Studies about Languages

Paprasta lietuvių kalba: pirmi žingsniai link automatinio administracinių tekstų paprastinimo

2024-07-21T22:10:22+03:00

Paprasta kalba (angl. plain language) – tai standartinės kalbos variantas, kuriuo siekiama atverti ekspertų rengiamą turinį kuo platesnei auditorijai, kad ši galėtų tekstuose lengvai rasti reikiamą informaciją, suprasti ją ir ja pasinaudoti (Adler 2012, Cheek 2010, Maaß 2020). Paprasta kalba, kuri Vakarų šalyse propaguojama jau nuo aštuntojo dešimtmečio, dažniausiai pateikiamas valstybinių institucijų rašytinis informacinis turinys, skirtas šalies gyventojams. Lietuvoje paprasta kalba yra nauja sąvoka, todėl šiame straipsnyje, be kita ko, pristatomi tyrimo metu išgryninti aspektai, sudarantys pagrindą paprastos lietuvių kalbos vystymui: tai paprastos lietuvių kalbos principai ir automatiniam administracinio stiliaus tekstų paprastinimui reikšmingi elementai.

Straipsnio įvade aptariama paprastos kalbos istorija ir teoriniai jos pagrindai, pagrindžiamas paprastos lietuvių kalbos poreikis. Tolesnėse dalyse aprašoma paprastos lietuvių kalbos taisyklių rengimo metodika, pagrįsta kitų kalbų paprastos kalbos principais ir lietuviškosiomis lengvai suprantamos kalbos gairėmis (Bružaitė, Daraškienė, Vilkaitė 2021) bei lygių aprašais (Bružaitė, Vilkaitė, Daraškienė 2022), galiausiai siūlomos ir pavyzdžiais iliustruojamos pagrindinės paprastos lietuvių kalbos taisyklės. Pastarosios buvo taikytos rengiant straipsnyje aprašytą lygiagretųjį originalių administracinio stiliaus tekstų ir paprastos lietuvių kalbos tekstyną, kuris numatytas naudoti automatinio administracinių tekstų paprastinimo tikslams mokant dirbtinio intelekto modelį. Straipsnis baigiamas kiekybine lygiagrečiojo tekstyno analize, nurodomos esminės tolesnių tyrimų perspektyvos.

Etymology and development of semantics of ‘Angel’ and ‘Demon’ in English, Dutch, and Ukrainian: a comparative study

2024-10-10T12:00:43+03:00

The paper deals with a dichotomy of an angel and a demon as opposed creatures that embody the good and the evil in various cultures. An interdisciplinary overview of angels and demons outlines their roles and significance in philosophy, literature, religion, and arts. Common and particular ways of ‘angel’ and ‘demon’ reflection in English, Dutch, and Ukrainian are identified with three types of linguistic analysis: etymological, componential, and that of dictionary definitions.
Thus, the paper gives the results of an etymological analysis for the two key lexemes based on English (‘angel’, ‘demon’), Dutch (‘engel’, ‘demon’), and Ukrainian (‘ангел’, ‘демон’) etymological dictionary entries followed by comparison and contrast and identification of both isomorphic and allomorphic features. It also provides the semantic changes in the meanings of ‘angel’ and ‘demon’ in three languages under study. The dictionary interpretations for the studied lexemes are added to present the ideas/images of angels and demons reflected in the consciousness of the English, Dutch, and Ukrainians. In fact, the obtained data enable readers to witness similarities and differences in perception, conceptualisation and categorisation of the good (embodied by angels) and the evil (embodied by demons) by speakers of different languages. This can both contribute to improved dictionary definitions and facilitate intercultural communication making it more efficient in today’s globalised world.

Voice actors in focus: language attitudes and practice in Hungarian dubbing

2024-09-24T11:57:24+03:00

In the present article, Hungarian voice actors’ language attitudes and experiences are studied with relation to the texts to be read out while dubbing and narrating foreign language audiovisual products. The study was conducted with the great moral and practical support of the trade union of Hungarian voice actors and its two popular and famous members as the representatives of this profession have never been asked and studied from a sociolinguistic viewpoint before. With their help, 10% of the profession participated in the study, filling out a commonly designed online questionnaire. Since most of the foreign language audiovisual products that are released in Hungarian cinemas, television and online streaming channels still get Hungarian dubbing or narration, while its language quality is decreasing, it is worth investigating the process behind the final products. The study points out many problems of the texts’ linguistic quality and presents the attitudes of those who have to give their voice to these, and might have a chance to correct them, or might not. The paper presents the first phase of an overall research that aims to explore the case of Hungarian dubbing from a sociolinguistic viewpoint. In the future, audiovisual translators’ and consumers’ – inland, transborder, and emigrant Hungarians’ – attitudes will be studied to cover a wide range of stakeholders of the question.

Exploring multimodality in historical texts: the value of paratextual features in the making of the Coruña Corpus (CC)

2024-11-02T17:28:20+02:00

In this article, we explain how the project of the Coruña Corpus of English Scientific Writing (CC) included non-linguistic elements in the corpus design from the very inception of the project, which allow for the analysis of paratextual devices such as layout, punctuation, decoration, and/or other visual language, this in order to explore how a text interacts with its context and hence how such aspects of a work are also important and meaningful in themselves. These elements are key to an understanding of how texts were perceived by their contemporary audiences, and can only be fully appreciated by considering their meaning to the reader. The considerable time and effort involved in the compilation of these minute details in the CC reflects the belief that paratextual features in the Late Modern English period can be considered vectors of additional meaning, and hence need to be included when designing and studying the linguistic material of the period. Multimodality, a current trend in various forms of linguistic analysis, provides the appropriate and necessary framework for the way we work with historical corpora and has the potential to open up new and enriching avenues of research.

Metaphoricity of perception adjectives: a translation perspective

2024-11-02T15:03:27+02:00

The paper aims to examine the metaphorical uses of English adjectives denoting perceptual qualities (taste, temperature and touch) and ways of rendering them in Lithuanian. Based on the data of the Parallel Corpus, the types of translation are identified and discussed in relation to cross-linguistic variation as well as other factors affecting translation. The study is carried out in the framework of cognitive approach to metaphor and its translation: individual metaphorical expressions are linked to conceptual metaphors underlying them, with the focus on the source domain exploited in the source and target languages. From this view, metaphorical rendering of English adjectives in Lithuanian falls into two types: the original metaphor is either retained (if the same perceptual quality is expressed, directly or indirectly) or replaced by another metaphor (if a different source domain is introduced, usually a quality perceived through a different sense or some physical sensation). Other types of translation include cases of non-metaphorical rendering: loss of metaphoricity due to paraphrase (literal expression) and omission of the metaphorical meaning.
The findings show that the original metaphor is preserved in around 30% of all cases. Other types of translation are mainly determined by two factors: cross-linguistic asymmetry (a different range of the metaphorical meanings of English adjectives and their equivalents in Lithuanian, differences in connotation, specific lexical and syntactic patterns of the target language) and the subjective choice of the translator (individual preference for a certain expression).

Light verb constructions with deverbal nouns BITE and SNACK in native English varieties: a corpus-based study

2024-11-04T17:01:41+02:00

This study investigates light verb constructions (LVCs) involving synonymous deverbal nouns, specifically focusing on the nouns bite and snack in five native varieties of English: American, British, Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand. Previous research on LVCs with synonymous nouns is limited, and their usage across different English varieties has received little attention from linguists. The aim of the research is twofold: (1) to examine the usage of LVCs with bite and snack across the five English varieties, and (2) to identify distinguishing features of these synonymous nouns in LVCs. Data were sourced from the Corpus of Global Web-Based English, and the analysis explores the combinability of bite and snack with various light verbs, as well as the modification patterns associated with each noun. The study compares frequency, types, and semantic classes of modifiers, alongside the variety and frequency of light verbs used with each noun. Both light verbs and modifiers are analysed by their distribution across the five English varieties. The findings reveal significant syntactic and semantic differences between LVCs with bite and snack. Snack combines with a broader range of light verbs than bite, and modifier patterns show that bite often implies a focus on the duration of eating, whereas snack is associated with meal size or timing. The study also highlights cross-variety differences, including the frequency and modification of LVCs, as well as preferences for light verbs and modifiers across English varieties. These insights contribute to a more nuanced understanding of LVCs and their variation in native English varieties.

Lithuanian politicians as the target of negative emotions

2024-07-10T13:18:15+03:00

The present research lies within the realms of cognitive linguistics, cultural linguistics and computer-mediated communication. It focuses on the negative stances adopted by Lithuanian internet users as a response to certain actions undertaken by Lithuanian politicians. The study seeks to establish the correlation between the negative stances conceptualised in online Lithuanian discourse and the negative emotions rendered by them. On the basis of the analysis carried out, the following conclusion can be drawn: negative stances instantiated in the sample communicate the idea of politicians being unnecessary, harmful to the people of Lithuania, devoid of certain human propensities and lacking certain professional characteristics. The emotions of HATE, ANGER, DISGUST and CONTEMPT appear to be congruent and correlate to the negative stances rendered in the sample. They are conceptualised through one conceptual metonymy and a number of conceptual metaphors, such as POLITICIANS ARE ILLNESSES, POLITICIANS ARE CHILDREN, POLITICIANS ARE ANIMALS, POLITICIANS ARE OBJECTS, POLITICIANS ARE FICTITIOUS CHARACTERS,
POLITICIANS ARE ARTISTS, etc. Among the source domains drawn upon in the process of metaphorical and metonymical conceptualisations of the negative evaluative judgements are the BODY, THEATRE, MEDICINE, GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY, etc. domains.

Enhancing strategic memorization: exploring the synergy of emotions and mnemonics in Translation Studies

2024-09-13T15:25:43+03:00

This article explores strategic competence in interpreting, with a focus on mnemonic techniques. Following an overview of interpreting challenges based on Daniel Gile’s Effort Models, it presents a pilot study investigating how mnemonic strategies can enhance memory and cognitive processes in Translation Studies. Previous research on translating medical abbreviations suggests that mnemonics – such as acronyms, expressions, models, rhymes, note organization, imagery, and associations – play a key role in supporting interpreters’ cognitive abilities.
The study introduces an innovative algorithmic approach that highlights the crucial role of emotions in memory retention, offering a new perspective on how emotions and mnemonics synergize in interpretation. It underscores the interdisciplinary link between Translation Studies and psychology, especially in terms of memory, attention, perception, decision-making, and affective processes.
The article aims to examine how emotions and mnemonic techniques impact strategic memorization in interpreting, emphasizing their combined effects on memory retention and interpreting proficiency. Through the lens of Robert Plutchik’s theory of basic emotions, the study classifies key mnemonic techniques as essential tools in addressing the cognitive challenges of interpretation.