Subtitling Chinese cinema: a case study of Zhang Yimou’s films

In recent years, more and more Chinese films have been exported abroad. This thesis intends to explore the subtitling of Chinese cinema into English, with Zhang Yimou’s films as a case study. Zhang Yimou is arguably the most critically and internationally acclaimed Chinese filmmaker, who has experimented with a variety of genres of films. I argue that in the subtitling of his films, there is an obvious adoption of the domestication translation strategy that reduces or even omits Chinese cultural references. I try to discover what cultural categories or perspectives of China are prone to the domestication of translation and have formulated five categories: humour, politeness, dialect, history and songs and the Peking Opera. My methodology is that I compare the source Chinese dialogue lines with the existing English subtitles by providing literal translations of the source lines, and I will also give my alternative translations that tend to retain the source cultural references better. I also speculate that the domestication strategy is frequently employed by subtitlers possibly because the subtitlers assume the source cultural references are difficult for target language subtitle readers to comprehend, even if they are translated into a target language. However, subtitle readers are very likely to understand more than what the dialogue lines and the target language subtitles express, because films are multimodal entities and verbal information is not the only source of information for subtitle readers. The image and the sound are also significant sources of information for subtitle readers who are constantly involved in a dynamic film-watching experience. They are also expected to grasp visual and acoustic information. The complete omission or domestication of source cultural references might also affect their interpretation of the non-verbal cues. I also contemplate that the translation, which frequently domesticates the source culture carried out by a translator who is also a native speaker of the source language, is ‘submissive translation’.

Análise da sobre-reação e sub-reação nos ativos de primeira e segunda linha do mercado acionário brasileiro

The Behavioral Finance develop as it is perceived anomalies in these markets efficient. This fields of study can be grouped into three major groups: heuristic bias, tying the shape and inefficient markets. The present study focuses on issues concerning the heuristics of representativeness and anchoring. This study aimed to identify the then under-reaction and over-reaction, as well as the existence of symmetry in the active first and second line of the Brazilian stock market. For this, it will be use the Fuzzy Logic and the indicators that classify groups studied from the Discriminant Analysis. The highest present, indicator in the period studied, was the Liabilities / Equity, demonstrating the importance of the moment to discriminate the assets to be considered "winners" and "losers." Note that in the MLCX biases over-reaction is concentrated in the period of financial crisis, and in the remaining periods of statistically significant biases, are obtained by sub-reactions. The latter would be in times of moderate levels of uncertainty. In the Small Caps the behavioral responses in 2005 and 2007 occur in reverse to those observed in the Mid-Large Cap. Now in times of crisis would have a marked conservatism while near the end of trading on the Bovespa speaker, accompanied by an increase of negotiations, there is an overreaction by investors. The other heuristics in SMLL occurred at the end of the period studied, this being a under-reaction and the other a over-reaction and the second occurring in a period of financial-economic more positive than the first. As regards the under / over-reactivity in both types, there is detected a predominance of either, which probably be different in the context in MLCX without crisis. For the period in which such phenomena occur in a statistically significant to note that, in most cases, such phenomena occur during the periods for MLCX while in SMLL not only biases are less present as there is no concentration of these at any time . Given the above, it is believed that while detecting the presence of bias behavior at certain times, these do not tend to appear to a specific type or heuristics and while there were some indications of a seasonal pattern in Mid- Large Caps, the same behavior does not seem to be repeated in Small Caps. The tests would then suggest that momentary failures in the Efficient Market Hypothesis when tested in semistrong form as stated by Behavioral Finance. This result confirms the theory by stating that not only rationality, but also human irrationality, is limited because it would act rationally in many circumstances

A piada e a narrativa conversacional de cariz humorístico : um breve estudo comparativo

O Humor é uma das bases da interação social humana e, por conseguinte, uma parte importante das relações que os indivíduos de uma sociedade estabelecem uns com os outros, utilizando-o com as mais variadas intenções. A presente dissertação tem como objetivo analisar nos dois subgéneros narrativos humorísticos - a Piada e a Narrativa Conversacional de Cariz Humorístico - as semelhanças e as diferenças na construção das suas estruturas, na utilização das estratégias interacionais usadas pelos interlocutores durante as interações, bem como alguns elementos avaliativos que traduzem as reações dos intervenientes perante as narrativas ouvidas. Na primeira parte, procedemos à referência das principais linhas teóricas que norteiam o tema do presente trabalho. Neste âmbito, referenciamos os quadros teóricos como o de Raskin (1985) e o de Morais (2010), tendo este último sido utilizado como ferramenta base nas nossas análises. Na segunda parte, analisámos Piadas e Narrativas Conversacionais de Cariz Humorístico, uns retirados do Corpus Morais (2010), outros de um Corpus por nós criado (Furtado (2014)). A partir desta análise constatou-se que (i) a estrutura tanto da Piada como da Narrativa Conversacional de Cariz Humorístico se constrói de forma muito semelhante; (ii) o Ataque na Narrativa Conversacional de Cariz Humorístico se assemelha em muito ao Ataque da Piada; (iii) que o modo como o locutor constrói a Orientação e a Ação na Piada é, de um modo geral, fixo; (iv) que ambos os géneros narrativos contêm formas de qualificação dos enunciados muito semelhantes; (v) que o trigger das Piadas opõe sempre duas ideias distintas, conforme o preconizado por Raskin; (vi) que tanto nas Piadas como nas Narrativas Conversacionais de Cariz Humorístico os interlocutores necessitam de partilhar os mesmos conhecimentos prévios para que o objetivo final do locutor seja alcançado, isto é, o riso.

O desenvolvimento da competência comunicativa intercultural de surdos aprendizes de inglês : a internet como meio

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Letras, Departamento de Línguas Estrangeiras e Tradução, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Linguística Aplicada, 2015.

O ato de agradecimento nas interações comerciais : contributo para o seu estudo

O presente estudo, no âmbito da Pragmática Linguística, resulta de uma investigação, que observa a realização dos atos ilocutórios expressivos de agradecimento nas interações comerciais. O objetivo é tentar compreender os processos linguísticos subjacentes à realização dos referidos atos ilocutórios, nomeadamente através do recenseamento dos diferentes tipos de agradecimento, da descrição dos atos de fala predominantes e das funções semântico-pragmáticas do agradecimento. Um dos aspetos mais importantes será o recensear dos tipos de agradecimento mais usados nas interações comerciais. Para tal, parte-se da observação detalhada de um corpus recolhido no âmbito específico de interações comerciais que ocorreram entre 10 de fevereiro de 2014 a 30 de setembro de 2014. Os resultados obtidos convergem no sentido de que o agradecimento é um ato expressivo reativo que pode ser verbal ou não verbal, com a finalidade de estabelecer a relação custo-benefício entre locutor e ouvinte, tendo em conta e respeitando os vários contextos socioculturais. De facto, o ato de agradecer, tal como os restantes atos ilocutórios expressivos, depende da forma como é expressado, dos gestos que o acompanham e das emoções que lhe são inerentes.

Functions of code-switching in multilingual student community

Dissertação de Mestrado, Ciências da Linguagem, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2013

Polvo de lavar o Irex: incidencia de estímulos fonológicos y semánticos en la producción de palabras habladas de una paciente afásica

Se estudia la incidencia de los estímulos fonológicos y semánticos en los procesos de producción léxica, a partir de los datos obtenidos en pruebas de denominación con paciente afásica con características anómicas. Arroja datos en relación con la naturaleza del lexicón, el debate entre procesos seriales y de acceso directo y su papel en la recuperación léxica la longitud fonológica y silábica de la palabra.The incidence of semantic and phonological stimuli in word production processes is addressed. This research analyzes the results obtained from different denomination tasks with an anomic speaker with aphasia. The basis of research was a lexicon theory, the debate between connectionist or serial levels in language production, and the incidence of syllabical and phonological length in word recovery.

Juego de escondidas entre Dios y el ser humano en la poesía de Antonio Machado

Se ponen de relieve las elaboraciones y los tratamientos de la imagen de Dios presentes en la poesía de Machado. Mediante un análisis de textos significativos, subraya las discrepancias del poeta ante las concepciones tradicionales de un Dios abstracto y de un Jesús sufriente, a las que el hablante propone el apego a un Jesús histórico, dador de una palabra imperecedera. El análisis se desarrolla mediante un examen del discurso poemático, de sus recursos estilísticos, fónicos y semánticos.This articIe emphasizes the interpretations and treatments of the image of God in Machado's poetry. By analyzing significant texts, this study points out the poet's discrepancies with the traditional conceptions of an abstract God and a suffering Christ, for which the speaker proposes a preference for a historical Jesus whose word will never perish. The analysis examines the poetic discourse, addressing stylistic, phonetic and semantic features.

El discurso político en el contexto multicultural de las instituciones de la Unión Europea. El discurso político en español y en polaco

The comparative analysis of Polish and Spanish political discourse in the multilingual context of European institutions is challenging not only due to linguistic, cultural, geopolitical and social differences, but also because of a relatively short history of such contacts in the EU framework. Intercultural communication, as a dynamic social practice is a fascinating object of investigation. Bidirectional comparative analysis of Polish and Spanish oral texts allows define the barriers of such communication. It encompasses the discursive act together with its objectives, strategies and consequences, and also its raison d’être. It explains why different strategies reflected through discursive categories were used. Consequently it describes both, conditions and outcomes of identity negotiation. The latter is a political competence perceived and evaluated by the direct interlocutors, the participants of the political debate, and indirectly, by a public opinion of the European Union. That proves it is two-level communication. The negotiation of political identity through discourse, according to the Ting-Toomey theory, can lead to maintaining, loosing, recovering or reinforcing it282. The Identity Negotiation Theory includes the construction and development of personal, relational, role and desired identity and is one of the methodological axes of this investigation. Political identity consists of exhibiting necessary competences to efficiently participate in the legislation process, for example, in order to present amendments, promote a given ideology, participate in controversial discussions and manage conflicts, and, finally, gain the support of public opinion. The analysis of creation, negotiation, maintenance, recovery and promotion of the political identity is performed through the identification and description of discursive categories proposed by Van Dijk283 and adapted to the needs of this study. This is the second methodological axe of the investigation. The following questions arise: which discursive strategies, used by Polish and Spanish politicians, will be communication facilitators and which will be barriers hampering communication? Which strategies show political competencies of the speaker, his or her influence in the legal EU reality through discourse?...

Fault Line

FAULT LINE examines the fragile humanity connected to the themes of sexuality, violence, addiction, family dynamics, and death. The book is not broken into sections; rather, as poems build upon one another to explore a narrative arc, FAULT LINE tracks a single speaker’s experience from girlhood to the verge of independent womanhood. The speaker employs formal structures such as the prose poem, sestina, and particularly the list poem to examine the fluidity of inner experience and also the culture at large while challenging the narrow definitions of femininity and masculinity. FAULT LINE works to not only address the question of blame but also the literal breaks in lines of poetry. By looking at a single speaker’s struggle, the book, like life, is both humorous and horrifying.

American Perceptions of British Regional Dialects

Sociolinguists have discussed problematic language ideologies, such as Standard Language Ideology (Lippi-Green 1997) extensively and social perceptions of Standard English in the U.S and U.K are well documented. However, most work in this area has focused on perceptions of dialects within national contexts. This study makes a novel contribution to the study of language attitudes, investigating perceptions of British regional dialects within the U.S. A survey was created to gauge perceptions of five British regional dialects (Liverpool, Leeds, Birmingham, Newcastle, London). 49 survey participants listened to audio clips of British regional dialect speakers and then completed a mapping activity, answered perception questions, and ranked each speaker on specific qualities. Results showed that speaker region had a significant effect on perception of almost all variables at a statistically significant rate, despite unfamiliarity with all but the London dialect. Results suggest that although participants are largely unfamiliar with varieties of English in England outside of London, they assessed them by recruiting pre-existing stereotypes about vernacular dialects.

A study of the impact of persuasive argumentation in political debates

Persuasive communication is the process of shaping, reinforcing and changing others' responses. In political debates, speakers express their views towards the debated topics by choosing both the content of their discourse and the argumentation process. In this work we study the use of semantic frames for modelling argumentation in speakers' discourse. We investigate the impact of a speaker's argumentation style and their effect in influencing an audience in supporting their candidature. We model the influence index of each candidate based on their relative standings in the polls released prior to the debate and present a system which ranks speakers in terms of their relative influence using a combination of content and persuasive argumentation features. Our results show that although content alone is predictive of a speaker's influence rank, persuasive argumentation also affects such indices.

"Not one word of it made any sense" : Hyperbolic Synecdoche in the British National Corpus

A distinct metonymic pattern was discovered in the course of conducting a corpus-based study of figurative uses of WORD. The pattern involved examples such as Not one word of it made any sense and I agree with every word. It was labelled ‘hyperbolic synecdoche’, defined as a case in which a lexeme which typically refers to part of an entity (a) is used to stand for the whole entity and (b) is described with reference to the end point on a scale. Specifically, the speaker/writer selects the perspective of a lower-level unit (such as word for ‘utterance’), which is quantified as NOTHING or ALL, thus forming a subset of ‘extreme case formulations’. Hyperbolic synecdoche was found to exhibit a restricted range of lexicogrammatical patterns involving word, with the negated NOTHING patterns being considerably more common than the ALL patterns. The phenomenon was shown to be common in metonymic uses in general, constituting one-fifth of all cases of metonymy in word. The examples of hyperbolic synecdoche were found not to be covered by the oftquoted ‘abbreviation’ rationale for metonymy; instead, they represent a more roundabout way of expression. It is shown that other cases of hyperbolic synecdoche exist outside of word and the domain of communication (such as ‘time’ and ‘money’).

Understanding social media in everyday life: Ethnomethodological and conversation analytic perspectives

Over the last decade, social media has become a hot topic for researchers of collaborative technologies (e.g., CSCW). The pervasive use of social media in our everyday lives provides a ready source of naturalistic data for researchers to empirically examine the complexities of the social world. In this talk I outline a different perspective informed by ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA) - an orientation that has been influential within CSCW, yet has only rarely been applied to social media use. EMCA approaches can complement existing perspectives through articulating how social media is embedded in everyday life, and how its social organisation is achieved by users of social media. Outlining a possible programme of research, I draw on a corpus of screen and ambient audio recordings of mobile device use to show how EMCA research can be generative for understanding social media through concepts such as adjacency pairs, sequential context, turn allocation / speaker selection, and repair. In doing so, I also raise questions about existing studies of social media use and the way they characterise interactional phenomena.