Rhetorical Structure Theory: A New Tool for Bible Translation?

Translation principles
Written By Glenn Kerr

Rhetorical structure theory (RST) came into being for the analysis of natural texts to determine their discourse structure and function, originally as a means of allowing computer generation of texts. Since then, its usefulness as a linguistic tool has been established independent of its use for computer text generation. The theory analyzes texts as having basically nuclear statements and satellite statements linked to them, with the satellite statements having a variety of definable relations to their respective nuclei. The theory is primarily based on semantics rather than grammar, since these relations are not consistently signaled by grammar elements. It thus serves as a complement to discourse analyses based primarily on grammar, and as a possibly more universal analysis method for diverse languages.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the value and effectiveness of RST as a tool for Bible translation. The paper will illustrate RST analysis with excerpts from the book of Ezra, and attempt to evaluate the usefulness of RST analysis for Bible translation personnel.

Glenn Kerr

Glenn Kerr is the senior translation resource consultant for Bibles International. He oversees the resource needs for translation projects, and works as a translation consultant in West Africa, Europe, southeast Asia, and South America. He has worked with over 35 language groups in his 28 years as a consultant.

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Ambiguous Pronouns and Names: Tracking Participants in Biblical Passages using Referent Analysis