bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Translation of Advertising
Authors: Adab Beverly
Published: September 2007

In Towards a Science of Translating, (1969) Nida asserts that “There will always be a variety of valid answers to the question, ‘Is this a good translation?’” In the professional translation environment, the whole question of how to evaluate a translated text is one which poses a challenge to the client, to the translator and to those responsible for training the translator.

Much has been written about the difficulty of identifying (objectively) verifiable and perhaps more widely generalisable criteria for this form of evaluation, which needs to relate to the functional adequacy (Nord 1997, Toury 1995) of the translated text for its intended purpose. Such criteria would be equally welcome as guidelines for the actual translation process, to assist the translator in selecting from possible translation alternatives.

Think aloud protocols have tried to identify what goes on the ‘lack box’ and the cognitive processes involved in the process of text production (Kussmaul 1991, 1995). However, TAPS are a means to an end, the end being the aim of achieving a better understanding of the process in order to minimise the occurrence of potential errors and rationalise and optimise the process. This article attempts to show how Descriptive Analysis (see Toury 1995) of text pairs can highlight potentially successful strategy types, in relation to aspects of a functionalist approach to text production.

Having determined which text production criteria can be of use in evaluating the potential success of a translation choice within a text, it should be possible to formulate a set of guidelines against which translators could test choices.at micro-and macro-textual levels. Such guidelines, if also used to evaluate the target text, would ensure that evaluator and translator were ‘alking the same language’ and might not only improve the evaluation process but also optimise translation output. Translation theory can suggest potential criteria: corpus analysis, using the DTS methodology, can identify authentic examples of criteria in action. Bringing the two together into a usable format is the aim of this paper.

To demonstrate our approach we have used samples of advertising text pairs.This text type is notoriously difficult to evaluate, relying as it does on persuasive effect through impact on the reader. Since (potential or real) impact is recognised as being difficult to quantify. It is particularly important, for this text type. to have some relatively objective means of evaluating the functional adequacy of the target text.
Translation and Stereotypes as Cultural Facts
Authors: Valero-Garcés Carmen
Published: September 2007

The paper joins forces with the increasing literature on translation and cultural studies and places translation in the context of cross-cultural communication. It is my intention to analyse the factors that affect translation and the influence of stereotypical attitudes on the production of texts for a target culture (TC).

Assuming that translations are facts of target cultures as Toury points out (1995), I will concentrate on a very specific topic: stereotypical attitudes towards Latino sexuality and its influence on the production of target texts (TTs). For this purpose, I will first introduce the topic of translation and culture; secondly, I will write about the use and functions of stereotypes in cross-cultural communication with specific reference to attitudes towards Latinos in the USA; and thirdly, I will make a case study of stereotypes on the translation and production of materials related to AIDS. In doing so, I will talk about the position and function of the translations as entities in the target culture (TC), the translating activity related to an ethnic minority within the American culture, and the form the translations have (the product). The article presents the analysis of informative brochures on AIDS originally produced in English and translated into Spanish for the Latino community in the USA.
Translational Collocational Strategies of Arab Learners of English
Authors: Zughoul Muhammad Raji , Abdul-Fattah Hussein
Published: September 2007

Arab learners of English encounter a serious problem with collocational sequences. The
present study purports to determine the extent to which university English language
majors can use English collocations properly. A two-form translation test of 16 Arabic
collocations was administered to both graduate and undergraduate students of English.
The first form included the English translation in a multiple-choice format whereas the
other was given as a free translation task. The findings confirmed the writers’ hypothesis
that Arab learners of English at all levels face difficulty with English collocations.
Moreover, the study aimed at the characterization of the communicative strategies imple-mented
by the subjects in their attempts to convey the English meaning. Twelve such
strategies have been identified, exemplified and described. The findings have substanti-ated
the role of the NL in FL production as well as the need for explicit instructional focus
on collocation in school and university.
Retranslation
Authors: Jianzhong Xu
Published: September 2007

This article discusses an old-and-new topic, retranslation. The author, by analyzing the different aspects of retranslation, draws the following conclusion. The direct retranslation of literary works should be encouraged because it is the incarnation of artistry and the significance of it is to surpass former translated version(s).
The direct retranslation of the science books should be strictly limited because, quite different from the direct retranslation of literary works, it is only for the spreading of scientific truths, not for the readers’ appreciation. So it needs no competition in artistic approaches. But if the language and terms of the translated versions are not accurate or wrong or out of date, it is needed.
Indirect re/translation, although it loses some of the information of the original, should be accepted because it is a good supplement to direct translation. It is decreasing, but it will never disappear.
Mercè Rodoreda's short stories
Authors: Rodrigues Louis J.
Published: September 2007

Abstract

This critical essay examines the literary and linguistic features of two short stories by Mercé Rodoreda, the best-known Catalan woman writer of the twentieth century. Chosen from among others published together under the general title of La meva Cristina i altres contes (My Christina and other stories), these are thought to be fairly representative of the style and content of the collection as a whole. Written under the infl uence of Ovid, Joyce, Kafk a, Sartre and the Symbolists, the author mingles direct and indirect styles and uses ‘monologue’ as an alternative to narration in the third person to delineate the character of their protagonists through the medium of speech with another person who cannot (as in La Mainadera) and probably does not (in Amor) respond. The result is an evocative, lyrical prose as important for what it says as for how it says it. Ingenuity of expression and interpretation, malice in the choice of its elements, insinuation and irony are its chief characteristics.

Résumé

Cet essai critique étudie les caractéristiques littéraires et linguistiques de deux nouvelles de Mercé Rodoreda, la femme écrivain catalane la plus célèbre du vingtième siècle. Ces nouvelles, choisies parmi celles publiées sous le titre général La meva Chritina i altres contes (Ma Christina et autres récits), sont considérées comme assez représentatives du style et du contenu de l’ensemble de la collection. Influencée par Ovide, Joyce, Kafk a, Sartre et les Symbolistes, Mercé Rodoreda combine les styles direct et indirect et utilise le « monologue » comme alternative à la narration à la troisième personne, afin de dépeindre le caractère de ses protagonistes par le biais d’une conversation avec un interlocuteur qui ne peut pas répondre (comme dans La Mainadera) et qui ne répond probablement pas (dans Amor). Le résultat est une prose évocatrice et lyrique, aussi importante dans ce qu’elle dit que dans sa manière de l’exprimer. L’ingénuité de l’expression et de l’interprétation, la malveillance dans le choix de ses éléments, l’insinuation et l’ironie en sont les principales caractéristiques.
La Traduction Universitaire au Nigéria
Authors: Bariki Ozidi
Published: September 2007

Abstract

For the teacher of translation in a Nigerian University French Class, the primary objective is to teach the French Language. Thus there is need to clearly defi ne the objectives of translating vis-a-vis French. Our research reveals fuzziness in terms of objectives and "unevenness’’ in text typologies translated in class. Examination questions and evaluation of translated texts also portrayed arbitrariness. As for the teaching of translation, it can be encapsulated by the Jakobsonian approach of interlingual, intersemiotic and intralingual translation.

Résumé

Dans cet article, nous proposons que l’enseignement de la traduction dans le cours de francais doit s’intégrer au grand objectif du français, celui de la création des hommes cultives, ayant un horizon élargi de la vie à travers la maitrise du français. Ce grand objectif doit se traduire également d’une manière pratique dans l’objectif du cours de traduction. En classe, on traduit des textes tout en tenant compte des éléments linguistiques. Tout ceci implique un programme bien défini, élaboré et suivi fidèlement. La traduction en classe ne doit pas se limiter aux textes littéraires. Il faut élargir le champ de textes à traduire pour inclure des textes fonctionnels et technico-scientifiques entre autres. Quant à l’enseignement, nous préconisons une approche éclectique basée sur les trois sortes de traduction formulées par Jakobson: la traduction interlinguale, la traduction intralinguale et la traduction intersémiotique.
Untranslatable “You” in Chekhov’s Lady with Lapdog
Authors: Lewis Tom J.
Published: September 2007

Abstract

The present text examines a single instance of untranslatability — that of Russian second-person pronouns into English in the English versions of one of Anton Chekhov’s best known and most accomplished short stories, "Lady with Lapdog." The way in which Chekhov makes use of these pronouns is an essential aspect of his literary style and originality. The fact that the interplay of these pronouns is not translated — indeed, cannot be translated — has implications not just for English readers’ understanding of this story but for the general issue of untranslatability raised by Horst Frenz in his essay "The Art of Translation," published more than thirty years ago. Because the English reader does not have access to the subtle interplay between the two second-person pronouns in the Russian original, important features of the relationship between the two main characters are blurred if not altogether lost. Indeed, even the structure of the story itself can be seen to derive from this interplay of pronouns and of their corresponding verb forms. In conclusion, no matter how readable a translated text may be, it is bound, by the very nature of linguistic diff erences, to be to some degree untranslatable. The degree of untranslatability in the English renderings of Chekhov’s short story turns out to be great enough to prevent an appreciation of what is at the heart of Chekhov’s literary achievement.

Résumé

Ce texte examine un seul exemple d’intraduisibilite — la traduction en anglais du pronom russe de la seconde personne, dans les versions anglaises d’une des nouvelles les plus connues et les plus accomplies d’Anton Tcheckov, La dame au petit chien. La maniere dont Tchekov utilise ces pronoms constitue un aspect essentiel de son style litteraire et de son originalite. Le fait que l’interaction de ces pronoms ne soit pas traduite — qu’en fait, elle ne puisse pas l’etre — a des implications, non seulement sur la comprehension de cette nouvelle par les lecteurs anglais mais aussi sur le probleme general de l’intraduisibilite, souleve par Horst Frenz dans son essai L’art de la traduction, publie il y a plus de trente ans. Etant donne que le lecteur anglais n’a pas acces a la subtile interaction entre les pronoms de la seconde personne dans l’original russe, d’importantes particularites de la relation entre les deux personnages principaux s’estompent, si elles ne sont pas completement perdues. En eff et, la structure meme de l’histoire peut etre consideree comme provenant de cette interaction des pronoms et de leurs formes verbales correspondantes. En conclusion, un texte traduit a beau etre lisible, il sera certainement intraduisible dans une certaine mesure, en raison de la nature meme des differences linguistiques. Le degre d’intraduisibilite dans les traductions anglaises de la nouvelle de Tcheckov est suffi- samment important pour empecher d’apprecier ce qui est au coeur de la reussite litteraire de Tcheckov.
Derridian-inspired ideas for the conduct of translators
Authors: Brownlie Siobhan
Published: September 2007

The article aims to show that ‘deconstruction’ can be useful to practising translators. It is important not to proff
er generalizations about ‘deconstruction’, but to study specific texts. I initially review Philip Lewis’ ideas before going on
to show how Jacques Derrida’s text "Force de loi" (Derrida 1990) is a preferable text for our purposes. Ideas from "Force de
loi", in particular the notion of a just decision, inspire flexible guidelines for the conduct of translators. The main
features are the following: making decisions which take into account the source text as a whole and the translational
situation as a whole with its many facets; not sticking blindly to pre-determined translational strategies but responding to
the specifi city of the translational situation; making decisions which take into account both rules and protocols, and the
incalculable singularity of the translation event; and adopting a critical attitude towards established social norms if
required by the particular translational situation.
On the Translation of Modals from English into Arabic and Vice Versa
Authors: Abdel-Fattah Mahmoud M.
Published: September 2007

Abstract

Modal verbs are known to be a difficult area in both teaching and translation. In translation modals seem to pose certain problems due to their notoriety and ambiguity. This paper examines some of the problems encountered when translating modals from English into Arabic (and vice versa) with special reference to deontic modality and proceeds to shed light on the role ambiguity and decontextualization have in adding to the difficulty of translation. The deontic modals in English and Arabic are examined through examples selected for the purpose of the study in an endeavor to reveal the basic reasons behind having such difficulty when treating modals in English and Arabic translation. Therefore, some techniques to ease the difficulty deontic modals (and other types of modality) pose are suggested; and in particular when dealing with two different languages such as English and Arabic. The study concludes by emphasizing the role of backgrounds in arriving at interpretations of the meanings of modals and hence have them correctly rendered in the light of the meaning intended.

Résumé

On sait que les verbes modaux sont un sujet difficile aussi bien dans l’enseignement qu’en traduction. En traduction, les modaux semblent poser quelques problèmes en raison de leur réputation et de leur ambiguïté. Cet article étudie certains des problèmes rencontrés en traduisant les modaux de l’anglais en arabe (et vice-versa), avec une référence particulière à la modalité déontique. L’étude donne un bref compte-rendu de la modalité déontique anglaise et arabe et poursuit en expliquant en quoi le rôle que jouent l’ambiguïté et la décontextualisation rend plus difficile la traduction des modaux. Les modaux déontiques en anglais et en arabe sont étudiés au travers d’exemples sélectionnés pour les besoins de l’étude, dans une tentative de découvrir les raisons fondamentales à l’origine de cette difficulté à traiter les modaux dans la traduction anglaise et arabe. Par conséquent, certaines techniques sont proposées afin d’atténuer la difficulté que posent les modaux déontiques (et d’autres types de modalité), et, en particulier, lorsque l’on traite deux langues différentes, comme l’anglais et l’arabe. L’étude conclut en soulignant le rôle des contextes pour arriver à interpréter les significations des modaux et, par conséquent, pour les traduire correctement à la lumière de la signification visée.
Pertinence and redundancy in poetic repetition
Authors: Salim Ali Salah
Published: September 2007

Abstract

This paper tackles repetition in literary texts from a semantic, generic, and translatological perspective. It deals with repetition in Arabic texts as well as in Modern English poetry, and explains the problems that are likely to arise in translating repeated elements in English literary texts into Arabic. The theoretical framework rests on the supposition that a literary work in general, and poetry in particular must be examined as a total meaningful structure which entails the semantics and pragmatics of the text. In other words, repetition is a stylistic feature that involves a non-ordinary use of language, which does significantly shift the information content of the text. In translating literary works harbouring repetition from English into Arabic, significant problems usually emerge since what is considered stylistically and/or semantically marked in English might not be seen or conceived as such in Arabic. So, a translated text may miss important meaning elements intended by the English author. The effect is that the mental representation and understanding of the poem are drastically distorted. Moreover, this case applies to Arabic as well, for what is semantically and/or stylistically marked in Arabic repeated elements may lose its markedness in the English translation. The paper at hand addresses these issues providing several examples and suggesting some solutions.

Résumé

Cet article traite de la répétition dans les textes littéraires, dans une perspective sémantique, générique et traductologique. Il parle de la répétition dans les textes arabes, ainsi que dans la poésie moderne anglaise, et explique les problèmes qui risquent de surgir lorsqu’on traduit en arabe des éléments répétitifs dans les textes littéraires anglais. Le cadre théorique repose sur l’hypothèse qu’une oeuvre littéraire, en général, et la poésie en particulier, doit être envisagée comme une structure significative totale, englobant la sémantique et la pragmatique du texte. En d’autres termes, la répétition est une caractéristique stylistique qui implique une utilisation peu ordinaire de la langue, ce qui modifie considérablement le contenu informatif du texte. En traduisant de l’anglais en arabe des oeuvres littéraires comportant des répétitions, des problèmes significatifs surgissent habituellement, étant donné que ce qui est considéré comme marqué en anglais, du point de vue stylistique ou sémantique, peut ne pas être vu ou considéré comme tel en arabe. Ainsi, un texte traduit peut passer à côté d’un élément d’une signification importante, voulu par l’auteur anglais. En conséquence, la représentation et la compréhension mentales du poème sont considérablement déformées. En outre, ce raisonnement s’applique aussi à l’arabe, car ce qui est marqué dans des éléments répétitifs en arabe, du point de vue stylistique ou sémantique, peut perdre son caractère marqué dans la traduction anglaise. Cet article aborde ces problèmes en donnant plusieurs exemples et en suggérant quelques solutions.
Modelos culturales y discursivos en la traducción de textos de comercio internacional
Authors: Fuertes Olivera Pedro A. , Montero Martínez Silvia , Garcia de Quesada Mercedes
Published: September 2007

Resumen

La traducción de las Convenciones y las Leyes Modelo, documentos prototípicos emitidos por las Naciones Unidas en relación con la legislación reguladora del Comercio Internacional, constituye un caso de documentos iguales. Éstos muestran una gran dependencia entre el texto en lengua origen y el texto en lengua meta. Este artículo analiza algunos ejemplos de estos documentos en inglés y en español con el objetivo de proponer soluciones a algunos problemas de traducción relacionados con la semiótica de la cultura. En concreto, nuestro objetivo es, por un lado, analizar los modelos discursivos que subyacen a estos productos textuales y que se reflejan en algunos elementos macrotextuales tales como los abstracts, summaries y preámbulos; por otro, ilustrar la relación entre traducción e ideología, más concretamente, entre traducción y género. Nuestro análisis pone de manifiesto que pueden surgir problemas relacionados con la traducción del género en su doble acepción de ‘constructo social que hace referencia a actitudes socio culturales’ y de ‘tipo textual caracterizado por una serie de convenciones aceptadas por una comunidad discursiva’.

Résumé

Les conventions et lois-modèles des Nations-Unies sont des documents prototypiques concernant la réglementation du commerce international. Leur traduction donne lieu à des exemplaires des documents égaux (Sager 1998), caractérisés par un niveau élevé de dépendance réciproque entre le texte dans la langue source et dans la langue cible. Cet article traite de certains documents anglais et espagnols, afin d’offrir des solutions possibles concernant les difficultés de traduction, dues aux aspects de signification culturelle, en particulier à certains aspects de la signification relative à la triade genre–texte– discours (Hatim et Mason 1997). Plus précisément, nous analysons les modèles discursifs, formalisés au moyen d’éléments macro-textuels comme les résumés, les synthèses et les préambules, et nous étudions la traduction de l’idéologie (« genre »).

Abstract

The United Nations Conventions and Model Laws are prototypical documents related to regulation in International Trade. Their translation gives rise to exemplars of equal documents (Sager 1998), characterized by a high degree of reciprocal dependence between the text in the source and target language. This paper focuses on some English and Spanish documents to offer possible solutions regarding translation difficulties due to aspects of cultural meaning, particularly some aspects of meaning related with the genre-text-discourse triad (Hatim and Mason 1997). More specifically, we analyze the discursive models formalized through macrotextual elements such as abstracts, summaries and preambles, and we study the translation of ideology (‘gender’).
A pedagogic model of translating expository texts
Authors: Al-Kufaishi Adil
Published: September 2007

The aim of this paper is to present a semantically- based and pragmatically-oriented model of translating expository texts, to
expound its main components and to establish links between its subcomponents. The model is discourse-centered. It caters for the
properties of meaning, semantic relationships, rhetorical patterns and discoursal values, and considers the cognitive processes of
interpretation which involve interaction and negotiation between schemata- the system of prior conceptual knowledge and the
textual information. The model considers both the macro- and micro-dimensions of discourse analysis. It starts with
macro-structure analysis, i.e. the discoursal organizational patterns and proceeds to micro-structure analysis, i.e. the
intersentential relationships that bind together the portions of the text and the lexical items which encode the imparted meaning.
The model takes into account the four translation processes of discourse decomposition, conversion restructuring and editing. It
views the text as a subcomponent of the communicative context which in turn is a subcomponent of the context of culture (see
Figure 4). The analytical procedure proceeds in terms of three levels: level 1 involves discourse decomposition (Component A),
level 2 involves communicative context analysis (Component B) and level 3 involves cultural restructuring (Component C). To
properly comprehend a text, a trainee translator has to: (a) decompose the intricate network of semantic and textual
relationships, (b) consider the parameters of the communicative context that are relevant to discourse interpretation and (c) link
the text to its cultural context.
L2 root infinitives uprooted and revisited
Authors: Gavruseva Elena
Published: September 2007

Recent work on child L2 acquisition of English demonstrates that root infinitives (RIs) abound in early language (Gavruseva and Lardière 1996, Haznedar and Schwarz 1997). This paper aims to show that current approaches to RIs (Rizzi 1993/94, Prévost and White 2000) fail to account for the correlations between a predicate’s Aktionsart and its finiteness status. For example, it is shown that statives and punctual eventives are quite consistently finite, whereas non-punctual eventives are ‘optionally’ finite in the L2 data from five children (mean age 7;5). An alternative account of the RI effect is developed, suggesting that verbs in the English lexicon are specified either for an inherent telicity feature or a compositional telicity feature and that the respective features are checked in the aspectual projections with different properties. The central assumption is that syntactic aspectual features are underspecified in early child L2 syntax. The child L2 data are shown to be consistent with this hypothesis.
Unlearning V2
Authors: Westergaard Marit
Published: September 2007

This study investigates how child speakers of a verb second (V2) language acquire the supposedly more basic SVO word order of English. Data comes from approximately 100 Norwegian school children aged 7 to 12 in their acquisition of three related syntactic constructions. The focus of the investigation is the extent of language transfer from the L1, related to questions of markedness. It is shown that there is considerable transfer of Norwegian word order, and the children need to ‘unlearn’ the V2 rule acquired for their first language in the process of learning English. In a cue-based approach to second language acquisition, the input cues that are necessary to reorganize the children’s internalized grammar are identified, and the frequency of these cues is argued to be responsible for the order of acquisition of the various constructions.
Long-term effects of an earlier start
Authors: Navés Teresa , Torras Maria Rosa , Celaya M. Luz
Published: September 2007

The aim of this paper is to analyse the development of the written production of six groups of learners (N=520) in a formal instruction setting and to investigate the effects of onset and age on the levels of attainment in writing performance. The written production was measured after 200, 416 and 726 hours of instruction. Both intragroup and intergroup analyses were carried out (a) to analyse the long-term effects of an earlier start in second language writing in a school setting, (b) to analyse the patterns of development between the four writing component measures depending on learners’ age, and (c) to test whether the relationships found between the measures in the four areas of writing differ depending on learners’ age group. This study concludes that (a) at the end of the instructional period Early Starters still have not surpassed Late Starters, (b) there seem to be two patterns of writing performance depending on learners’ age, and (c) the correlations found between the writing component indicators change depending on learners’ age group.
Towards a characterisation of saliency on first exposure to a second language
Authors: Rast Rebekah , Dommergues Jean-Yves
Published: September 2007

This paper attempts to shed light on the question of what in the input is perceived and processed by the learner, and how it is processed upon first contact with a target language. Subjects were French learners of Polish who had had no contact with Polish or any other Slavic language before the onset of the project. They were tested on a sentence repetition task before receiving any Polish instruction, after 4 hours of instruction, and again after 8 hours. The results suggest that even as little as 8 hours of exposure induces a recognizable interlanguage; that the influence of global input can be predicted by word length, word stress, phonemic distance, transparency, position and frequency; and that the role these factors play evolves over time. Together the results suggest a way to characterise the notion of saliency in the input.
Native-like attainment in L2 syntax
Authors: Boxtel Sonja van , Bongaerts Theo , Coppen Peter-Arno
Published: September 2007

In this study, we test the prediction, derived from the Critical Period Hypothesis, that a native-level of attainment in L2 grammar cannot be reached by learners who start acquiring a second language after the onset of puberty. We selected 30 very advanced German and French late learners (age of arrival less than or equal to 12 years) of Dutch and compared their performance on a grammar test with that of 44 (highly educated) native speakers of Dutch. The test consisted of two tasks: an elicited imitation task and a relative grammaticality judgement task. In these tasks, participants were tested on their knowledge of dummy subject constructions. These construction types were chosen because they are known to be very hard to acquire for learners of Dutch as a second language. The results show that it is possible to attain a native level of proficiency for learners who start acquiring a second language (long) after puberty.
Producing and learning to produce utterances in social interaction
Authors: Dausendschön-Gay Ulrich
Published: September 2007

Developmental research on first and second language acquisition is mainly concerned with cognitive, linguistic or pragmatic aspects of individual speech production treated separately and based on the tenets of separate disciplines or approaches (psycholinguistics, psychology of language, constructivism, conversation analysis). However, some studies try to integrate questions of language acquisition into the much broader context of social interaction in general. This paper argues in favour of such integration, taking a conversationalist perspective on speech and discourse production in social — face-to-face — interaction. In particular, it argues for the systematic integration of all kinds of body movements (traditionally called gestures) and prosody into the analysis of empirical data as a fundamental basis for the development of an interactional grammar and its study in an acquisitional research framework.
Evidence for the C-domain in early Interlanguage
Authors: Dekydtspotter Laurent , Schwartz Bonnie D. , Sprouse Rex A. , Liljestrand Audrey
Published: September 2007

On the basis of Hindi-English Interlanguage data, Bhatt and Hancin-Bhatt (2002) advance the Structural Minimality hypothesis in which C-domain categories are not licensed in early second language (L2) acquisition, and claim that this leads early L2 learners to misconstrue Prepositional Phrases in the immediate vicinity of the complementizer that introducing an embedded clause. We show, however, that the Structural Minimality thesis is conceptually weak and the argumentation seeking to establish it flawed in three areas: experimental design, reporting of results, and interpretation. Using data from Garcia (1998), we report asymmetries — in the construal of PPs immediately preceding the complementizer versus PPs immediately following the complementizer — that show that knowledge of the C-domain is necessarily implicated in L2 English. We argue that these asymmetries are rooted in the performance system, and we present additional supporting evidence from English-French Interlanguage that is, moreover, highly revealing of the precise, universal sentence processing mechanisms involved. Bhatt and Hancin-Bhatt’s (2002) proposal, in contrast, simply fails to explain any of these asymmetries.
Grammar and pragmatics
Authors: Håkansson Gisela , Norrby Catrin Elisabeth
Published: September 2007

This paper compares grammatical and pragmatic development in foreign language learners of Swedish. For the analysis of grammatical proficiency, data from translation tasks and essays were tested against the stage model proposed in Processability Theory, which identifies five stages of morpho-syntactic development for Swedish (Pienemann 1998, Pienemann and Håkansson 1999). For the pragmatic analysis a gap-fill task was used, inspired by the discourse completion task (Blum-Kulka 1982, Kasper and Roever 2005), but taking into consideration sequential aspects of the interaction. All tasks were piloted with a control group of Swedish native speakers. The results indicate a relationship between native-like pragmatic command and a high level of morpho-syntactic processability. The findings suggest that students whose grammatical processing capacity is restricted to lower levels find it difficult to contextualise their utterances in a pragmatically appropriate way.
Pragmatic development in L2 use of criticisms
Authors: Nguyen Thi Thuy Minh
Published: September 2007

This paper presents a study of the development of L2 pragmatic competence in the speech act of criticisms. Data were collected from three proficiency groups of Vietnamese foreign language learners of English via a conversation elicitation task and a written questionnaire. An interview was also conducted to probe into the learners’ pragmatic decision-making. Results show that the strongest difference among the learners lay in the area of modifiers to criticisms, rather than in the criticism strategies per se. Specifically, as the learners became more proficient in the L2, they mitigated their criticisms more often, thanks to a better control over language processing. However, they still lagged far behind the native speaker group in the frequency of their use of mitigators. These proficiency effects were explained by the EFL context, which probably did not much facilitate pragmatic development, given the learners’ insufficient exposure to the target norms.
Focus on Form in Second Language Vocabulary Learning
Authors: Laufer Batia
Published: September 2007

The realization by applied linguists that second language learners cannot achieve high levels of grammatical competence from entirely meaning centered instruction has led them to propose that learners need to focus on form, i.e. to attend to linguistic elements during a communicative activity (Long 1991, De Keyser 1998, Norris and Ortega 2000, Ellis 2001). However, most advocates of Focus on Form (FonF), have also proscribed Focus on Forms (FonFs), the systematic teaching of isolated grammatical items and rules. So far, FonF research has been concerned with grammatical, not lexical, instruction. In this paper, which was originally presented as a plenary session at the 2004 EUROSLA conference, I examine the need for Focus on Form and the proscription of Focus on Forms from the vocabulary learning perspective.

 First, I argue that, similarly to grammar, comprehensible input is insufficient for acquiring vocabulary, and consequently Focus on Form is an essential component of instruction. I base my argument on the fallacy of the assumptions which underlie the vocabulary-through-input hypothesis: the noticing assumption, the guessing ability assumption, the guessing-retention link assumption and the cumulative gain assumption. Second, I defend Focus on Forms and argue against the claim that attention to form must be motivated by and carried out within a communicative task environment. The defense is based on the nature of lexical competence, which is perceived as a combination of different aspects of vocabulary knowledge, vocabulary use, speed of lexical access and strategic competence. The two arguments above will be supported by empirical evidence from three types of vocabulary learning studies: (a) the ‘classic’ task embedded FonF, (b) task related FonFs, and (c) ‘pure’ FonFs studies, unrelated to any task.
Reactivating a dormant vocabulary
Authors: Meara Paul
Published: September 2007

This paper describes an attempt to elicit examples of spontaneous vocabulary reactivation as a result of a short period of intensive exposure to an L2 environment. The data collected suggests that extensive reactivation may take place under these conditions, but it is largely driven by words that were encountered in the environment. Some spontaneous reactivation occurs as well, but this seems to be on a much smaller scale than is implied in accounts of the ‘Boulogne Ferry Effect’. The paper argues that detailed investigations using co-operative single subjects can sometimes allow us to research questions which are not amenable to experiments using large subject groups.
A profile of the Fiji English lexis
Authors: Tent Jan
Published: September 2007

The vocabulary of Fiji English is one of its most distinguishing features. English has a profound influence upon the lives of all Fiji Islanders — it is the principal language of government, the judiciary, education and commerce. This paper examines some of the sources and features of the Fiji English lexis, the most common of which include: borrowings, reborrowings, calques, new coinages, semantic shifts, archaisms, and hybrid compounds. It also outlines some of the lexical affinities with and divergences from other varieties of English.
Barbudan Creole English
Authors: Aceto Michael
Published: September 2007

This article presents some of the core grammatical features of Barbudan Creole English, an Anglophone language that has never been described in the linguistics or creolistics literature. It begins with a historical presentation of Barbuda within the British colonial world, discussing the islands unusual social configuration regarding the use of African slaves and its role in producing goods for plantations in nearby Antigua. The grammatical presentation focuses on the preverbal markers as well as other features and provides some comparative data mostly between Antiguan Creole English and Barbudan.
“Celtic English”
Authors: Walters J. Roderick
Published: September 2007

The article examines the phonology of Rhondda Valleys English, an accent of the Welsh “Valleys”, to try to discover to what degree it is influenced by the Welsh language. It finds some features of segmental phonology which appear to be direct transfers. However, most of these appear to be recessive, since they are found mostly in the speech of older generations born at a time when there was considerably more Welsh spoken in the Rhondda than at present. The article lists other non-standard features of segmental phonology where parallel sounds exist in the Welsh language, but it cannot be stated with certainty that Welsh is the primary source. In such cases, the Welsh substratum may be acting at least to reinforce the presence of the features concerned. Finally, the article looks at the suprasegmentals (prosody) of Rhondda Valleys English. Here, because the similarities with the Welsh language are so striking and there are no obvious parallels with neighbouring dialects of England, it would seem very likely that most of the features concerned constitute direct transfers. Since such Welsh-language derived suprasegmental features seem more pervasive than the segmental ones, they may well form the strongest and most enduring “Celtic imprint” on the dialect studied.
Xhosa English as an institutionalised variety of English
Authors: de Klerk Vivian
Published: September 2007

This paper aims to examine the English of Xhosa speakers (a significant proportion of speakers of Black South African English, since Xhosa is the second largest indigenous black language in South Africa), in terms of Williams’ (1987) criteria for Non-native Institutionalised Varieties of English (NIVEs). Using a corpus-based approach, the article reports on the results of analyses of a range of linguistic features in the newly-developed corpus of spoken Xhosa English (over 500 000 words), in an effort to go some way towards providing the evidence so necessary for the endorsement of newly established norms, and to counteract the pull of native English norms, “which tend to result in the stigmatisation of some of the major indexical markers of the non-native varieties” (Bamgbose 1998:3).
The regional and sociolinguistic dimension of /hw/ maintenance and loss in early 20th century New Zealand English
Authors: Schreier Daniel , Gordon Elizabeth , Hay Jennifer , Maclagan Margaret
Published: September 2007

This paper investigates the regional dimension of new-dialect formation and feature maintenance and loss in early 20th century New Zealand English (NZE). Examining the distribution and status of voiceless labiovelar /hw/ fricatives (which results in an articulatory contrast between Wales and whales, or witch and which) in three selected regions of New Zealand (Otago/Southland, Canterbury, and the North Island), we show that the overall distribution of this feature represents population demographics and ancestral effects, and that its loss and maintenance are conditioned by social criteria (total input of /hw/ retaining donor dialects, settlement type) as well as by linguistic factors (preceding environment, word type). Usage of labiovelar fricatives is strongest in areas that had a high contingent of Scottish settlers and lowest in regions that were predominantly settled by English settlers. Moreover, in all three areas women have higher usage of /hw/ than men, which is of relevance for the reputedly high social status of /hw/ usage and gender-based language differentiation.
Simplification and redistribution
Authors: Trousdale Graeme
Published: September 2007

This article considers patterns of modal verb usage, based on data collected from twenty informants from Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the north-east of England, which show differences from material taken from the Survey of English Usage, used as data in Coates (1983, 1995). The paper therefore attempts to describe and explain differences in the use of the modals between authoritative accounts of Standard English on the one hand and the informal spoken English of a sample of speakers from Tyneside on the other. I argue that the reason for these differences may be in part due to increased markedness (systemic, sociolinguistic and stylistic) of certain forms, which induces simplification (the (re)creation of regularity within the system, through focussing) and redistribution (where modalities previously expressed by certain modal verbs come to be expressed by other modals within the system). Throughout, I try to suggest an approach to variation which considers language-internal and language-external factors.
Tall poppies and egalitarianism in Australian discourse
Authors: Peeters Bert
Published: September 2007

In Australian English, tall poppies are usually individuals who, on the basis of unwarranted self-adulation, itself a consequence of success, amassed fortune or fame, have become targets for criticism; or, less frequently, individuals who, overcome by success, amassed fortune or fame, and on the mistaken assumption that they are above the law, have engaged in unlawful behaviour, only to find that, eventually, the law catches up with them as well. They become the victims of a widespread tendency, known as the tall poppy syndrome, to scrutinize high achievers and cut down the tall poppies among them. Sometimes, especially in the world of science, the term tall poppy is also used to refer to outstanding scholars who deserve to be publicly acknowledged for their work. This paper looks at tall poppies and at the tall poppy syndrome in Australian discourse, and argues that the term tall poppy is a key word which, when studied closely in terms of its currency, its incidence in collocations, etc., reveals a great deal about the real nature of egalitarianism, one of Australia’s most often named cultural values.
The Dialect Topography of Montreal
Authors: Boberg Charles
Published: September 2007

A new survey of variation and change in Canadian English, called Dialect Topography, has been extended from Southern Ontario, where it was conceived and originally implemented, to Montreal. In the tradition of earlier questionnaires investigating Canadian English, the new data contribute to our knowledge of Canadian English at several levels of structure, including phonology, morpho-syntax, and lexicon. In this paper, the Montreal data are compared to those from the Toronto region and to earlier studies of Quebec English, in order to examine differences between the varieties of English spoken in Canada's two largest cities from a diachronic perspective. Contrary to the conclusion of an earlier study, variables involving a contrast between British and American forms show similar frequencies in both cities. The data on these variables also show the frequency of American forms in Montreal speech to be increasing over time. Another set of variables displays wide discrepancies between the two regions. Some of the differences are explained in terms of settlement history and language contact; others are not so easily explained and are presented as a challenge for future research.
Exploring rhyming slang in Ireland
Authors: Lillo Antonio
Published: September 2007

There are several varieties of English where rhyming slang is or has been a productive source of new words. However, its incidence in some Englishes still remains, by and large,terra incognitafor slang lexicographers and linguists alike. Based on a number of written sources and oral transcripts, this article surveys the origins and development of rhyming slang in Ireland, its most outstanding characteristics and its productivity throughout the 20th century down to the present. In order to illustrate the significance and creative potential of this category of word-formation in Irish English, the final part of the article offers a glossary of Irish rhyming slang, including many terms which are not recorded in the standard slang dictionaries.
Mergers in the mountains
Authors: Hazen Kirk
Published: September 2007

This paper examines the status of two vowel mergers in a rural area of the United States. The front-lax merger has traditionally been a southern US merger, and the low-back merger has traditionally been a northern or western US merger. In areas of West Virginia, the same speakers demonstrate both. This geographic overlap of both mergers reinforces the idea that West Virginia is a transitional dialect region. In addition, the traditionally distinct dialect regions of West Virginia are finding increased unity in this overlap of mergers.
American Indian English
Authors: Rowicka Grażyna J.
Published: September 2007

The paper provides a qualitative real-time study of ancestral language transfer in the English spoken on the Quinault Indian Nation reservation in WA, USA, in the late 1960s and nowadays. The 1960s data come from archival recordings of mainly one bilingual elder, while the recent samples were recorded in 2004. Only the former exhibit some evident phonological and morpho-syntactic transfer. The present-day speech conforms to informal General American patterns, except for one new variable, the glottal replacement of voiceless stops. The latter is not attested in the archival material and is argued to involve an innovation. A similar phenomenon has been reported in several other American Indian English (AIE) varieties. This may imply that a shared AIE substratum is developing, based on non-standard English features rather than on specific ancestral language transfer features. Leap’s (1993) assertion that no general AIE variety is on the rise may be worth re-examination.