EXPLORING THE PERCEPTUAL CONSTRUCTION THROUGH EXPERIENTIAL MEANINGS: A COMPARATIVE TRANSITIVITY ANALYSIS OF AN ENGLISH SHORT STORY AND ITS PUNJABI TRANSLATION

Abstract

The study examines the transitivity-based variations of an English short story and its translation in Shahmukhi Punjabi, focusing on the implications for the interrelations between experiential meanings and perceptual constructions.  Drawing on the theoretical framework of Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL) a manual annotation scheme of the transitivity system in the UAM corpus was designed to explain lexico-grammatical patterns and explore their influence on meaning-making processes in both texts. The findings reveal significant lexico-grammatical discrepancies that shifted the encoded experiential meanings and produced divergent perceptions among readers. These experiential diversions, emanating from structural differences, diluted certain registerial features of the English text in the translated text. Finally, the study offers a valuable resource for Pakistani educators of English by identifying specific lexico-grammatical differences between English and Shahmukhi Punjabi texts, contributing to the enhancement of narrative writing skills among Punjabi-speaking learners of English.