Cite this article as: Joseph, T. T. (2026). An analysis of context sensitivity of words with multiple meanings in Tiv-English translations. Sokoto Journal of Linguistics and Communication Studies (SOJOLICS), 2(2), 269-275. https://doi.org/10.36349/sojolics.2026.v02i02.024
By
Tyonyion, Terdoo
Joseph
PhD
Student, Nasarawa State University, Keffi
08069087466/08184446164
Abstract
The
article looked into how the understanding of context in every discourse helps
in the translation of text and speech. The two languages studied are Tiv and
English languages. While translation is basic in understanding text and speech
that have been originally uttered in one language to another, it is also
established that words could have two or more meanings, leaving one with the
possibility of translating words wrongly. With data collected from both primary
and secondary sources, and through qualitative research methods, the researcher
has seen that many words in Tiv language have two or more meanings and the only
way to translate these words and get their exact meanings, the translator must
apply context before translating the text or speech into another language, and
in this case, English. Sentences are collected in Tiv language as the Source
Language (SL) and translated into English language as the Target Language (TL).
It is found that certain words have more than one meaning, which may distort the
fidelity of a message passed, if the translator does not fully understand or
apply context to the situation. Understanding and application of context is
seen as crucial in translating from Tiv to English language.
Keywords: Context, Meaning, Tiv, English, sense. `
1. Introduction
It is
common knowledge that many words have more than one meaning. Applying these
meanings to sentences is sometimes a very complex task that could aid in the
understanding of a speech and vice versa. This problem becomes even more
glaring when words are to be translated from one language to another. Many
speakers and translators may find it difficult to understand the message being
passed across if by any chance, they understand a given word or sentence out of
the particular context which the speaker has made the speech. Catford (1965)
defines translation as the replacement of textual material in one language
(SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL). This means that
the translated words have to express the exact meaning of the text in the
language it is been translated to, otherwise, the translation attempt will be
futile.
Abdurakhmonova
and Shamsiyeva (2025) contend that context plays a crucial role as an important
component at the semantic, pragmatic, and stylistic levels of translation. They
argue that in 20th-century translation theories, it was emphasized that translating
a text out of context reduces the reliability of the translation. The concept
of contextual translation according to Abdurakhmonova and Shamsiyeva (2025) is
based on multilingualism and situational semantics. In this approach, the
meaning of a word is determined by the context in which it is used and should
be reproduced in the same context when translated. For example, a word like ya in
Tiv language may mean a house or to eat. In English language also, the word
“bank” could mean the outer edges of a river, or a place where money is kept,
or even the verb ‘to trust’. When translating, one will at one point or the
other encounter such words that may mislead the translator to give the wrong
translation of the words.
This
paper seeks to apply the assertions of these scholars regarding context and
translation into the Tiv-English scenario, agreeing to the fact that certain
Tiv words exist with meanings that are quite distinct and may affect
understanding, if the right context is not applied to the situation. In many
situations, when translating text or speech from Tiv to English language, a
translator may encounter words that have multiple meanings, which may prompt
them to translate the said words into others, thereby obstructing the fidelity
of the intended message.
2. Literature
Review
Bassnett
(2005) is of the opinion that translation involves the transfer of ‘meaning’
contained in one set of language signs into another set of language signs
through competent use of the dictionary and grammar. She identifies three main
types of translation, namely:
(1) Intralingual translation, or rewording which
she describes as an interpretation of verbal signs by means of other signs in
the same language.
(2) Interlingual translation or translation proper, described
as an interpretation of verbal signs by means of some other language.
(3) Intersemiotic translation or transmutation explained
to mean an interpretation of verbal signs by means of signs of nonverbal sign
systems.
One issue
worthy of mention in the issue of translation is equivalence, which Popovič in
Bassnett (2005) distinguishes four types:
(1) Linguistic equivalence, where there is homogeneity
on the linguistic level of both SL and TL texts, i.e. word for word
translation.
(2) Paradigmatic equivalence, where there is
equivalence of ‘the elements of a paradigmatic expressive axis’, i.e. elements
of grammar, which Popovič sees as being a higher category than lexical
equivalence.
(3) Stylistic (translational) equivalence, where there
is ‘functional equivalence of elements in both original and translation aiming
at an expressive identity with an invariant of identical meaning’.
(4) Textual
(syntagmatic) equivalence, where there is equivalence of the
syntagmatic structuring of a text, i.e. equivalence of form and shape.
Lederer
(2010) avers that translation is not a matter of transcoding words and phrases
but of expressing what speakers/ hearers mean in a way that does not sound
strange to hearers/ readers. It is a truism to say that languages are not
isomorphic (not even languages sharing a common origin like for instance French
and Italian). According to the author, shifts are not only due to morphological
and syntactic differences; since ideas and thoughts are not expressed in the
same way, in different languages, translators have to create equivalences
between texts or text segments. Translators should always take into account
speakers’ meanings (explicit and implicit) and their readers assumed relevant
knowledge.
Lin Lin
(2015) asserts that translation to a large degree depends on context. context
is indispensable for translators to correctly understand the original text and
to achieve functional equivalence in translation. The author further opines
that” each word when used in a new context is a new word”. Meaning is not
something that exists in words, but something that exists in relations between
words and the environment where they occur.
Bassnett
(2005) asserts further that translation involves far more than replacement of
lexical and grammatical items between languages and, as can be seen in the
translation of idioms and metaphors, the process may involve discarding the
basic linguistic elements of the SL text so as to achieve Popovič’s goal of
‘expressive identity’ between the SL and TL texts. She argues that the notion
of context has been extensively invoked but rarely critiqued and elaborated in
the study of translation and interpreting." Context also lacks a
definition that can be applied in the everyday work of a professional
translator. It is certainly important to establish that context is needed in a
sense-for-sense translation.
Agwu
(2025. 1) conducted research on translation and interpretation focusing on the
role of language in national development in a multilingual society and how
effective translation and interpretation will serve as tools for enhancing
national development in a multilingual context and promotes mutual
understanding and cooperation while the present study is based on context
sensitivity of words with multiple meanings in Tiv-English translations.
3. Methodology
The
research adopted the qualitative research method for data collection and
analysis. Data was collected both from primary and secondary sources. Primary
sources are sentences collated ten words from speakers of Tiv language as the
Source Language (SL) and translated into English Language as the Target
Language (TL), while the secondary sources are sources like books, journal
articles, and other resource materials. A total of 10 selected sentences
containing words with two or more meanings that could be understood under
different contexts were analyzed in this paper
4. Theoretical
Framework
This
paper is built around the interpretative translation theory of linguistics. The
interpretative translation theory dates back to mid-1960s. much of the credit
for the development of this theory is given to the works of Danica Seleskovitch
who reflected on what may have gone through her mind as she interprets. Lederer
(2014) explains that the interpretative model deals with translating text from
one language to another based on three main levels of understanding the said
text which include: first, the level of word semantics, then the level of
sentence, and finally, the level of text. The main argument of the
interpretative translation theory is that there cannot be any effective
translation except there is first, an interpretation of the text.
Yunyan
and Shan (2020) have put forward a similar argument, stating that the
interpretative translation theory is based on the core idea that the
interpreter must understand the source language and grasp the intention
conveyed by the source language, the break away from the external form of the
source language and express the speaker’s intention in idiomatic target
language. The idea is simply to transfer the information and explain the true
intention of the speaker.
5. Data
Presentation and Analysis
Tiv
language contains words that are polysemous as they have the capacity of a
single word or phrase to have multiple, related meanings with tonal variations
attached to them. These meanings are quite distinctive and could become a
puzzle to the translator in order to find the right meaning when translating
from a SL to a TL. With understanding of interpretative translation theory, is
that there cannot be any effective translation except there is first, an
interpretation of the text. The above theory is applicable to the study because
both Tiv and English use texts and translation will be possible if texts are
subjected to interpretations as the theory postulated.
Tiv
language words are polysemous in nature. Polysemy are words that have the same
meanings that are related and historically stem from the same root. words as
can be seen in the table below.
|
Tiv Word |
English Meaning 1 |
English Meaning 2 |
English Meaning 3 |
|
Gba |
Fall |
Create |
Fail |
|
Ya |
Eat |
House |
Letter “Y” |
|
Inyaregh |
Money |
Dirt |
Insect |
|
Zende |
Walk |
Travel |
|
|
Tser |
Around |
Increase |
To encounter/ Cut |
|
Zwa |
Mouth |
Hole |
Contribution |
|
wa |
Put |
Advice |
Apply |
|
Ve |
He /She Comes |
They |
|
1. In the sentence, Aôndogba tar, the word gba can
be translated to mean either to fall or to create. Subsequently, a translator
could translate the sentence as “God fell the world” or “God created the
world”. It then falls on the translator to apply the principle of contextual
meaning to understand that in the context of the world coming to being, it can
only be created and then use the latter as the correct translation of the given
sentence.
2. In the sentence, Tersoo yaInyaregh ki bam, the
word, “Inyaregh” could mean waste, money, or an insect; whereas, “ya” could
mean to eat, to embezzle, and even a house. Bam could also
mean a thrift or to ridicule. A translator may then translate the sentence to
possibly mean (i) Tersoo ate waste money of ridicule (ii) Tersoo embezzled
thrift money (iii) Tersoo housed insects for ridicule, and many other possible
translations. The translator has to look at the context of the discussion at
hand before giving a proper translation of the given sentence.
3. Iverenzende tar tser: In this sentence, “zende” could
mean to walk or to travel, while “tser” could mean to increase the
world, cut the world or have gone round a circle. The resulting sentences could
either be (i) Iveren has travelled around the world or (ii) Iveren has
increased the world(iii) Iveren has cut the world.
4. Wandooyaikyaren: This sentence could be translated as
(i) Wandoo passed her exams or (ii) Wandoo ate her exams. However, in the
context of exams, it is more convenient to understand the word “ya” as
‘passed’ as against the more popular understanding which it is interpreted as
‘eat’.
5. In the sentence Terkulaya tar, the word “ya” can
be translated as eat or enjoy. In the given context, “ya” in this
sense is preferably translated as enjoy. “Tar” is generally
translated as ‘world’, but in the given context, it means ‘life’. It is then
translated as Terkula has enjoyed life, against the translation that would have
meant Terkula has eaten the world.
6. Shima yaican: In this sentence, “Shima” could
be someone’s name or could mean the ‘mind’. “Ya” could also mean to
eat or to ‘home’ in certain contexts. “Ican” on the other hand
means suffering. A translator could translate the sentence into (i) Shima has
suffered or (ii) The mind has eaten suffering, or (iii) Shima has eaten
suffering, or (iv) The mind has suffered.
In the
given phrase, Terna wazwa, “wa” could mean to put or to
contribute, while “zwa” which means mouth is used in this context
to refer to speaking. Without a given context, one could be tempted to
translate the phrase as Terna has put mouth. But in context, it is translated
as “Terna” has spoken” or “Terna” has contributed verbally or Terna gave his
view.
Aôndogba
Ura: In the given sentence, “Aôndo” literarily
translates to God, “gba” translates to creation or falling, while “ura” translates
into rain. A translator will be tempted to translate such a sentence as ‘God
has created rain’ or “God fell the rain”. However, in the actual context of the
sentence, it means “The sky is cloudy”.
In the
given sentence, IjenkôrAôndowase, a translator would translate “Ijen” as
‘hunger’, and “kôr “as ‘hold’ or ‘catch’. While the translation of
the former is correct in the sentence, the word “kôr” has nothing
to do with holding or catching; it is rather a feeling. The sentence then
translates to mean that Aôndowase feels hungry or Aôndowase is hungry.
Orvesenwa
se kwagh: Here, the words” wa” and
“kwagh” are literally translated as ‘put’ and ‘something’
respectively. A translator might then be tempted to translate the phrase to
mean ‘The elder has put something for us. This translation will be wrong in the
context of a lot of discussions in Tiv language as the words “wakwagh”
are used to refer to advice or counsel. This then translates the phrase into
“The elder has counseled (advised) us”.or “The elder has given us advice.
6. Discussion
of findings
The data
presented above have shown ten sentences in various circumstances where words
are used in sentences or phrases, and these words would have two or more
meanings attached to them. It is shown that not all the times, translators
understand the exact meaning of such words as such might end up translating the
entire sentence or phrase wrongly because they have wrongly understood the
application of certain words in the sentences. Words shown above and many
others do apply in different circumstances in Tiv language use and application.
This shows that understanding context is very important in Tiv-English
translation because it helps translators to give the exact picture of the
message the Tiv speaker is communicating in English. It is then established that
it is not always that “wa” will mean to ‘put’, “ya” will
translate to ‘eat’ or “gba” will translate to ‘fall’ or create’.
It is
also found that translation could not be done without context application as
this will bring about vague and meaningless translation exercises because
meanings of words are context dependent. For example, in example 6 above, once
the interpreter does not understand the word “ya” as a feeling in
the context of the sentence, he will translate the sentence in a very
meaningless manner which will not pass the correct message to the listener and
render the message irrelevant. When one is faced with translating a text from
Tiv language to English, there is a need for the understanding that certain
words are polysemousin Tiv language carrying multiple meanings, so while
understanding the words, they can use them effectively in varying circumstances
to which one must understand these circumstances and apply them to the specific
translation needs. Originating from the same “Pev” can means to thrust,
and “pev” can as well means to touch. Theirorigin and meaning are from
the same stem or same root. They are polysemous but the difference here is the
sense and the context in which they are rendered since meanings of word
sometimes are context dependent.
7. Conclusion
Words
carry varying meanings in languages; the Tiv language not been an exception. As
communication across languages is necessary, so is translation to help people
of different languages connect and communicate with one another effectively.
The paper found out that there are similarities and differences linguistic
rules governing the effective translation of text from source to target
language with full understanding of context in both languages as both languages
are not of the same family. English is a stressed timed language while Tiv is a
tonal language and due to homogeneous nature of words in Tiv and English
languages, meanings ofwords are context dependent. Context has important
function restricting translation process, and in turn translation also to some
extent, largely depends on context. Message fidelity is very important in
proper communication between two languages. To this end, translation becomes
tasking to the translator in order to relay the exact message passed in the
Source Language to a Target Language. Understanding and applying context
becomes the key to a successful translation exercise. It is therefore, important
for translators to go beyond understanding the meaning of words and know how to
apply the right meaning in the right instance, as that is the only way to
achieve a good translation of any text or speech while maintaining message
fidelity.
8. References
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Agwu, U.P (2025) Translation and Interpretation: Effective Tools
for Enhancing National Development in a Multilingual Context. International
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