syftningsfel

English translation: grammatical error / misplaced modifier

13:26 Feb 20, 2010
Swedish to English translations [PRO]
Linguistics / grammar
Swedish term or phrase: syftningsfel
what is the English term ?
Ulla Lundquist
Italy
Local time: 10:59
English translation:grammatical error / misplaced modifier
Explanation:
I think a syftningsfel is a specific kind of grammatical error whereby the parts of the sentence are misplaced often giving a comic meaning. They are called dangling modifiers too.
But all those kind of errors are still simply, grammatical errors - so I am sure that term can be used if you need a more general term.


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Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2010-02-21 18:11:08 GMT)
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Ulla - As far as I know each of those grammatical errors has its own name (depending on which part of the sentence is roving around in the wrong place...) It's hard to know exactly which one(s) you have in your text without seeing it, and I am not an expert on the specific names either... the wiki site also had quite a nice example, it's the kind of thing you see sometimes in newspaper headlines...
Selected response from:

Gayle Rolando (X)
Sweden
Grading comment
Thank you, Gayle!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +1ambiguous reference / ambiguous reference error
egj_translation
4pronoun reference error(s)
Sven Petersson
3 +1grammatical error / misplaced modifier
Gayle Rolando (X)
4 -1allusion error
asptech
4 -1ambiguous reference
Thomas Johansson
3 -1wrong usage
Viachaslau


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


11 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
allusion error


Explanation:
ordagrant - kanske finns en mer vedertagen term

asptech
Local time: 10:59
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sven Petersson: Not an established English expression/term.
1 hr
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29 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
wrong usage


Explanation:
maybe, some more context would do a lot of good :-)

Viachaslau
Sweden
Local time: 10:59
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in RussianRussian, Native in BelarusianBelarusian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sven Petersson: Lacks specificity.
1 hr
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
pronoun reference error(s)


Explanation:
:o)

Sven Petersson
Sweden
Local time: 10:59
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish, Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Thomas Johansson: Jag kom på att det också kan gälla demonstrativer och particip, se mitt inlägg i diskussionsområdet.
6 hrs
  -> Thank you very much!
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
ambiguous reference / ambiguous reference error


Explanation:
Ambiguous Reference

If a reader does not know which of two or three earlier nouns a pronoun stands for, grammar books call that an ambiguous reference error:

Ethel told Lucy that her pie was wonderful.
[Is this pie Ethel's or Lucy's?]
The files arranged by the temporary workers were out of order, so we sent them back to the main office.
[Did the files or the workers return to the main office?]
You can fix the pie problem by making the sentence a quotation: Ethel said, "Lucy, your pie is wonderful!" You can also fix it by naming the baker: Ethel told Lucy that Lucy's pie was wonderful. That's also the way to fix the office problem: ...so we sent the files back to the main office. (http://www.penandpage.com/EngMenu/gramref.htm)


    Reference: http://books.google.se/books?id=L9ni2hGHlMEC&pg=PA63&lpg=PA6...
    Reference: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quizzes/niu/niu16.htm
egj_translation
Sweden
Local time: 10:59
Native speaker of: Native in SwedishSwedish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sven Petersson: A "syftningsfel" is not ambiguous; it's something that's dead wrong.
2 hrs
  -> I am quite familiar with the term, Sven, but here is a reference for you: http://www.nada.kth.se/kurser/kth/2D5381/rapporter/pd.pdf

agree  Sofia Löfberg
4 hrs

agree  Thomas Johansson: Tror Gabriella har rätt. "Unclear reference" skulle kanske vara ett alternativ, men "ambiguous reference" verkar vanligare.
1 day 23 mins
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): -1
ambiguous reference


Explanation:
Syftningsfel är när ett ords eller en fras syftning/referens i ett sammanhang missförstås eller sannolikt kommer att missförstås, p.g.a. att talaren inte har formulerat sig tydligt nog.

Exempel:
”Ulla gav en kostym till sin man som hon köpt på loppmarknad.”
http://www.nada.kth.se/kurser/kth/2D5381/rapporter/pd.pdf

På engelska talar man nog om "ambiguous reference" i sådana här sammanhang. Det svenska "-fel" motsvaras då av engelskans "ambiguous" och det skulle därför vanligen vara redundant att lägga till ett "error" ("ambiguous reference error"); såvida man inte vill _betona_ att det betraktas just som ett fel.

Jag tror också att den engelska frasen beter sig annorlunda än den svenska. På svenska kan vi ju utan vidare säga att en person "gjorde ett syftningsspel". På engelska skulle man nog vara tvungen att omformulera sig, typ "His words were ambiguous.", "It was not clear what he meant.", etc.

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Note added at 15 hrs (2010-02-21 05:25:08 GMT)
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I NOW THINK MY ANSWER HERE IS WRONG, SEE MY ENTRY IN THE DISCUSSION AREA.

Thomas Johansson
Peru
Local time: 04:59
Native speaker of: Swedish

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Sven Petersson: A "syftningsfel" is not ambiguous; it's something that's dead wrong. - So why do you proffer the translation "ambiguous reference"???
2 hrs
  -> There is no ambiguity in ”Ulla gav en kostym till sin man som hon köpt på loppmarknad.” ???
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39 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +1
grammatical error / misplaced modifier


Explanation:
I think a syftningsfel is a specific kind of grammatical error whereby the parts of the sentence are misplaced often giving a comic meaning. They are called dangling modifiers too.
But all those kind of errors are still simply, grammatical errors - so I am sure that term can be used if you need a more general term.


--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 day4 hrs (2010-02-21 18:11:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Ulla - As far as I know each of those grammatical errors has its own name (depending on which part of the sentence is roving around in the wrong place...) It's hard to know exactly which one(s) you have in your text without seeing it, and I am not an expert on the specific names either... the wiki site also had quite a nice example, it's the kind of thing you see sometimes in newspaper headlines...


    Reference: http://www.towson.edu/ows/moduledangling.htm
    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dangling_modifier
Gayle Rolando (X)
Sweden
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thank you, Gayle!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Yes, thank you, I was looking for a general term for the moment, but there are so many types of this error, it might have to be discussed somewhere else.

Asker: Very good, the link to towson univ. So : A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase, or clause that is improperly separated from the word it modifies / describes and : A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically related to the word or words it modifies (i.e. is placed next to). Interesting discussion .Maybe there are other..


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Paul Lambert: Leaning more toward "misplaced modifier".
6 hrs
  -> Thanks Paul!
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