Filotearen lehen itzulpenen electio verborum-erako hurbiltze saioa

Abstract

This research paper explores the elocutive quality of the electio verborum or word choice in the two earliest Basque versions of the Introduction to the Devote Life by saint Francis of Sales, due to Silvain Pouvreau (Paris 1664) and to Johannes de Haraneder (Toulouse 1749). The style of the literary production by Sales has been described by Fumaroli as related to Christian atticism, which evolved from the ciceronian genus subtile or plain style of elocution. Cicero claims that the electio verborum in the plain style is characterized by the use of words mostly in their proper sense, even if words used in figurative or metaphorical sense are also welcome. Assuming this, the paper studies these Basque translations by exploring first the use of words in their proper sense (according to the following division: (1) loanwords, (2) neologisms created from Basque roots, and (3) native or assimilated Basque words), and turning then to words used in a figurative sense.