EGOCENTRIC UNITS WITH EPISTEMIC MEANING: CLASSIFICATION, PRAGMATICS, FUNCTIONING (ON THE MATERIAL OF ORIGINAL AND TRANSLATED NARRATIVES IN RUSSIAN)
The article presents the characteristics of the specific group of egocentric words and constructions having the semantics related to knowledge or the lack of knowledge, and dealing with the shift from the latter to the former. These egocentric units with epistemic meaning are used to demonstrate the restrictions of any point of view in the text (belonging to the narrator or the focal hero), they form the suspense in the narrative. These elements are called epistemic egocentric units (compared to deictic egocentric units, evaluative units etc.). This epistemic cluster includes the persuasive and evidential markers, the words and expressions denoting uncertainty and unexpectedness, the constructions expressing similarity, likeness and identification. The analysis of original and translated texts in Russian shows the interaction of different types of epistemic egocentric units within the perspective of the narratives. The essential material for the study is constituted by several Russian translations of the novels “Dracula” (В. Stoker) and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” (M. Twain). The results of the comparative analysis of translated versions show that active use of epistemic egocentrics in Russian translations reinforces suspense and dramatization within some translator’s strategies, highlighting the original devices.