko

DIPLOMSKA NALOGA

ENGLISH MODAL VERBS AND THEIR SLOVENE EQUIVALENTS

IN DAN BROWNS 'THE DA VINCI CODE'

Kandidatka: Ines Kovačič Mentorica: Asistenka dr. Klementina Jurančič Petek

Februar 2009

UNIVERZA V MARIBORU FILOZOFSKA FAKULTETA

DIPLOMSKA NALOGA

Kandidatka: Ines Kovačič

Februar 2009

I would like to express my gratitude to my mentor prof. Klementina Jurančič Petek for all her

guidance, patience and support.

I Z J A V A

Podpisana Ines Kovačič, rojena 13.10.1981, študent-ka Filozofske fakultete Univerze v Mariboru, smer dvopredmetna – angleški jezik s književnostjo in nemški jezik s književnostjo, izjavljam, da je diplomsko delo z naslovom English modal verbs and their Slovene equivalents in Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code pri mentorici prof. dr. Klementini Jurančič Petek, avtorsko delo. V diplomskem delu so uporabljeni viri in literatura korektno navedeni; teksti niso prepisani brez navedbe avtorjev.

Ines Kovačič __________________________________

(podpis študenta-ke) Maribor, februar 2009

U N I V E R Z A V M A R I B O R U

F I L O Z O F S K A F A K U L T E T A

Koroška cesta 160 2000 Maribor

SUMMARY The aim of this diploma is to find out how the English modal verbs are translated to Slovene

and if there are any similarities or differences between the original and translation. I was

interested in finding the answer to the question, if appropriate Slovene modal verbs were used

in the translations or if other phrases were used instead. I was also interested in the frequency

of appearance of the modal verbs.

The groundwork for my analysis was the book The Da Vinci Code from the author Dan

Brown. The book was a worldwide bestseller, translated into more than 44 languages and

was also adapted for film.

I chose a number od sentences from the original and compared them to the translations in

Slovene. I gave my opinion and suggestions of possible translations.

As the analysis showed, the choice of translations or appropriate equivalents is to a great

extent dependent on the context. Another reason for a different form of translation is often the

structure of the original sentence.

The results of the analysis showed that in English modal verbs are used more often, in

discourse as well as in texts. In Slovene we tend to use other forms of verbs or more

appropriate phrases.

POVZETEK

Cilj te diplomske naloge je ugotoviti, kako so angleški modalni glagoli prevedeni v

slovenščino in ali obstajajo kakšne podobnosti oziroma razlike med originalom in izvirnikom.

Ukvarjala sem se z vprašanjem, ali so bili pri prevodih uporabljeni ustrezni slovenski modalni

glagoli oziroma so namesto le-teh uporabljeni drugi izrazi. Prav tako me je zanimala

pogostost uporabe modalnih glagolov.

Podlaga za analizo je bilo delo The Da Vinci Code – Da Vinčijeva šifra avtorja Dana Browna.

Knjiga je bila ena največjih uspešnic zadnjih let, prevedena je bila v več kot 44 jezikov, po

njej je nastal tudi film.

Iz izvirnika sem izbrala več stavkov in jih primerjala s stavki v prevodu. Podala sem svoje

mnenje in predloge možnih prevodov.

Kot se je pokazalo v analizi, je izbira prevodov oziroma ustreznih ekvivalentov v veliki meri

odvisna od konteksta, razlog za drugačne oblike prevoda pa velikokrat leži tudi v strukturi

izvirnega stavka.

Rezultati naloge so pokazali, da se v angleškem jeziku modalni glagoli veliko bolj pogosto

uporabljajo, tako v pogovornem jeziku kot v besedilih. V slovenskem jeziku raje uporabljamo

druge oblike oziroma bolj primerne fraze.

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………… 1

1.1 Introductory remarks……………………………………………………………………….. 1

1.2 Methodology……………………………………………………………………………….. 2

2. THEORETICAL PART………………………………………………………………….. 3

2.1 Modality……………………………………………………………………………………. 3

2.1.1 Types of modality………………………………………………………………………….. 3

2.2 Modal verbs………………………………………………………………………………… 5

2.2.1 Modals and semi-modals…………………………………………………………………... 5

2.3 Characteristics of modal verbs……………………………………………………………... 6

2.3.1 Similarities between modal verbs and the primary auxiliary verbs………………………... 6

2.3.2 Differences between modal verbs and the primary auxiliary verbs………………………... 7

2.4 The meanings of modal verbs……………………………………………………………… 7

3. EMPIRICAL PART……………………………………………………………………… 8

3.1 Central modal auxiliary verbs: can, could, will, would, shall, should, may, might, must………………………………………………………………………………………...

8

3.1.1 Can and Could and their Slovene equivalents……………………………………………… 8

3.1.2 Will and Would and their Slovene equivalents…………………………………………….. 16

3.1.3 Shall and Should and their Slovene equivalents…………………………………………… 22

3.1.4 May and Might and their Slovene equivalents…………………………………………….. 26

3.1.5 Must and its Slovene equivalents…………………………………………………………. 30

3.2 Semi-modals: need (to), be going to, used (to), dare……………………………………. 33

3.2.1 Need (to) and its Slovene equivalents……………………………………………………... 33

3.2.2 Be going to and its Slovene equivalents…………………………………………………... 35

3.2.3 Used (to) and its Slovene equivalents……………………………………………………... 36

3.2.4 Dare and its Slovene equivalents………………………………………………………….. 37

3.3 The Da Vinci Code – a mystery story……………………………………………………. 38

3.4 The Da Vinci Code – book vs. movie…………………………………………………….. 39

4. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………. 41

5. REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………. 44

1. Introduction 1.1 Introductory remarks

My diploma work deals with the subject of modal verbs i.e. central modal verbs and semi-

modals and how they are translated into Slovene.

My aim was to find out how English modal verbs are translated into Slovene, if appropriate

modal equivalents are used and if not, what other forms or verbs are applied instead. In order

to do that I studied the theoretical features of modal verbs, I looked for examples and tried to

find similarities and differences between the original and the translation. I gave my own

suggestions of possible translations. I also compared the book with the movie adaption to see,

how the text and modal verbs used in it, was adapted on screen.

The main body of my paper consists of two parts – the theoretical part and the empirical part.

In the theoretical part firstly modality and different definitions of modality are given,

followed by a description of modal verbs, presented according to different authors.

Grammatical characteristics of modals are viewed through comparison with primary lexical

verbs. Finally something is also said about the problem of meaning of modal verbs.

The empirical part consists of two parts. In the first one, examples of sentences with central

modal auxiliary verbs and their Slovene equivalents are given. The second one consists of

examples of sentences with semi-modals and their Slovene equivalents. All examples are

followed by my explanations, suggestions and summaries.

In the conclusion I introduce the results of the analysis.

1.2 Methodology

For the comparison of English and Slovene modal verbs I chose the world-famous book The

Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The title of the Slovene translation is Da Vinčijeva šifra.

I looked for examples in chapters from 1 to 12. While I was reading, I marked all the

sentences, which included modal verbs and then wrote them down on the computer. In each

example I tried to figure out whether the Slovene translation corresponds with the original, if

appropriate Slovene modals were used and I also gave my suggestions of other possibilities of

translations.

2. Theoretical part 2.1 Modality Not many definite definitions of modality exist. In the English language, modality is

expressed by modal verbs, so we can find a lot of definitions of modal verbs instead.

Palmer1 quotes that ''modality is one of a number of semantic-grammatical features that …

face both ways, towards form, and towards notion.''

He also states that ''…. modality is concerned with the opinion and attitude of the speaker,''

and that ''the meanings expressed by the modal verbs in English represent…those that are to

be included in a typological account of modality…''2

Modality can be defined as the manner in which the meaning of a clause is qualified so as to

reflect the speaker's judgement of the likelihood of the proposition it expresses being true.''3

2.1.1 Types of modality According to Palmer, modal verbs have three main functions: epistemic, deontic and dynamic

modality.

Epistemic modality is the simplest type of modality. In both its syntax and its semantics, it is

the kind of modality that is most clearly distinct from the others and has the greatest degree of

internal regularity and completeness.4

An epistemic modal is used to express a judgement by the speaker about the truth of the

proposition he is presenting (‘what he is talking about’).5

The function of epistemic modals is to make judgements about the possibility, etc., that

something is or is not the case. Epistemic modality is, …, the modality of propositions, in the

strict sense of the term, rather than of actions, states, events, etc.6

Deontic modality is essentially performative. A deontic modal actually does something; it is

performative in that the speaker gives permission, lays an obligation on or in some way

influences or directs the behaviour of his addressee.7

1 Palmer, Modality and the English modals; 1990, p. 1 2 Palmer, 1990, p. 2 3 Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, Svartvik; A comprehensive grammar of the English language, 1985, p. 219 4 Palmer, 1990, p. 50 5 Palmer, The English verb; 1988, p. 98 6 Palmer, 1990, p. 50

The difference between deontic and dynamic modality is that the former is performative or

“discourse-oriented”, the latter is not.8

With the term ‘dynamic modality’ Palmer discusses “subject-oriented” modality, which is

concerned with the ability or volition of the subject of the sentence, rather than the opinions

(epistemic) or attitudes (deontic) of the speaker. A dynamic modal predicates something

(“says something about”) the subject of the sentence.

He is well aware of the fact that many linguists distinguish only two types of modality,

epistemic and deontic. He says that “it could well be argued that dynamic modality is not

strictly a kind of modality at all.”9

However he finds it essential to discuss them all.

He illustrates the three types of modality with the modal verbs may and can in the following

examples:

John may be in his office. (Epistemic)

John may/can come in now. (Deontic)

John can run ten miles with ease. (Dynamic)

The difference between these three is that the first makes the judgement that it is possible that

John is in his office, the second gives permission for John to come in, the third states that

John has the ability to run ten miles at ease.10

Leech talks about “a special kind of meaning contrast between ‘permission’ and ‘obligation’,

and between ‘possibility’ and ‘necessity’. He uses the term ‘inverseness’; the two senses may

be imagined as opposite sides of the same coin: permission is the inverse of obligation and

possibility is the inverse of necessity.11

Quirk on the other hand makes a quite different division of the meanings expressed by the

modal verbs. He distinguishes between two types of modal concepts. There are on one hand

concepts like ‘likelihood/prediction’, ‘possibility’, ‘logical necessity’, which express human

judgement on whether the proposition is true or not. On the other hand there are concepts like

‘permission’, ‘obligation’ and ‘volition’, which involve some kind of intrinsic human control

over events. Quirk names these two types intrinsic and extrinsic modality. He states that other

7 Palmer, 1988, p. 98 8 Palmer, 1990, p. 69 9 Palmer, 1990, p. 36 10 Palmer, 1988, p. 97 11 Leech, Meaning and the English verb; 1987, p. 80

terms such as modality and modulation or root and epistemic modality exist. He claims that

root and epistemic modality are subtypes of extrinsic modality.12

A division was also made by the linguist John Lyons. Palmer quotes Lyons as he “recognizes

the distinction when he refers to the speaker’s opinion or attitude towards the proposition that

the sentence expresses or the situation that the proposition describes and further defines

epistemic modality as concerned with matters of knowledge or belief and deontic modality as

concerned with the necessity or possibility of acts performed by morally responsible

agents”.13

2.2 Modal verbs

Leech notes that ''the meaning of modal auxiliaries or modals has both a logical and a

practical element. 14

Modal verbs express a variety of moods or attitudes of the speaker towards the meaning

expressed by the main or lexical verb.

Modal verbs are also called modal auxiliaries, because they help to form complex verbal

phrases. They are used to show the speaker's attitude toward the action or state expressed by

the headword. A modal verb is never used alone as a predicator of a sentence, but is always

combined with an infinitive into a complex verbal phrase. The headword expresses the main

idea of the complex verbal phrase, while the modal verb only indicates that the action denoted

by the headword is possible, impossible, probable, improbable, obligatory, prohibited,

necessary, advisable, doubtful, uncertain…'' 15

Alexander says that ''we frequently use modals when we are concerned with our relationship

with someone else. We may…ask for permission to do something; grant permission to

someone; giver or receive advice; make or respond to requests and offers etc.'' 16

12 Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, Svartvik; 1985, p. 219 13 Palmer,1990, p. 35-36 14 Leech,1987, p.71 15 Blagajne and Konte, Modern English grammar; 1998, p. 354 16 Alexander, Longman English Grammar; 1995, p. 207

2.2.1 Modals and semi-modals In the English language nine central modal auxiliary verbs are used to express modality: can,

could, may, might, shall, should, will, would and must. These are invariant forms taking the

role of auxiliary. 17

Although the central modals form a homogeneous group, the boundary between modals and

lexical verbs taking infinitive complementation is in some cases unclear.

First, there is a handful of marginal auxiliary verbs such as need (to), ought (to), dare (to),

used (to). These verbs can behave like modals in taking auxiliary negation and yes-no

question inversion (needn’t, ought we not…, She dare not).

There are also a number of fixed idiomatic phrases with functions similar to those of modals:

(had) better, have to, (have) got to, be supposed to, be going to. These expressions are called

semi-modals (other expressions are ‘quasi-modals’ and ‘periphrastic modals’.)18

Palmer claims that “semi-modals are formally not even auxiliaries, let alone modals, but are

semantically related to the modals and partially suppletive for them”.19

2.3 Characteristics of modal verbs 2.3.1 Similarities between modal verbs and the primary auxiliary verbs Modal verbs in some ways resemble the auxiliaries be, have and do.

The negative form of both modal and primary auxiliaries is formed by the addition of the

negative particle not. With modals not is placed after the modal verb. In informal spoken

English not is reduced to the unemphatic n't.

Yes/No questions with modal verbs are formed in the same way as the auxiliaries.

In question-word questions, the question-word precedes the modal.

Modals also behave like auxiliaries in tag questions.

The full form of negative questions as with primary auxiliaries and modals requires the

particle not after the subject and normally contracted forms are used. 20

17 Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, Svartvik, 1985, p. 483 18 Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, Svartvik, 1985, p. 484 19 Palmer, 1988, p. 94 20 Alexander, 1995 p. 209

2.3.2 Differences between modal verbs and the primary auxiliary verbs

Modals cannot be used as infinitives and have no -ing form like primary auxiliary verbs.

Other verbs or verb phrases have to be used instead.

We do not use a to-infinitive after modals, only the bare infinitive can be used (the exception

is ought, which is always followed by to).

Modals also don't have the inflection –(e)s in the 3rd person singular.

Unlike be and have (but not do), modals in the affirmative don't have contracted forms, except

for will and would.

They have a meaning of their own, unlike primary auxiliaries, which only have a grammatical

function.

In a single verb phrase we can only use one modal. By comparison, we can use two primary

auxiliary verbs together. 21

2.4 The meanings of modal verbs

A lot has been written about the modal auxiliary verbs in English. What makes it so difficult

to account for the use of these word is that their meaning has both a logical and practical

element. We can talk about modal verbs in terms of such logical notions as 'permission' and

'necessity', but we still have to consider ways in which these notions become remoulded by

the psychological pressures of everyday communication between human beings: factors such

as condescension, politeness, tact and irony.22

We can express different levels of politeness both by the forms we choose and the way we say

things. The bluntest command You must see a doctor, with a certain kind of stress, might be

more kindly and persuasive than the most complicated utterance I think it might possibly be

advisable for you to see a doctor. 23

21 Alexander, 1995, p. 209, 210 22 Leech, 1987, p. 71 23 Alexander, 1995, p. 207

3. Empirical part 3.1 Central modal auxiliary verbs: can, could, may, might, shall, should, will, would, must 3.1.1 Can and Could and their Slovene equivalents Can is a defective verb, it only has the forms can for the present tense and could for the past

tense. Could is normally used as a modal past tense and only occasionally as the past tense of

can. Can and could are always anomalous.

Can and could may be followed either by the present or the perfect infinitive. Can followed

by the present infinitive may refer either to the present or to the future time; when followed by

the perfect infinitive, it refers to past time.

Could as the past tense of can, followed by the present infinitive, refers to past time. Could, as

a modal past tense, followed by the present infinitive refers to present or future time; when it

is followed by the perfect infinitive, it refers to past time.

Can/could may be used to express permission, possibility, ability, a characteristic, conclusion

or probability. 24

Negation

The negative forms of can and could are cannot and could not or the contractions can’t and

couldn’t. In negative sentences they express impossibility, refusal of permission, sometimes

even prohibition, couldn’t may refer to a habitual activity in the past.

Examples from the text: Examples of translations with a LEXICAL VERB in indicative mood 1. “If you would be so kind”, Langdon said, doing his best to remain polite, “could you take the man's name and number, and tell him I'll try to call him before I leave Paris on Tuesday?” (page 22) “Prosim, bodite tako prijazni” je rekel Langdon in se trudil ostati vljuden, “in zapišite njegovo ime in telefonsko številko ter mu povejte, da ga bom poskusil poklicati, preden v torek odpotujem iz Pariza.” (stran 11) 2. He hung up before the concierge could protest. (page 22) Odložil je, preden je vratar utegnil še kaj reči. (stran 11) 3. “If Boston Magazine could see me now.” (page 23) “Škoda, da me ne vidijo tisti pri Boston Magazinu.” (stran 11) 4. “I cannot presume the authority to stop him.” (page 25) “Oprostite, monsieur, toda takšnega človeka…nimam pravice ustaviti.” (stran 13)

24 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 366, 367

5. “I can't imagine who would do this to someone?” (page 26) “Ne predstavljam si, kdo bi človeku naredil kaj takega?” (stran 15) 6. Langdon could not help but feel a deep sense of loss at the currator's death. (page 31) Langdona je kustosova smrt pretresla. (stran 19) 7. “How could he possibly know this?” (page 18) “Le kako to ve?” (stran 8) 8. Sauniere could not breathe. (page 18) Saunieru je vzelo sapo. (stran 8) 9. Glancing left, he could make out the top of the ultramodern Pompidou Centre, which housed the Museum of Modern Art. (page 34) Ko se je ozrl na levo, je prepoznal vrh ultramodernega Pompidoujevega centra, v katerem je muzej sodobne umetnosti. (stran 21) 10. “I really can't imagine.” (page 41) “Resnično si ne predstavljam.” (stran 27) 11. Although Langdon knew the soluble ink of a watermark stylus could easily be wiped away, he could not imagine why Fache… (page 100) Čeprav je Langdon vedel, da je mogoče črnilo flomastra izbrisati, ni razumel,… (stran 77) Can and could express in these sentences different states such as circumstantional capacity (2), mental incapacity (5,10,11) or prohibition (4). What all the translations have in common is that no modal verbs were used as equivalents, but lexical verbs in indicative mood. In some translations we could use Slovene modal verbs as equivalents e.g. “Ne znam si predstavljati…”(example 5), “Langdon si ni mogel pomagati, da ne bi čutil… (example 6), “Sauniere ni mogel dihati” (example 8), “Resnično si ne morem predstavljati…” (example 10) and “…, ni mogel razumeti…” (example 11). Examples with verbs LEXICAL VERBS expressing SENSATION 12. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. (page 17) Ugledni kustos Jacque Sauniere se je opotekel skozi obokani vhod v Veliko galerijo muzeja proti najbližji sliki, ki jo je videl, proti Caravaggiu. (stran 7) 13. He heard a quick intake of breath over the phone and could feel the Teacher's excitement. (page 28) Zaslišal je nagel vzdih na drugi strani telefona in začutil Učiteljevo razburjenost. (stran 17) 14. Langdon could now see the end of the Tuilries Gardens, marked by a giant stone archway. (page 34) Langdon je zdaj zagledal konec Tuilerijskega parka, ki ga je zaznamoval orjaški kamniti slavolok. (stran 21) 15. Out of the right-hand window, south across the Seine and Quai Voltaire, Langdon could see the dramatically lit fasade of the old train station – now the esteemed Musée d'Orsay. (page 34) Na desni strani in na jug čez Seno in Quai Voltaire je Langdon videl razkošno razsvetljeno pročelje stare železniške postaje, zdaj sloviti Musée d'Orsay. (stran 21) 16. But it was straight ahead, to the east, through the archway, that Langdon could now see the monolithic Renaissance palace that had become the most famous art museum in the world. (page 34) Toda naravnost proti vzhodu in skozi slavolok je zdaj videl monolitno renesančno palačo, ki je postala najslavnejši muzej umetnosti na svetu. (stran 22) 17. Langdon could hear his own footsteps reverberating off the glass overhead. (page 39) V steklu nad seboj je zaslišal odmev lastnih korakov. (stran 25)

18. As he glanced up, he could see the faint illuminated wisps of mist from the mountains fading away outside the transparent roof. (page 39) Pogledal je kvišku in skozi prozorno streho zagledal rahlo osvetljeno meglico iz vodometov. (stran 25) 19. The two men were now halfway up the Denon Wing's entry tunnel, and Langdon could see the twin ascending escalators at the far end, both motionless. (page 42) Moška sta bila zdaj sredi galerije in na koncu je Langdon zagledal dvojne tekoče stopnice, ki se niso premikale. (stran 27) 20. He could taste the familiar tang of museum air - … (page 45) Zaznal je domač vonj muzejskega zraka,… (stran 30) 21. …that a woman like Vittoria Vetra could have been happy living with him on a college campus, but their encounter in Rome had unlocked in him a longing he never imagined he could feel. (page 57) Ni se slepil, da bi ženska, kakršna je Vittoria Vetra, kdaj srečno živela z njim v univerzitetnem naselju, toda njuno srečanje v Rimu je v njem prebudilo hrepenenje, kakršnega se ni nikdar nadejal. (stran 40) 22. Through the gate, they could hear someone moving around at the far end of the corridor, but they could not see who it was. (page 58) Skozi vrata so slišali, da se daleč na koncu hodnika nekdo premika, niso pa videli kdo. (stran 40) 23. Langdon could hear the tape rewinding now. (page 82) Langdon je zaslišal, kako se trak vrti nazaj. (stran 61) 24. The ghost could not remember the name his parents had given him. (page 87) Duh se ni spomnil imena, ki so mu ga dali starši. (stran 65) 25. Langdon could only stare. (page 100) Gledal jo je z odprtimi usti. (stran 76) 26. “How the hell could Fache actually believe I killed Jacques Sauniere?” (page 100) “Zakaj, hudiča, Fache misli, da sem ubil Jacquesa Sauniera?” (stran 76) The verbs feel, see, hear, stare that we find in these sentences, are so called verbs of sensation. With private verbs such as believe and remember modal verbs also express sensation. In such cases modal verbs add very little or nothing to the meaning of the main verb. They lose their modal meaning and as Leech says they have “the additional special function of denoting a state rather than an event”.25 In the Slovene translations appropriate verbs such as zaznati, zaslišati, zagledati/gledati, začutiti, videti are appropriate equivalents, namely lexical verbs that also express feelings of sensation. There are of course other translation equivalents possible i.e. in example 13, “…in je lahko čutil…”, where I would use the particle lahko or in the example 24 the modal verb moči could be a possible equivalent: “Duh se ni mogel spomniti…” In example 25 the translator omitted a more literal translation, which would look like: “Langdon je lahko samo strmel.” I think the choice of words always depends on what the context is about and what translation would be the most appropriate.

25 Leech, 1987, p. 74

Examples of translations with a LEXICAL VERB in conditional mood

27. As Langdon stood alone and watched the departing rear lights, he realized he could easily reconsider, exit the courtyard, grab a taxi, and head home to bed. (page 37) Ko je Langdon ostal sam in opazoval izginjajoče avtomobilske luči, je spoznal, da bi si z lahkoto premislil, odšel z dvorišča, poiskal taksi in se odpravil nazaj v posteljo. (stran 24) 28. Even in the darkness, the barricade looked as if it could have restrained a tank. (page 47) Celo v temi se je zdelo, da bi takšna ovira ustavila tank. (stran 32) 29. …that a woman like Vittoria Vetra could have been happy living with him on a college campus, but their encounter in Rome had unlocked in him a longing he never imagined he could feel. (page 57) Ni se slepil, da bi ženska, kakršna je Vittoria Vetra, kdaj srečno živela z njim v univerzitetnem naselju, toda njuno srečanje v Rimu je v njem prebudilo hrepenenje, kakršnega se ni nikdar nadejal. (stran 40) 30. He tried to imagine who could be trying to reach him. (page 80) Razmišljal je, kdo bi ga utegnil iskati. (stran 59) 31. “The results could be disastrous for you.” (page 89) “Posledice bi utegnile biti katastrofalne za vas.” (stran 68) Could in these sentences refers either to the present or past and expresses either present or past possibility/probability. In the Slovene translations we can observe that in common to them all is the use of the conditional mood (pogojnik), which is often a Slovene equivalent of the modal verb could. Examples of translations with the FUTURE TENSE 32. “Sister, I agree, and yet I would consider it a personal favour if you could let him in tonight.” (page 67) Strinjam se, sestra, toda to bo osebna usluga meni, če ga boste nocoj spustili v cerkev. (stran 48) 33. Silas was looking forward to finding the keystone and giving it to the Teacher so they could recover what the brotherhood had long ago stolen from the faithful. (page 83) Silas se je veselil, da bo našel sklepnik in ga izročil Učitelju, saj bo s tem cerkev dobila tisto, kar je red pred davnimi časi ukradel vernikom. (stran 62) Here we have two examples, where the future tense is used as an equivalent in the Slovene translation. In the first example, the sentence is a polite request. An even more appropriate translation of this sentence would include the use of the conditional mood, it would sound a bit more polite: “…če bi ga nocoj spustili…”. A possible translation alternative of the second example could also include the use of the conditional mood (bi dobila).

Examples of translations with the modal verb MOČI

34. “It cannot be!” (page 18) »To ne more biti res!« (stran 8) 35. Symbologists often remarked that France – a country renowned for machismo, womanizing and diminuative insecure leaders like Napoleon and Pepin the Short – could not have chosen a more apt national emblem than a thousand-foot phallus. (page 33) Strokovnjaki za simbole so pogosto pripominjali, da si Francija, znana po mačizmu, prešuštvu in pritlikavih in negotovih voditeljih, kakršna sta bila Napoleon in Pipin Mali, ne bi mogla najti primernejšega državnega simbola, kot je tristo pet metrov visoki falus. (stran 20) 36. Langdon could not believe Rome had been only a year ago… (page 57) Ni mogel verjeti, da je bil v Rimu pred komaj letom dni… (stran 40) 37. “Assuming it could only be a criminal, they followed protocol and called the Juridicial Police.” (page 58) “Ker so sklepali, da ne more biti nihče drug kot kriminalec, so se držali protokola in poklicali sodno policijo.” (stran 40) 38. “Mr. Fache, I obviously can't tell you why Mr. Sauniere drew that symbol on himself or places himself in this way, but I can tell you that a man like Jacque Sauniere would consider the pentacle a sign of the female deity.” (page 63) “Gospod Fache, očitno vam ne morem povedati, zakaj je gospod Sauniere narisal ta simbol nase in zakaj se je poravnal v tak položaj, lahko pa vam povem, da se mu je pentagram zdel znamenje ženskega edinstva.” (stran 45) 39. “I'm sorry, you say this visiting Opus Dei numerary cannot wait until morning?” (page 67) “Oprostite, hočete reči, da numerarij Opusa Dei, ki je tu na obisku, ne more počakati do jutra?” (stran 48) 40. Langdon couldn't tear his eyes from the glowing purple text scrawled across the parquet floor. (page 69) Langdon ni mogel odtrgati pogleda od škrlatnega, svetlečega se besedila na parketu. (stran 50) 41. “I'm sorry I can't be of more help.” (page 71) “Žal mi je, da vam ne morem bolj pomagati.” (stran 52) 42. Obviously there can be no coincidence that all of the numbers Sauniere wrote on the floor belong to Fibonacci's famous sequence. (page 92) Zagotovo ne more biti naključje, da so vsa števila, ki jih je Sauniere napisal na tla, iz slavnega Fibonaccijevega zaporedja. (stran 70) Can or could in these sentences express possibility/probability (35,37), prohibition (38), or inability/impossibility (34,36,39,40,41,42). The translations are in accordance with the original sentences and are appropriate, because a Slovene modal verb was used, namely moči and has the same meaning as could in the English sentences.

Examples of translations with the modal verb SMETI 43. …Aringarosa knew this was a call he could not miss. (page 52) …, je vedel, da tega klica ne sme zamuditi. (stran 36) 44. But he could not. (page 89) Toda ni ga smel. (stran 67) 45. “He can't know you've found it.” (page 99) “Ne sme izvedeti, da ste jo našli.” (stran 76) Can or could in these sentences express a refusal of permission or prohibition. The modal verb (ne) smeti has the same function in Slovene and is therefore an appropriate equivalent. Examples of translations with the adverb MOGOČE

46. He was trapped, and the doors could not be reopened for at least twenty minutes. (page 19) Bil je ujet in vrat ne bo mogoče odpreti še vsaj dvajset minut. (stran 9) 47. From the esplanade at the end of the Tuileries, four of the finest art museums in the world could be seen. (page 34) S sprehajališča na koncu Tuilerijskega parka je mogoče videti štiri najboljše muzeje umetnosti na svetu, na vsaki strani neba enega. (stran 21) 48. It's residence halls, teaching centres and even universities could be found in almost every major metropolis on earth. (page 50) Njihova finančna poslopja, učne centre in celo univerze je mogoče najti skoraj v vseh glavnih prestolnicah sveta. (stran 34) 49. “I am familiar with electronic communications to know they can be intercepted.”(page 88) “Dovolj se spoznam na elektronske komunikacije, da vem, da jih je mogoče prestreči.” (stran 67) 50. Although Langdon knew the soluble ink of a watermark stylus could easily be wiped away, he could not imagine why Fache… (page 100) Čeprav je Langdon vedel, da je mogoče črnilo flomastra izbrisati, ni razumel,… (stran 77) Could in these examples expresses either possibility (48,49,50,51) or inability (47). In Slovene the adverb mogoče has the same function of expressing possibility or impossibility (if negated), thus being an appropriate equivalent in these translations. Examples of translations with the particle LAHKO

51. He was trapped inside the Grand Gallery, and there existed only one person on earth to whom he could pass the torch. (page 20) Ujet je bil v Veliki galeriji in samo eni osebi na svetu je lahko predal štafeto. (stran 9) 52. On any given night, all across Europe, Interpol officials could pinpoint exactly who was sleeping where. (page 32) Povsod po Evropi lahko uslužbenci Interpola vsak večer natančno ugotovijo, kje kdo spi. (stran 20) 53. …so his friends could watch him having sex with his wife. (page 51) …in njegovi prijatelji so lahko gledali kako občuje z ženo. (stran 35)

54. “We can obtain it immediately.” (page 53) “Takoj ga lahko dobimo.” (stran 36) 55. Equally breathtaking was the corridor's width, which easily could have accommodated a pair of side-by-side passenger trains. (page 56) Enako osupljiva je bila širina hodnika, skozi katero bi lahko brez težav vštric peljala dva potniška vlaka. (stran 39) 56. “Mr. Fache, I obviously can't tell you why Mr. Sauniere drew that symbol on himself or places himself in this way, but I can tell you that a man like Jacque Sauniere would consider the pentacle a sign of the female deity.” (page 63) “Gospod Fache, očitno vam ne morem povedati, zakaj je gospod Sauniere narisal ta simbol nase in zakaj se je poravnal v tak položaj, lahko pa vam povem, da se mu je pentagram zdel znamenje ženskega edinstva.” (stran 45) 57. “He can be there at…say one o'clock?” (page 67) “Pri vas bi bil lahko okoli enih.” (stran 48) 58. Eager to know how plans in Paris were progressing, he wished he could phone Silas. (page 88) Nadvse ga je zanimalo, kako teče načrt v Parizu, in želel si je, da bi lahko poklical Silasa. (stran 67) 59. Legally, the US Embassy could intervene and extradite guilty citizens back to the United States, … (page 93) Veleposlaništvo je lahko posredovalo po zakoniti poti in državljane izročilo ZDA, kjer so jih največkrat le ošteli. (stran 71) 60. “The only reason Fache left you alone is because he can monitor where you are.” (page 100) “Fache vas je pustil samega le zato, ker vas lahko nadzoruje.” (str. 76) In these sentences could has the meaning of possibility, ability or permission. In the Slovene translations the particle of possibility and probability (členek možnosti in verjetnosti) lahko is used, which is a very common equivalent of can or could, it has the same meaning and is therefore appropriate. 3.1.1.1 Can and Could and their Slovene equivalents – summary

Can and could are besides will and would the most frequently used modal verbs in the text

that I analysed. Can is most often translated by the modal verb MOČI in indicative or

conditional mood. The particle LAHKO is also a very common translation. In three examples

of the translation the lexical verb occurs as an equivalent. In 2 examples can is translated by

the modal verb SMETI and the adverb MOGOČE.

In most of the translations of COULD not a modal but a lexical verb serves as an equivalent.

The only Slovene modal verbs that were used in the translations are MOČI and SMETI. A

very common translation equivalent is also the particle LAHKO. We can find both the

indicative and the conditional mood in the Slovene translations.

The figures show the Slovene equivalents of the modal verbs Can and Could and the

frequency of their appearance in the text that I analysed.

As we can observe the overall most frequent translation equivalent of the modals can/could is

a lexical verb. I distinguished between three categories here, namely lexical verbs in

conditional or indicative mood and lexical verbs that express sensation (in English and

Slovene). The least frequent equivalent to be found in the Slovene sentences was the future

tense.

Figures 1 and 2: Can and Could and their Slovene equivalents

Can and Could

prihodnjik

3%

smeti

5%mogoče

8%

moči

15%

lahko

17%

polnopom.

glagol

52%

Can/could Number of examples

Translation

31

LEXICAL VERB (in indicative or

conditional mood or expressing sensation)

10

LAHKO (in indicative or

conditional mood)

9 MOČI

(in indicative or conditional mood)

5 MOGOČE 3 SMETI 2 FUTURE TENSE

60 TOTAL

3.1.2 Will and Would and their Slovene equivalents In Modern English will is used as an auxiliary verb in the formation of the future tense and of

the future perfect tense, but is also common as a modal verb. Would is the past tense of will.

Will and would as modal verbs express the idea of volition, intention, resolution etc. often

alongside the idea of futurity.

Like could and might, would is only occasionally used as the past tense of will, but more

usually as a modal past tense. Will/would may be followed either by the present infinitive or

by the perfect infinitive. The only function of modal will/would + perfect infinitive is to

express supposition or probability in the past. 26

Examples from the text: Examples of translations with the FUTURE TENSE 61. “Tonight the rightful guardians will be restored.” (page 18) “Nocoj bo lastnina spet prišla v prave roke.” (stran 8) 62. “Tell me where it is hidden, and you will live.” (page 18) “Povejte, kje je skrita in prizanesel vam bom.” (stran 8) 63. The lie he told was one he had rehearsed many times…each time praying he would never have to use it. (page 18) Laž, ki jo je povedal, je pogosto vadil, hkrati pa je vsakokrat upal, da mu je ne bo treba nikdar izreči. (stran 8) 64. “When you are gone, I will be the only one who knows the truth.” (page 19) “Ko vas ne bo več, bom edini vedel resnico.” (stran 8) 65. “If I die, the truth will be lost forever.” (page 19) “Če umrem, bo resnica za vedno zgubljena.” (stran 8) 66. For fifteen minutes, he would survive as his stomach acids seeped into his chest cavity, slowly poisoning him from within. (page 19) Živel bo še četrt ure. (stran 9) 67. “I will tell you what you need to know.” (page 18) “Povedal vam bom, kar hočete vedeti. ” (stran 8) 68. By the time anyone got to him, he would be dead. (page 19) Preden ga bo kdo našel, bo že mrtev. (stran 9) 69. The desperate task before him, he knew, would require every remaining second of his life. (page 20) Vedel je, da bo za težko nalogo, ki ga čaka, potreboval vse preostale minute življenja. 70. “If you would be so kind,” Langdon said, doing his best to remain polite, “could you take the man's name and number, and tell him I'll try to call him before I leave Paris on Tuesday?” (page 22) “Prosim, bodite tako prijazni” je rekel Langdon in se trudil ostati vljuden, “in zapišite njegovo ime in telefonsko številko ter mu povejte, da ga bom poskusil poklicati, preden v torek odpotujem iz Pariza.” (stran 11)

26 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 382

71. “And if I find which one of you provided that article, I'll have the consulate deport you.” (page 24) “In če odkrijem, kdo izmed vas je prinesel ta članek, bom na konzulatu zahteval, da ga izženejo.” (stran 13) 72. “When we possess the keystone”, the Teacher said, “we will be only one step away.” (page 28) “Ko bova imela sklepnik”, je rekel Učitelj, “bova že čistu blizu.” (stran 17) 73. …recalling their playful promise a year ago that every six months they would meet again at a different romantic spot on the globe. (page 32) …in se spomnil njune lanske šaljive obljube, da se bosta vsake pol leta dobila na drugem romantičnem kraju na svetu. (stran 20) 74. “You will meet the capitaine at the main entrance.” (page 35) “S capitainom se boste dobili pri glavnem vhodu.“ (stran 22) 75. “How will I enter?” (page 29) “Kako bom prišel vanjo?” (stran 18) 76. Normally, he would have wrapped a purple cincture around his waist, but tonight he would be travelling among the public and he preferred not to draw attention to his high office. (page 49) Navadno se je opasal z vijoličnim pasom, toda nocoj bo potoval med laiki in ni hotel poudarjati svojega visokega položaja. (stran 33) 77. “Tonight the battle will be won”, he thought, amazed that only months ago he had felt powerless against the hands that threatened to destroy his empire.« (page 50) “Nocoj bo bitka dobljena”, je pomislil in se osuplo spomnil, da se je komaj pred nekaj meseci čutil nemočnega pred rokami, ki so grozile, da bodo uničile njegov imperij. (stran 34) 78. Those who threaten God with force will be met with force. (page 53) Kdor grozi Bogu s silo, bo naletel na silo. (stran 37) 79. “Sister, I agree, and yet I would consider it a personal favour if you could let him in tonight.” (page 67) “Strinjam se, sestra, toda to bo osebna usluga meni, če ga boste nocoj spustili v cerkev.” (stran 48) 80. “It would be my pleasure.” (page 67) “Z veseljem ga bom sprejela.” (stran 48) 81. “Perhaps this will clarify.” (page 71) “Morda vam bo pomagalo tole.” (stran 52) 82. Fache will do what no one else dares. (page 75) Fache bo naredil, česar si nihče drug ne upa. (stran 55) 83. To ensure his conversation with Mr. Langdon would not be interrupted, Bezu Fache had turned off his cellular phone. (page 77) Ker je hotel Bezu Fache zagotoviti, da pogovora z gospodom Langdonom ne bo nihče motil, je izključil mobilnik. (stran 57) 84. “I'll speak to him when I'm done.” (page 77) “Ko končam, se bom pogovoril z njim.” (stran 57) 85. How powerful that will make Opus Dei. (page 83) Kako vpliven bo potem Opus Dei. (stran 62) 86. “Perhaps the ghost will pass right through these walls!” (page 85) “Morda bo duh ušel naravnost skozi te zidove.” (stran 64) 87. “I will communicate with him through secure channels.” (page 88) “Z njim bom govoril po zavarovanih kanalih.” (stran 67) 88. “You will treat him with respect?” (page 88) “Boste z njim spoštljivi?” (stran 67)

89. “I'll inform the director of Cryptography you no longer need our services.” (page 93) “Direktorja oddelka za kriptologijo bom obvestila, da nas ne potrebujete več.” (stran 70) 90. “You'll find proof they are watching you.” (page 97) “Našli boste dokaz, da vas opazujejo.” (stran 75) 91. “If you throw it out, the signal will stop moving and they'll know you found the dot.” (page 100) “Če jo vržete stran, bo signal nehal utripati in vedeli bodo, da ste jo našli.” (stran 76) In the sentences that the modal verb will appears, it is used to form the future tense, often it expresses a future intention of the speaker, an event that is going to happen in the near future. Would is often used to refer to the future in the past (examples 63, 73, 83), it also expresses a sense of probability e.g.. in example 66, where it is said, that the person is probably going to survive for 15 minutes or in example 68 where would also expresses a probability, the person will probably be dead by the time anyone got to him. In example 70 would right at the beginning of the question expresses a request. In examples 79 and 80 would forms the conditional mood. In Slovene the conditional mood is not used, but possible translations could be: “…toda to bi smatral kot osebno uslugo…”, “Bilo bi mi v veselje”. While we can observe differences in use of the modals will and would, the translation equivalent for both in Slovene in these examples is the future tense (prihodnjik). Examples of translations with a LEXICAL VERB in indicative or conditional mood

92. “Is it a secret you will die for?” (page 18) “Je za to skrivnost vredno umreti?” (stran 8) 93. “Would you like to hear more?” (page 24) “Bi radi slišali še več?” (stran 12) 94. “Who would do this!” (page 26) “Kdo bi naredil kaj takega?” (stran 14) 95. The Eiffel Tower, Langdon suspected, would have made their list. (page 32) Zdelo se mu je, da bi se Eifflov stolp uvrstil mednje. (stran 20) 96. Despite the estimated five weeks it would take a visitor to properly appreciate the 65,300 pieces of art in this building, most tourists chose an abbreviated experience Langdon referred to as 'Louvre Lite'-... (page 35) Čeprav bi obiskovalec potreboval približno pet tednov, da bi si pošteno ogledal 65 300 umetniških eksponatov v tem muzeju, se večina turistov odloči za skrajšan obisk, ki ga je Langdon poimenoval 'Louvre na mah' oziroma tek skozi muzej,… (stran 22) 97. “She said the curator had heard I would be lecturing in Paris this month and wanted to discuss.” (page 41) “Napisala je, da je kustos izvedel, da ta mesec prihajam na predavanje v Pariz in da bi se med mojim tukajšnjim bivanjem rad o nečem pogovoril z mano.” (stran 27) 98. The three-hundred-page draft – tentatively titled Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine – proposed some very unconventional interpretations of established religious iconography which would certainly be controversial. (page 43) Tristo strani dolg osnutek z začasnim naslovom Simboli izgubljene svete ženskosti je ponujal precej neobičajno tolmačenje ustaljene verske ikonografije, ki bi zagotovo izzvala polemike. (stran 28) 99. With acres of galleries to watch over, the Louvre would require several hundred technicians simply to monitor the feeds. (page 46)

Za nadzor na tisoče kvadratnih metrov bi v Louvru potrebovali več sto tehnikov, ki bi opazovali monitorje. (stran 30) 100. …compartmentalized exits would seal around that gallery and the thief would find himself behind bars even before the police arrived. (page 46) …in če je vsiljivec snel kak umetniški eksponat so se izhodi iz tistega dela galerije zaprli, tat pa se je znašel za rešetkami, še preden je prispela policija. (stran 31) 101. Normally, he would have wrapped a purple cincture around his waist, but tonight he would be travelling among the public and he preferred not to draw attention to his high office. (page 49) Navadno se je opasal z vijoličnim pasom, toda nocoj bo potoval med laiki in ni hotel poudarjati svojega visokega položaja. (stran 33) 102. …in an effort to induce a emphoric state that neophytes would perceive as a religious experience. (page 51) S tem naj bi jih pripeljali v evforično stanje, ki bi se novincem zdelo veliko doživetje. (stran 35) 103. “A newly emerging power will take over the existing symbols and degrade them over time in an attempt to erase their meaning.” (page 62) “Novonastale sile prevzamejo obstoječe simbole in jim pripišejo slabšalne lastnosti, da bi postopoma izbrisali njihov pomen.” (stran 44) 104. “Actually, I believe he used blood such that the police would follow certain forensic procedures.” (page 63) “Jaz pa menim, da je s krvjo pisal zato, da bi policija uporabila določene sodnomedicinske postopke.”(stran 45) 105. “Wouldn't you agree?” (page 70) “Se strinjate?” (stran 51) 106. “Considering the circumstances”, Langdon said, “I would assume that if Sauniere wanted to tell you who killed him, he would have written down somebody's name.” (page 74) “Glede na okoliščine mislim”, je nadaljeval Langdon, “da bi Sauniere, če bi hotel povedati, kdo ga je ubil, napisal morilčevo ime.” (stran 54) 107. “Fine, if there is no coincidence, would you tell me why Jacques Sauniere chose to do this.” (page 91) “Prav, če to ni naključje, mi povejte, zakaj je Jacques Sauniere to naredil.” (stran 70) 108. “Would you like to sit down?” (page 94) “Bi sedli? ” (stran 71) 109. “Actually, I think I'd like to use the toilet.” (page 94) “Pravzaprav bi šel na stranišče.” (stran 71) 110. “I think I'd like a few minutes alone.” (page 94) “Nekaj minut bi bil rad sam.” (stran 72) 111. … - the external doors, if opened, would set off five alarms and were guarded outside by DCPJ agents. (page 95) …, toda če bi se zunanja vrata odprla, bi se sprožil požarni alarm… (stran 72) 112. “…it would make their case stronger.” (page 99) “…saj bi bil njihov primer potem trdnejši.” (stran 76) 113. “Why would I run?” (page 99) “Zakaj bi bežal?” (stran 76) In the translations of these examples lexical verbs serve as equivalents and not modal verbs. In the majority of the examples where would is used in the original sentences and forms the conditional mood, the translations do not differ from the original, because lexical verbs also express the conditional mood. There are of course some exceptions (examples 97, 100, 101,

105, 106, 107), where the verbs in translations are in indicative mood. There are only two sentences where will is applied (examples 92 and 103), the equivalents in Slovene are lexical verbs in indicative mood. Examples of translations with the modal verb MORATI 114. He could imagine nothing important enough that Collet would interrupt this surveillance caché – especially at this critical juncture. (page 77) Nič ni moglo biti tako pomembno, da bi moral Collet prekiniti ta surveillance caché, zlasti v tako odločilnem trenutku. (stran 57) 115. “You will need your strength if you are to help me build this church.” (page 88) “Močan moraš biti, če mi hočeš pomagati zgraditi cerkev.” (stran 67) 116. “l’ll need to fly home first thing in the morning.” (page 94) “Navsezgodaj zjutraj se moram vrniti domov.” (stran 71) In the first example would forms the present conditional. In the Slovene translation the modal equivalent morati is used, also in the conditional mood. A literal translation for the second example would be: “Potreboval boš moč…”, which according to my opinion is not as suitable as the chosen translation, which includes a modal verb-morati. A difference between the original and translation is that will forms the future tense and in Slovene the present tense is used. In the third example, will is followed by semi modal need to and the verb fly. Will is used to indicate the futurity of the obligation. In the translation the modal verb morati is used as the equivalent of need to together with the verb vrniti se in the present tense. Examples of translations with the modal verb SMETI

117. “The two of you will not speak.” (page 89) “Vidva se ne smeta pogovarjati.” (stran 67) In this example the speaker is ordering the two addressed persons not to speak, so will in it’s negative form, followed by the verb speak denotes a command. In the translation the appropriate equivalent, the modal verb (ne) smeti is used. Examples of translations with the modal verb MOČI

118. “Bishop, if your own eagerness to keep abreast of progress puts you in jail, then you will be unable to pay me my fee.” (page 90) “Eminenca, če vas bo neučakanost zaradi želje, da bi bili obveščeni o dogajanju, spravila v ječo, mi ne boste mogli plačati mojega deleža.” (stran 67) In this sentence the speaker is saying that it will be impossible for the addressed person to pay him, he is certain, that this will happen. So will, followed by the verb be, is referring to the future. In Slovene, the modal verb moči is used as an appropriate equivalent, also referring to the future.

3.1.2.1 Will and Would and their Slovene equivalents – summary Will and would are used as often as can and could. The most frequent Slovene translation of

will is the future tense (prihodnjik). Slovene modal verbs that were used as equivalents are

MORATI (in 2 examples), SMETI (1 example) and MOČI (1 example). In other examples

there is no modal translation of will, lexical verbs present the Slovene translation.

The future tense is a less common translation equivalent for would than it is for will. More

frequently a lexical verb serves as an equivalent (in indicative or even more often in

conditional mood). There is only 1 example where a Slovene modal verb is used as an

equivalent, which is the modal MORATI.

The results of my analysis are also shown in the table and graph, in which we can see that the

most frequent translation of will and would is the use of the future tense or a lexical verb,

altogether in 53 examples out of 58. There were only 5 sentences in which I found translations

with corresponding Slovene modal verbs.

Figures 3 and 4: Will and Would and their Slovene equivalents

Will and Would

polnopom.

glagol

38%

morati

5%

moči

2%

smeti

2%

prihodnjik

53%

Will/would Number of examples

Translation

31 FUTURE TENSE

22 LEXICAL VERB (in indicative or

conditional mood)

3 MORATI

(in indicative or conditional mood)

1 MOČI 1 SMETI

58 TOTAL

3.1.3 Shall and Should and their Slovene equivalents Like other modal verbs, shall often expresses a combination of a future concept and a modal

concept. But unlike others, shall can also be used with hardly any modal meaning, so that it

may be said to express pure futurity.

The original meaning of shall was be under an obligation or necessity and the word is still

used with this meaning. Should is the past tense of shall and is used with past time reference

after a reporting verb in the past tense. Semantically there is much more difference between

shall and should than between can and could, may and might, or will and would.

In the second and third person shall is used to express the speaker’s or writer’s will; in this

structure shall covers a variety of meanings such as obligation, command, promise, threat, etc. 27

As a modal verb should has a variety of meanings and different uses.

Should followed by the present infinitive refers to the present or to the future. If followed by

the present infinitive it often indicates obligation, duty, or what is thought advisable. 28

Negation

The negative forms of shall and should are shall not and should not/shouldn’t.

Examples from the text:

Examples of translations with the modal verb SMETI

119. “You should not have run.” (page 18) “Ne bi smeli zbežati.” (stran 7) 120. “Obviously, someone gained entry tonight who should not have.” (page 40) “Očitno je nocoj vstopil nekdo, ki ne bi smel.“ (stran 26) 121. “You saw the photograph,” Fache said, …“so this should be of no surprise.” (page 58) “Videli ste fotografijo,” je rekel Fache, “zato vas to ne sme presenetiti.” (stran 41) Here we have three examples, where we find the modal verb smeti as the Slovene equivalent of should. Should in the first two sentences indicates an undesirable act. In Slovene these two sentences are in conditional mood. Should may like all modals lose its meaning of duty, obligation or advisability and denote probability or supposition29, which is also the case in the third example. A possible translation could also be: “…zato vas to ne bi smelo presenetiti,” with the use of the conditional mood.

27 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 378 28 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 380 29 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 381

Example of a translation with the modal verb HOTETI

122. »I thought I should alert you.« (page 24) »Le posvariti sem vas hotel.« (stran 13) Here, should and the following present infinitive express an obligation of the speaker. The Slovene translation sounds different, if we would translate it back to English, it would be: “I just wanted to warn you”. There is not such a high degree of duty or obligation present like in the original sentence. But still, a modal verb was used in the translation, namely hoteti. A more appropriate translation could be: “Moral sem vas posvariti,” where the modal verb morati would indicate a higher degree of obligation. The beginning of the sentence (I thought…) can also suggest that the speaker thought that it would be advisable to alert the person. Examples of translations with the FUTURE TENSE

123. “…and I shall be clean…” (page 53) “…in bom očiščen…” (stran 36) 124. “Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.” (page 53) “Operi me in bolj kot sneg bom bel.” (stran 36) 125. “From now on my friend, if you have no other name, I shall call you Silas.” (page 89) “Če nimaš drugega imena, prijatelj, te bom odslej klical Silas.” (stran 66) 126. “Silas and I shall not speak until this is over.” (page 90) “Silasom ne bova spregovorila, dokler se vse to ne konča.” (stran 67) Shall in these sentences refers to the future. The use of shall in the first two examples belongs to biblical and highly formal written English and is normally avoided in the modern spoken language. In the third example shall expresses a kind of promise, while in the last example we can indicate a sense of prohibition. In the translations of these four sentences, the use of the future tense is applied as the equivalent of shall. Examples of translations with the modal verb MORATI 127. As Langdon gazed down the murky corridor, he realized he should have anticipated this scene. (page 45) Ko je Langdon opazoval temačni hodnik, se je zavedel, da bi moral pričakovati tak prizor. (stran 30) 128. “No,” Langdon corrected, immediately realizing his choice of vocabulary should have been clearer. (page 60) “Ne,” ga je popravil Langdon, ker je v hipu sprevidel, da bi se moral jasneje izraziti. (stran 42) Should in both sentences is followed by the perfect infinitive, it refers to the past and indicates that the obligation or advisable action was not fulfilled. In the Slovene translation the conditional mood and the modal verb morati are used and are an appropriate choice for the translations in Slovene.

Example of a translation with the particle NAJ 129. Telling someone what a symbol meant was like telling them how a song should make them feel -... (page 60) Pojasniti kaj simbol pomeni, je tako, kakor nekomu reči, kako naj se počuti ob predvajanju neke skladbe- … (stran 42) In this sentence should is followed by the present infinitive and refers to the present. Should make doesn’t have a meaning of duty or obligation, but denotes a certain degree of supposition. In the translation the particle naj is used, which in this example is suitable. Examples of translations with a LEXICAL VERB

130. “These priests should be hanged twice!”(page 76) “Te duhovnike bi bilo treba dvakrat obesiti,” je izjavil. (stran 55)

131. “Shall I accompany you.” (page 94) “Hočete, da grem z vami?” (stran 72)

In the first sentence should indicates an obligation or advisable action and sounds more authoritative. The second example is a question, where shall expresses a request of the speaker. But nowadays, shall I is going out of use and is replaced by alternatives such as Do you want me to…? or Would you like me to…? or in Slovene a possible alternative would be “(Ali) Naj vas pospremim?” The translations do not include modal verbs as equivalents, but are nevertheless appropriate. 3.1.3.1 Shall and Should and their Slovene equivalents – summary The most common translation equivalent of SHALL in the examples that I chose, is the future

tense (prihodnjik). In one example a lexical verb serves as the equivalent.

SHOULD on the other hand has more equivalents in the Slovene translations. The most

frequent is the Slovene modal verb SMETI (in indicative or conditional mood). Other Slovene

modal verbs that were used are MORATI (in conditional mood) and HOTETI. There is one

example where a lexical verb serves as an equivalent and in one example the particle NAJ is

used. As the diagram shows I found 14 examples of shall and should. There are no obvious

differences in the occurrence of the translation equivalents, the most common is the future

tense, in 6 examples Slovene modal verbs were used as appropriate equivalents.

Figures 5 and 6: Shall and Should and their Slovene equivalents

Shall/should

Number of examples Translation

4 FUTURE TENSE 3 SMETI

(in indicative or conditional mood)

2

LEXICAL VERB (in indicative or

conditional mood)

2 MORATI

(in conditional mood) 1 HOTETI 1 NAJ

14 TOTAL

Shall and Should

naj

8%hoteti

8%

morati

15%

polnopom.

glagol

15%

smeti

23%

prihodnjik

31%

3.1.4 May and Might and their Slovene equivalents May is a defective verb and has only two forms: may for the present tense and might for the

past tense. Like could, might is only occasionally used as the past tense of may, but more

usually as a modal past tense.

The two main ideas expressed by may/might are permission and possibility, but they may also

denote wishes and hopes, a suggestion or request, concession and a purpose.30

Negation

The negative forms of may and might are may not and might not.

Examples from the text: Examples of translations with the adverb MORDA

132. “Although Professor Langdon might not be considered hunk-handsome like some of our younger awardees, this forty-something academic has more than his share of scholarly allure.” (page 24) “Čeprav profesor Langdon morda ni tak lepotec kot nekateri naši mlajši izbranci, je ta štiridesetletni akademik več kot le učenjaško privlačen.” (stran 12) 133. “The connections may be invisible,” he often preached to his symbology classes at Harvard…« (page 32) “Vezi so morda nevidne,”je pogosto učil… (stran 20) 134. “Captain, considering what you have at stake here tonight, I thought you might appreciate knowing that Jacques Sauniere might be playing games with you.” (page 93) “Stotnik, ker je nocojšnja preiskava tako pomembna, sem mislila, da vas bo zanimalo, da se Jacques Sauniere morda igra z vami.” (stran 70) 135. He began wondering if Sophie might just be insane after all. (page 99) Začel se je spraševati, ali ni Sophie morda res nora. (stran 75) Morda is a common equivalent of may/might and is an adverb of possibility and probability in Slovene. In the first example might is negated, the Slovene translation is also in negative form. A possible translation could also be: “Čeprav profesorja Langdona morda ne moremo smatrati kot…”, which would be a more literal translation. In the fourth example we feel a sense of uncertainty, might has the meaning of perhaps or possible, the adverb just has the function of decreasing the uncertainty, she actually could be insane. This is the same in the Slovene sentence, where the adverb morda is used and the adverb res has the same function as just.

30 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 372, 374-375

Example of a translation with the modal verb SMETI 136. “May I come in?” the agent asked. (page 25) “Smem naprej?” je vprašal agent. (stran 14) This is an example, where the speaker is asking for permission to come in. May is followed by the present infinitive and refers to the present. We could also use might, e.g. “Might I come in?”, which would indicate some hesitation or special politeness. The correspondent word of may used in the Slovene translation is the modal verb smeti. An alternative could be: ”Smem vstopiti?”, where instead of the adverb naprej, we would use the verb vstopiti. Both phrases are often used in the Slovene language. Examples of translations with the FUTURE TENSE 137. “We had hoped that you might help us answer that very question, considering your knowledge in symbology and your plans to meet him.” (page 26) “Upali smo, da nam boste pomagali odgovoriti na to vprašanje, ker se spoznate na simbole in ker ste se nameravali sestati z njim.” (stran 14) 138. “Excellent. I had feared the brotherhood's reputation for secrecy might prevail.” (page 28) “Sijajno. Bal sem se, da bo prevladalo njihovo nagnjenje k skrivnostnosti.” (stran 17) 139. “We believe these numbers may be the key to who killed him.” (page 69) “Menimo, da nas bodo pripeljale do morilca.” (stran 50) 140. “Captain, considering what you have at stake here tonight, I thought you might appreciate knowing that Jacques Sauniere might be playing games with you.” (page 93) “Stotnik, ker je nocojšnja preiskava tako pomembna, sem mislila, da vas bo zanimalo, da se Jacques Sauniere morda igra z vami.” (stran 70) 141. “They tagged you with GPS because they thought you might run.”(page 99) “Ploščico so vam dali v žep, ker so mislili, da boste pobegnili.” (stran 76) In these examples the translation equivalent of may and might in Slovene is the future tense (prihodnjik). In the first example might is followed by the present infinitive, it refers to the future and indicates a possibility, it has the meaning of perhaps or possible. The use of the modal past tense might in this sentence expresses a greater reserve on the part of the speaker. A suggested translation could also be: “Upali smo, da nam bi pomagali odgovoriti…”, where the mood is conditional. Sometimes, like in the second example, may or might are used for theoretical possibility. In such examples may can be substituted with can. The translation differs in form from the original, the future tense is used. An alternative would be: “…, da bi lahko bile ključ do…”. The reason for the choice of words in the translation probably depends on the context and how a translation sounds. May and might can be used for uncertain predictions or intentions, as we can see in the fourth and fifth example. In these sentences the speaker was expressing an uncertain prediction for the future. The Slovene equivalent is the future form of the verb biti.

Example of a translation with the modal verb HOTETI 142. “Mr. Langdon, can you at least guess what our murder victim might have wanted to discuss with you on the night he was killed?” (page 41) “Gospod Langdon, lahko vsaj ugibate, o čem bi se žrtev umora hotela pogovoriti z vami na večer, ko je bila umorjena?” (stran 27) Might followed by the perfect infinitive may express past possibility, a possibility that was present but was not fulfilled. The murder victim wanted to talk with the person addressed by the speaker but didn’t. In the Slovene sentence the modal verb hoteti in the conditional mood is very adequate. Example of a translation with the verb UTEGNITI 143. “It might be helpful.” (page 41) “Utegnilo bi nam pomagati.” (stran 27) Might plus the present infinitive denote a possibility, more precisely, an uncertain prediction for the future. The speaker is not sure whether it will help or not. The Slovene translation is appropriate, a possible alternative would be with the use of the particle lahko: “Lahko bi nam pomagalo”, but the verb utegniti is also adequate. Example of a translation with the adverb NAJBRŽ 144. “As you may know,” Fache said… (page 64) “Najbrž veste,” je spregovoril Fache… (stran 46)

May is followed by the present infinitive, refers to the present and has the meaning of probably (As you probably know). The Slovene equivalent used in the translation is the adverb najbrž, which is an appropriate choice. Example of a translation with the particle LAHKO 145. “You may use it.” (page 81) “Z njo lahko pokličete.” (stran 60) In this example the speaker is giving permission. The Slovene equivalent is the particle lahko, which is an appropriate translation of the modal verb may. Example of a translation with a LEXICAL VERB

146. “I think you may have given me” - … (page 81) “Zdi se mi, da ste mi dali…” (stran 61) May is followed by the perfect infinitive and may express a past possibility. It indicates that we are still uncertain whether the activity expressed by the perfect infinitive was fulfilled or not. We can observe this also in this example. In the translation no correspondent modal verb or particle was used, but the translation is still appropriate, the meaning of the Slovene sentence does not differ from the original.

3.1.4.1 May and Might and their Slovene equivalents – summary There were six examples of MAY in the part of the text that I analysed, each of them was

translated differently. The equivalents in Slovene are the particles MORDA and LAHKO, the

modal verb SMETI, the adverb NAJBRŽ and in two examples a LEXICAL VERB and the

FUTURE TENSE (prihodnji čas) are used as equivalents in Slovene.

MIGHT is most frequently translated into Slovene by the FUTURE TENSE (prihodnji čas)

and the particle MORDA. In two examples the verb UTEGNITI plus the conditional mood

and a LEXICAL VERB in conditional mood serve as equivalents. Altogether there were 15

examples of sentences with may or might, most frequently translated with the future tense and

only two examples in Slovene where a modal verb (smeti, hoteti) was also used.

Figures 7 and 8: May and Might and their Slovene equivalents

May/might Number of examples

Translation

5 FUTURE TENSE 4 MORDA

1 LEXICAL VERB (in indicative or

conditional mood) 1 SMETI 1 NAJBRŽ 1 HOTETI 1 LAHKO 1 UTEGNITI

(in conditional mood) 15 TOTAL

May and Might

najbrž

7%

smeti

7%

polnopomen.

glagol

7%

morda

26%

prihodnjik

32%

utegniti

7%hoteti

7%

lahko

7%

3.1.5 Must and its Slovene equivalents Must as a defective verb has only one form. It is always anomalous. It has two principal

meanings:

- a necessity, an obligation, frequently an order and

- a conclusion, probability or near certainty.

Must expressing necessity or obligation is followed by a present infinitive and refers to the

present or to the future.

Because must is virtually limited to the present time, instead of it a form of have to is often

used, especially for the past and future time, or for the conditional tenses.31

Negation

Must not or mustn’t refer to the present and future time and expresses prohibition (a negative

obligation), like must it implies the speaker’s authority or very strong advice.32

Examples from the text: Examples of translations with the modal verb MORATI

147. “I must pass on the secret.” (page 20) “Moram posredovati skrivnost.” (stran 9) 148. “I must find some way…” (page 20) “Moram se nekako znajti…” (stran 9) 149. “So, my pupil, tell me what I must know.”(page 28) “No, učenec moj, povej mi, kar moram vedeti.” (stran 17) 150. “You must retrieve the stone for me.” (page 29) “Prinesti mi moraš sklepnik, pri priči, še nocoj.” (stran 17) 151. “I must purge my soul of today's sins.” (page 29) “Dušo moram očistiti današnjih grehov.” (stran 18) 152. “For my plan to succeed, you must allow Silas to answer only to me for several days.” (page 88) “Če hočete, da se moj načrt posreči, morate dovoliti, da Silas nekaj dni uboga samo mene.” (stran 67)

In these examples must is translated with the corresponding Slovene modal verb morati, which is an appropriate translation equivalent. Morati is either preceeded or followed by the present infinitive and expresses a necessity or obligation. In some sentences it almost sounds like an order (examples 150 and 152).

31 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 375 32 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 376

Example of a translation with the adverb ZAGOTOVO 153. “Obviously, the pentacle must also relate to the devil.” (page 61) “…pentagram je zagotovo povezan tudi s hudičem.” (stran 43) In this example must expresses a conclusion, probability or near certainty, it refers to the present. The corresponding translations in Slovene are the modal verb morati or as in this case, adverbs like zagotovo or verjetno are used. We could also say: “…pentagram zagotovo mora biti povezan tudi s hudičem,” where both the verb morati and the adverb zagotovo would be used, expressing an even higher degree of certainty or probability. Examples of translations with a LEXICAL VERB 154. “Jacques Sauniere must have known we would see through it immediately.” (page 91) “Jacques Sauniere je vedel, da jo bomo takoj spregledali.” (stran 69) 155. Only minutes ago, Langdon had listened to her phone message, thinking the newly arrived cryptographer must be insane. (page 97) Pred nekaj minutami je slišal njeno telefonsko sporočilo in pomislil, da je nora. (stran 74) In these two examples no modal verb was used in the Slovene translation. A more corresponding translation for the first example could be: “Jacques Sauniere je moral vedeti/je zagotovo vedel, …”, where we would use either the modal verb morati or the adverb zagotovo. In the second example must be insane indicates that there is almost no doubt that the cryptographer is insane. The Slovene translation sounds almost like a fact that the person is insane, not like in the original, where the person is probably insane. A possible alternative could be: “…in pomislil, da mora biti nora.”

3.1.5.1 Must and its Slovene equivalents – summary The diagram shows, that in six from nine examples MUST was translated into Slovene by the

modal verb MORATI, which is an adequate translation equivalent. In two examples a

LEXICAL VERB is used and in one the adverb ZAGOTOVO.

Must Number of examples

Translation

6 MORATI 2 LEXICAL VERB 1 ZAGOTOVO 9 TOTAL

Must

zagotovo

11%

polnopom.

glagol

22%

morati

67%

3.2 Semi-modals: need (to), be going to, used (to), dare 3.2.1 Need (to) and its Slovene equivalents Need as an auxiliary verb is now rare. Where it occurs, it can be considered the negative and

interrogative counterpart of must.33

In the construction need + to + infinitive, need is a full or lexical verb forming question and

negative forms with do and taking present and past tense endings. It is therefore not to be

grammatically confused with the auxiliary verb need. In terms of meaning, need to is a half

way between must and ought to: it asserts obligation or necessity, but without either the

certainty that attaches to must or the doubt that attaches to ought to.34

Need not (needn’t) expresses absence of obligation or necessity. Although need and must are

often similar in meaning, their negatives needn’t and mustn’t are quite dissimilar.35

Examples from the text: Example of a translation with the modal verb HOTETI 156. “I will tell you what you need to know.” (page 18) “Povedal vam bom, kar hočete vedeti. ” (stran 8) Examples of translations with the modal verb MORATI 157. “Mr.Langdon? I need to speak with you.” (page 25) “Gospod Langdon? Govoriti moram z vami.” (stran 13) 158. “You need to contact the US Embassy, Mr. Langdon.” (page 80) “Poklicati morate ameriško veleposlaništvo, gospod Langdon.” (stran 59) 159. “While I explain the code to Captaine Fache, you need to make this call.” (page 81) “Medtem ko bom pojasnila šifro stotniku Fachu, morate poklicati to številko.” (stran 60) 160. “I need to return to Mr. Sauniere's office for a moment,” Fache said. (page 95) “Za hip se moram vrniti v pisarno gospoda Saunirea,” je rekel. (stran 72) 161. “There is more we need to discuss.” (page 95) “Še o nečem se morava pogovoriti.” (stran 72) In the passages of the text that I analysed, I was able to find only sentences with the use of the full verb need to. In all of the 6 examples, need to is followed by the infinitive, expressing an obligation or the necessity of the speaker to do something. In the translated sentences the modal verb morati is used, which is either preceeded or followed by an infinitive. Only in the first example the modal verb hoteti is used, which is also an appropriate equivalent. The translations do not differ much in form from the original sentences and there are no differences in meaning. I would say that they are in accordance with the originals.

33 Leech, 1987, p. 90 34 Leech, 1987, p. 100, 101 35 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 386

3.2.1.1 Need (to) and its Slovene equivalents – summary We can observe that in five of the six examples, where the semi-modal NEED TO is used, we

find the Slovene equivalent MORATI, in one example the modal verb HOTETI is used.

Need to Number of examples

Translation

5 MORATI 1 HOTETI 6 TOTAL

3.2.2 Be going to and its Slovene equivalents Be going to is one of the semi-modals and is important because it also refers to the future and

is often in contrast or in free variation with will or shall.

Historically, it is clearly the progressive form of the verb go and it still contains some sense of

‘going’, but it is not identical in form with that progressive form.36

Example from the text: 162. As he stood up, Langdon was beginning to suspect it was going to be a very long night. (page 48) Ko je vstal, je pomislil, da bo noč še zelo dolga. (stran 48) I only found one example of be going to in the part of the text which I analysed. This confirms Palmer’s statement that “be going to is rare in formal and written texts”. 37 In this example, be going to is used in its past tense form to refer to future in the past. The difference between the English and Slovene sentence is that in the Slovene translation the future form of the verb biti – bo is used and not a past tense. By referring to the future in the past, we cannot use any other tense but the future, while in English this is possible. 3.2.2.1 Be going to and its Slovene equivalents – summary As the Slovene equivalent of the semi-modal be going to, the FUTURE TENSE (prihodnjik)

was used.

Be going to Number of examples

Translation

1 FUTURE TENSE 1 TOTAL

36 Palmer, 1990, p. 142 37 Palmer, 1990, p. 142

3.2.3 Used (to) and its Slovene equivalents Used to occurs only in the past tense, denoting a habit or state in the past that has ceased.38

We rely on used to to refer to habits that we no longer have, so there is a contrast between

past and present.39

The most usual negative form seems to be with never.40

Example from the text:

163. Her sixty-year-old body did not awake as fast as it used to, although tonight's phone call had certainly roused her senses. (page 68) Pri šestdesetih letih ni več vstala tako hitro kot nekoč, čeprav jo je nocojšnji telefonski pogovor čisto predramil. (stran 48) In the only example from the text, used to refers to a past habit. Her body used to awake very fast, but now it doesn’t, due to the fact that she is older. In the translation, the phrase tako kot nekoč is used. In my opinion the translation matches the original, it’s an appropriate translation, because the phrase tako kot nekoč is often used in Slovene in the same meaning as used to in English.

3.2.3.1 Used (to) and its Slovene equivalents – summary The phrase TAKO KOT NEKOČ serves as the translation equivalent of the semi-modal

USED TO.

Used to Number of examples

Translation

1 TAKO KOT NEKOČ 1 TOTAL

38 Brdar, Kučanda, Omazić, Grammatical features and categories; Part I: The English verb; 2001, p. 263 39 Alexander, 1995, p. 234 40 Blagajne, Konte, 1998, p. 389

3.2.4 Dare and its Slovene equivalents Like need, dare can work as a modal verb and as a full verb with little or no difference in

meaning. Dare as a modal is not nearly as common as need and used to as modals. It occurs

in questions and negatives and is rare in the affirmative. 41

Example from the text: 164. Fache will do what no one else dares. (page 75) Fache bo naredil, česar si nihče drug ne upa. (stran 55) In the text I found one sentence, which contained the verb dare. Here dare occurs in an affirmative sentence and is used to express courage. In the Slovene translation the verb (si ne) upati is used, which is a literal translation and in this case fully appropriate. 3.2.4.1 Dare and its Slovene equivalents – summary In only one example found, DARE was translated by the verb UPATI SI.

Dare Number of examples

Translation

1 UPATI SI 1 TOTAL

41 Alexander, 1995, p. 236

3.4 The Da vinci Code – a mystery story In terms of genre, The Da Vinci Code is a mystery-detective fiction novel.

During the analysis I also considered the following questions: “What is characteristical for a

mystery story? What style of writing is used? What kind of verbs would I expect to find in a

mystery story?”

A mystery is a novel of revelation, where action is more mental than physical. A significant

event, usually a murder, has just occurred, and the protagonist's job is to discover who

committed the crime, and why. The dilemma created for the writer of traditional mysteries is

the fact that the villain and the details of the crime must remain unidentified.

Besides the above characteristics of the mystery story, one of the main characteristics

according to my opinion is that a lot is described, the story is being told. We speak of

sequence of events. Usually simple and continuous tenses are used for descriptive texts.

So considering the fact that modal verbs are more often used in discourse than in texts, I did

not expect to find a large number of modals in a mystery story. That is of course if there is not

a of dialog present in the story. The Da Vinci Code does in fact contain a lot of dialog, which

is used to tell the reader about the characters and help unfold the mystery. It is in these dialogs

e.g. direct speech that I found most of the modal verbs.

The results are as following. Out of 164 examples, 98 were sentences in direct speech and 66

examples were indirect speech. In percentage, in 60% of examples, modal verbs were found

in dialogs and in 40% in indirect speech.

The fact that modal verbs are used more often in speech, can according to my results also be

true for this analysis. The descriptive part of the book contains less modal verbs than the part

where characters are involved in a conversation.

3.5 The Da Vinci code – book vs. movie An interesting aspect of my analysis was also the comparison of the book and the movie

adaption.

Though Dan Brown has been criticised by the academic world for not being a literary genius

and by the religious one due to his chosen subject matter, his novel was certainly a page-

turner.

The expectations of the movie adaption were extremely high and despite the promising source

material involved, the criticism of the movie was more negative than positive.

The main reason lies in the length of the movie and the large amount of information presented

to the viewer. This most likely satisfied only the fans of the book who wanted to see an

almost word-for-word recreation of it. Others might find that watching the movie feels longer

than reading the book.

As the table shows, I compared the part of the text that I analysed with the first section of the

movie in which this part of the text is used or shown.

The structure of the movie is the same as the book, but due to some detailed explanation that's

given in the book, there were only a few examples of dialog that were used in the movie.

Again, this is true for the first 12 chapters of the book that I analysed.

Especially many three-way dialogs had to be summarized in order to pace the movie into 2

1/2 hours.

If we compare the examples in the table, 7 out of 8 examples do not show changes in the use

of the modal verbs. Some sentences were slightly changed for the movie, only in one example

a different verb was used instead of a modal (example 7).

This comparison also confirms the fact that modals in English are very often used in

conversation, because with the use of modals the speaker expresses his opinion or attitude and

is concerned with his relationship with someone else.

BOOK MOVIE 1. “Is it a secret you will die for?” “Is it a secret you will die for?” 2. My police chef, Capitaine Fache had hoped, considering your expertise and the markings on the body, you might assist us.”

“We had hoped that you might help us answer that very question, considering your knowledge in symbology and your plans to meet him.”

3. “I can’t imagine who would do this to someone.”

“Why would someone do this to him?”

4. “I had feared the brotherhood’s reputation for secrecy might prevail.”

“I had feared the priory’s penchant for secrecy might prevail.” (spoken in Latin, subtitles in English)

5. “Mr. Fache, I obviously can’t tell you why Mr. Sauniere drew that symbol on himself or placed himself in this way, but I can tell you that a man like Jacques Sauniere would consider the pentacle a sign of the female deity.”

“Capitaine Fache, obviously I can’t tell why. I can tell you, he as well as anyone, knows the meaning of this symbol and it has nothing to do with worshiping the devil.”

6. “It would be my pleasure.” “It would be my pleasure.” (spoken in French, subtitles in English)

7. “I’ll need to fly home first thing in the morning.”

“I have to fly home in the morning.”

8. “Why would I run? Langdon demanded.” “Why would I try to run?”

4. CONCLUSION The aim of my diploma work was to find out how the English modal verbs are translated into

Slovene and which ways of expressing the modal verbs exist in Slovene. I was also interested

in the frequency of their appearance.

I chose a number of different sentences in the English original and the translated sentences

from the Slovene book. I compared them and gave my opinion and also suggestions of

possible translations.

The total number of examples is 164.

On the basis of this analysis the following conclusion can be drawn:

The most frequent modals were CAN/COULD and WILL/WOULD. The most common

translations with all these 4 modals were lexical verbs either in indicative or conditional

mood. Two Slovene modal verbs were used as translation equivalents for can/could, namely

moči and smeti, which represent 20% of all translation equivalents. A common equivalent is

also the particle lahko, which in Slovene is the particle of possibility and probability. The

adverb mogoče was also a translation equivalent.

The modals WILL/WOULD were most frequently translated with a lexical verb or the future

tense. I found only 5 examples in the text, where modals verbs were also used in the Slovene

translations (morati, moči, smeti), which means that only 9% of all translation equivalents

were modal verbs.

The modals MAY/MIGHT were used almost as frequently as SHALL/SHOULD.

In the translation we can see some similarities, e.g. the most frequent translation equivalent

with all 4 modals is the future tense. In the translations of the sentences, which contained

shall/should we find three Slovene modals, which are smeti, morati and hoteti. Together these

modals represent 46% of all translation equivalents.

A common translation equivalent for may/might is the particle morda. The only Slovene

modal verb used in the translations is smeti. The modality of may/might is expressed also by

the modals hoteti and smeti, the particle lahko, the adverb najbrž, the verb utegniti and

different lexical verbs. The Slovene modal verbs smeti and hoteti represent 14% of all

translation equivalents of may/might.

MUST was used relatively infrequently, there were 9 examples in the part of the text that I

analysed and as I anticipated, the most common translation in Slovene was also a modal verb,

namely morati. Although there were only 9 examples of must in the part of the text that I

analysed, the fact that in six Slovene sentences also a modal verb was used, which represents

67% of all equivalent, means that must has the highest percentage of appropriate translation

equivalents.

If we summarize, although can/could and will/would were the most frequent modal verbs in

this analysis, they did not have the highest number of appropriate equivalents in Slovene, e.g.

Slovene modal verbs. Shall/should and must had a lower frequency of appearance, but a

higher percentage of Slovene modal verbs used in the translations.

The semi-modals NEED (TO), BE GOING TO, USED TO and DARE are very rare in use in

general and as we can observe in my results, this is also true for my analysis. The most

frequently used semi-modal in the text was need (to), which has the same function of

obligation or necesitiy as must, but is still less frequently applied in texts than the modal must.

The translations of need (to) are all appropriate, in all six sentences Slovene modal

equivalents were used, i.e. morati and hoteti. All other semi-modals were each found only in

one example. There were no significant differences to be observed in the translated sentences

except that no Slovene modal verbs were used as equivalents, but the applied equivalents

were still appropriate.

According to my opinion, the use of translations, i.e. translation equivalents, often depends on

the context. There were some examples where the translator had to use other words or form

the sentences almost completely different than the original. I gave my suggestions of other

possible translations that could be used. In some though, the different choice of words was

more appropriate, either because the literal translation would not be suitable or because we

use other or more appropriate expressions or phrases in Slovene. Thus the translator often

tries to enhance a certain situation in the text by applying suitable expressions, so the reader

can imagine the situation more lively, get more accustomed to it.

Often the structure of the sentence in the original is the reason why the translator cannot use a

literal or fully appropriate translation equivalent and thus has to use other options and words.

There were some examples, where the sentence in English was a compound sentence. In such

cases it is very difficult to use adequate translations without changing the translated sentence.

The translator also has to consider different kinds of speech acts (e.g. making a promise,

giving an order etc.) while translating.

Also an important factor that I was interested in was the frequency of appearance of the modal

verbs in the English and Slovene text and how the genre of a mystery story affects the use of

modal verbs. It is generally known that native English speakers use modal verbs in speech

quite often i.e. to ask for or give permission, give an order, express a wish or intention for the

future and so on. Although the book contains a lot of narration, dialog scenes are also present

in a large number. In 60% of all examples, modal verbs appeared in conversation between the

characters in the text. In Slovene on the other hand the use of the modal verbs in general is

less frequent, we tend to use different expressions or phrases, rather than modals. This

difference between the two languages can also be seen in my analysis. The Slovene language

differs from the English in general in such a degree, that in most cases it is impossible to use

appropriate equivalents in the translations or we actually use other adequate expressions in

conversation or written texts. This is also the case with modal verbs.

While I was writing my diploma work I could observe that in translating a text one has to pay

attention to many factors. One often cannot use literal translations, which is also evident in

my analysis. The translated sentence must still preserve its original meaning and very

important is also that the context does not change.

5. REFERENCES

� Alexander, L.G. (1995). Longman English Grammar. London and New York:

Longman, Twelfth impression.

� Blaganje, D. and Konte, I. (1998). Modern English grammar. Ljubljana: Državna

založba Slovenije.

� Brdar, M., Kučanda D., Omazić M. (2001). Grammatical features and categories;

Part I: The English verb. Pedagoški fakultet.

� Brown, D. (2004). The Da Vinci Code. Great Britain: Corgi edition, Transworld

publishers.

� Brown, D. (2006). Da Vinčijeva šifra. Ljubljana: Mladinska knjiga.

� Close, R.A. (1977). A reference grammar for students of English. London: Longman.

� Eastwood, J. (1994). Oxford guide to English grammar. Oxford: Oxford University

press.

� Leech, G.N. (1987). Meaning and the English verb. London and New York: Longman.

� Leech, G.N., Svartvik J. (1978). A communicative Grammar of English. London.

� Palmer, F.R. (1988). The English verb. London and New York: Longman.

� Palmer, F.R. (1990). Modality and the English modals. London and New York:

Longman.

� Quirk, R., Greenbaum, S., Leech, G., Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar

of the English language. London and New York: Longman.

� Toporišič, J. Enciklopedija slovenskega jezika. (1992). Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba.

� Toporišič, J. (2004). Slovenska slovnica. Maribor: Založba Obzorja.