Intrusive Voices: Translating Unexpected Changes of Speaker in the Bible. Issue 3 (December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Voinov, Vitaly
• Is Part Of: Bible translator. Volume 71:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 281
• Page End: 302
• Publication Date: 2020-12
• Subjects: change of speaker -- speech orienters -- quotative frames -- punctuation -- citations -- intertextuality -- conversational turns -- scribal intrusion; 220.405
• DOI: 10.1177/2051677020962171
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2051-6770

Abstract

When a change of speaker in a Scripture text is not explicitly introduced by a speech orienter, Bible readers may feel the text is "intrusive." This article proposes a taxonomy for categorizing such intrusive voices in various passages of Scripture. The intrusion may be external (due to scribal activity) or internal (as written by the original author). Internal intrusions can be further classified as citations or unmarked conversational turns. Textual signals that a change of speaker has occurred in the original texts include a change in deictic reference (primarily pronominal) and change in semantic content. The article lists orthographic and linguistic devices that translators have used in existing Scripture translations to clarify that a change of speaker has occurred, and also examines several passages where it is not fully clear whether an intrusive voice is present or not.