The Translation and Analysis of Annang Oral Poetry:”Uto” Annang (Ballad)

Abstract

This paper translates and analyses the Annang oral poetry ‘uto’ (ballad).The paper elaborates the view that the ‘uto’ Annang is embedded with literary devices and figurative languages that serve as embellishments. Seven ‘uto’ Annang provide Data for the study. Dell Hyme’s Ethnopoetics is used as the theoretical framework. This theory which is a derivational from Ethnolinguistics not only advocates that researchers should go into the field to experience the performance of the oral art but also holds that poetic interpretation should be done by researchers who are either indigenes of the research area or have lived in the research area long enough to be thoroughly encultured. The skopos theory is the model which the work has used. Analysis of the ‘uto’ Annang reveals that they contain philosophical, mystical and educating content. They are a reflection of life, nature and penetrating comments on social, religious, political event, praise and criticism of society and persons abound. The paper also reveals that there is need for translation to be author – centered, reader – centred and translator centered while the social and cultural features of literary texts are faithfully rendered during the transformation process into the target language (TT). The paper concludes that ‘uto’ Annang as a whole encapsulates part of the Annang worldview and culture and there is need to preserve this particular genre to avoid extinction.