LEXICAL GAP AND UNTRANSLATABILITY IN ENUANI

ABSTRACT

This study is determined to examine the concept of lexical gap and untranslatability in the Enuani dialect. It aims at discovering the various causes of lexical gaps in the Enuani dialect, how untranslatability can be identified and the various ways of resolving them. The literature related to this study was reviewed under the following topics; lexical gap, untranslatability, and translation. The research design is a descriptive study and the means by which data was collected is through the primary and secondary sources.  The primary data was taken from elders between the ages of 59-70 years while the secondary data was taken from the youths between the ages of 39-49. The instrument used was questionnaire. Data was collected using the instrument. Furthermore, the theory employed for this work is that of Nida's "dynamic equivalence translation theory" which was used to analyse the data collected. Finally, at the climax of this work, it was found/ discovered that lexical gaps and untranslatability can be resolved using the various method of compensation such as; borrowing, writers note, calque etc. Also, another important discovery was that, diversity in culture is one of the major reasons why it is difficult to translate a text from SL to TL. In conclusion, as long as languages come in contact, the issue of lexical gap and untranslatability will always surface but with the various methods of compensation, lexical gaps and untranslatability will always be resolved during translation.