Tag: (T) Italian

(2017-18) Italian – Cultural key words

Farese, Gian Marco (2017-18). The Fundamental Principles of the Italian constitution: A semantic analysis. Quaderni di Semantica, n.s. 3-4, 667-746.

Abstract:

This paper presents a semantic analysis of the so-called “Fundamental Principles”, the first twelve articles of the Italian constitution. The purpose of the paper is to analyse the Italian constitution as a literary text, not a legal text. Thus, the focus of the present analysis is strictly on the linguistic aspects of the Fundamental Principles, not on the juridical ones. The meaning of the key words of these twelve articles is analysed adopting the methodology of the NSM approach, whereas the language and the structure of the text are analysed following the principles of text linguistics. The reader is able to appreciate the Fundamental Principles both in the original version and in a revised English translation.

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Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2017) Italian – Emotions

Hanczakowski, Allira (2017). Translating emotion: A lexical-semantic analysis of translating emotion words from Italian to English in Marco Braico’s novel La festa dei limoni (2011). Master of Translation thesis, University of Western Australia.

Open access

Abstract:

Cross-linguistic and cross-cultural differences are particularly evident within expressions of emotion, creating a challenging task for translators who are required to find the closest possible equivalent term in the target language. The context in which emotion words are used plays a crucial role in determining the most accurate translatant. This study explores how context influences and governs the selection of translatant within the novel La festa dei limoni by Marco Braico. Based on a select list of Italian emotion words, the author demonstrates that while Italian can employ the same emotion word in a variety of contexts, English requires different terms depending on textual context, linguistic context and the sociolinguistic identity of the person employing the term.

The NSM approach is adopted in Chapter Three of the thesis to create a systematic method for the translation of emotion words. Employing NSM facilitates a cross-linguistic analysis to be carried out from a language independent stance. Semantic primes are used to create semantic explications of five Italian emotion terms identified in Chapter Two as problematic from a translational point of view: affetto, rabbia, ansia, fastidio and meraviglia. The explications achieve the aim of demonstrating how to select the most accurate English translatant of Italian emotion terms, depending on the specific context within the novel.

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Sound application of NSM principles carried out without prior training by an experienced NSM practitioner

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(2018) English, Italian – The cultural semantics of address practices [BOOK]

Farese, Gian Marco (2018). The cultural semantics of address practices: A contrastive study between English and Italian. Lanham: Lexington.

Abstract:

This book presents a contrastive analysis of various forms of address used in English and Italian from the perspective of cultural semantics, the branch of linguistics that investigates the relationship between meaning and culture in discourse. The objects of the analysis are the interactional meanings expressed by different forms of address in these two languages, which are compared adopting the methodology of the NSM approach. The forms analysed include greetings, titles and opening and closing salutations used in letters and e-mails in the two languages. Noticeably, the book presents the first complete categorization of Italian titles used as forms of address ever made on the basis of precise semantic criteria.

The analysis also investigates the different cultural values and assumptions underlying address practices in English and Italian, and emphasizes the risks of miscommunication caused by different address practices in intercultural interactions. Every chapter presents numerous examples taken from language corpora, contemporary English and Italian literature and personal e-mails and letters.

The book encourages a new, innovative approach to the analysis of forms of address: it proposes a new analytical method for the analysis of forms of address which can be applied to the study of other languages systematically. In addition, the book emphasizes the role of culture in address practices and takes meaning as the basis for understanding the differences in use across languages and the difficulties in translating forms of address of different languages. Combining semantics, ethnopragmatics, intercultural communication and translation theory, this book takes an interdisciplinary approach and brings together various fields in the social sciences: linguistics, anthropology, cross-cultural studies and sociology.

Table of contents:

  1. Analyzing address practices from a cultural semantic point of view
  2. “Sorry boss”: an unrecognized category of English address nouns
  3. “Prego, signore”: the semantics of Italian “titles” used to address people
  4. “Hi, how are you?”
  5. “Ciao!” or “ciao ciao”?
  6. “Dear customers, …”
  7. “Caro Mario,” “Gentile cliente,” “Egregio dottore”
  8. “Best wishes,” “kind regards,” “yours sincerely”
  9. “Distinti,” “cordiali,” “affettuosi saluti”
  10. Italian cultural scripts for address practices
  11. Australian cultural scripts for address practices
  12. Address practices in intercultural communication
  13. Concluding remarks

More information:

Revised version of the author’s PhD thesis, Australian National University (2017).

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Research carried out by one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2002) Italian – Speech act verbs

Maher, Brigid (2002). Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory and some Italian speech act verbs. Studies in Pragmatics (Journal of the Pragmatics Society of Japan), 4, 33-48.

This paper examines some Italian speech act verbs, looking at how we can best express their meanings in an accurate way intelligible to people unfamiliar with Italian, but without falling into the trap of ethnocentrism. If we are to achieve a fruitful examination of speech act verbs, a framework for analysis is required, one that helps us to avoid the trap of ethnocentrism. The framework used in this paper is the Natural Semantic Metalanguage theory (or NSM). It is shown that even a relatively brief examination of some Italian speech act verbs can provide an insight into some semantic, pragmatic, and cultural aspects of the Italian language. Even two quite closely related languages, such as English and Italian, differ considerably in the kinds of speech acts they require, and it is important to understand the exact meanings of these speech acts. Looking at the semantic composition of speech act verbs piece by piece, avoiding any reliance on complex culture-specific concepts, we gain not only a clearer insight into their meanings, but also into how speech acts can reflect cultural practices.

The paper also includes a slightly revised explication of the Japanese word on.


Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2015) English, Italian – Greetings

Farese, Gian Marco (2015). Hi vs. ciao: NSM as a tool for cross-linguistic pragmatics. Journal of Pragmatics, 85, 1-17.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2015.05.020

This paper presents the results of the semantic analysis of two salutations, hi (English) and ciao (Italian), using NSM. The analysis is aimed at making two points: first, that ‘‘greetings’’ have a proper semantic content consisting of expressed attitudes and feelings that can be described in simple, cross-translatable words; second, that salutations are not only performed differently, but also conceived differently across languages. This can create potential cases of miscommunication in cross-cultural interactions. To show this, the interactional meaning of hi is compared with that of ciao; two different semantic explications are proposed to capture various aspects of their meaning emerging from linguistic evidence. The implications for cross-linguistic pragmatics are also discussed.

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Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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(2016) Italian – Music

Farese, Gian Marco, & Farese, Piergiorgio (2016). L’italiano in musica: an NSM-based semantic analysis of the musical terms vivace and rubato. Quaderni di semantica, N.S. 2, 131-165.

Abstract:

This paper presents a semantic analysis of two musical terms with which most teachers and students struggle: vivace and rubato. The scope of the paper is twofold: firstly, to elucidate the meaning of these two terms in a clear way; secondly, to analyse the meaning of these terms from the point of view of cultural semantics, which adopts the methodology of the NSM approach to analyse the meaning of words, thus highlight the connection with the meaning of the Italian adjectives from which they derive. Ultimately, the analysis is aimed at illustrating the advantages that NSM-based semantic explications of vivace and rubato can have for pedagogical purposes.

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Research carried out in consultation with or under the supervision of one or more experienced NSM practitioners

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