CHALLENGES AND PITFALLS IN CONDUCTING DIALECTAL SURVEY IN THE AREA BÂRGĂULUI, BISTRIȚA-NĂSĂUD COUNTY

Author(s): Maria Cornelia Rus / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 23/2020

Bârgăului Valley in Bistrița-Năsăud County is considered a transition area, which falls within the Northeastern Transylvanian language. Dialectal survey is an effective method of collection of linguistic material, as it involves the interaction of the investigator with the subjects and direct recording of concrete information related to the evolution of a subject. The purpose of the study is to present the challenges and pitfalls encountered in developing surveys dialects developed in the Bârgăului area, Bistrița-Năsăud county. In conducting the direct dialect survey in the field, I used the "spy" recording method. and I applied a questionnaire consisting of 186 questions. The linguistic material collected was saved on electronic support for the purpose of phonetic transcription, systematization, analysis and interpretation of phonetically, morphologically and lexically. Currently, the conduct of a dialectal survey subjects the investigator to attempts at time type, technology progress etc. People are very busy, work in factories, and after finishing the program ends its field work and housework. Young people no longer have time available, because he plans and organizes each action. Development of social networks and online media tools, regardless of the age of the informants, there is a fear of not being popularized on the internet, either out of a desire to protect their identity and privacy, or from fear of not being judged by the community, due to the fact that they are not aware of the village traditions, not knowing how to answer some questions. Technological advances have helped me as an investigator in recording, storing and processing information collected, but at the same time through the development of networks and media channels have contributed to the fear induction of popularization in the virtual environment.

The tsifteteli of irony and the dance of the ignorant Lilipuans:

Author(s): Aikaterini Giampoura / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

This paper studies the old Greek children’s radio show Edo Lilipoupoli transmitted from December 1977 to May 1980 by the Third Program of the Greek State Radio. The considerations of this paper result from the examination of the content of the radio show regarding its cultural and social parameters and correlations as a collective media project. The insight gained from this endeavour is significant, particularly due to the common claim among the broadcast listeners and contributors that the children’s radio program Edo Lilipoupoli functioned as a “mirror” of Greek society. The broadcast can be therefore understood as a kind of social snapshot depicting the ideological and identity conflict between the conservative and the progressive voices prevailing in society during that time. The analytical interest focuses on one specific song, very popular in the context of the radio show, with the title “We are not Zulu”. This approach will include an analysis of the lyrics in connection to their setting, i.e. morphology, harmony, instrumentation as well as the singer’s performance. Within the framework of this music-aesthetic and linguistic analytical point of view, I will try to identify the role and function of humour in the song and pursue an interpretive approach in the context of its sociocultural implications. The conclusions will form an attempt to bring out the point of view of the show’s contributors.

Beyond laughter and smiles:

Author(s): Bageshree Ramdas Bageshwar,Shahila Zafar / Language(s): English Issue: 1/2023

Amid the deluge of serious social media posts regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, humorous posts brought users much-needed respite. This article reviews studies on social media-based COVID-19 humour in 42 research articles that were selected from four databases, viz. Science Direct, Scopus, Taylor & Francis, and Web of Science. After the classification and analysis of the articles on the basis of some key features, a detailed description and discussion of the findings have been carried out. The results concerning the characteristics and functions of COVID-19 humour reveal that most studies investigated image-text memes; the most important feature found was ‘humour’, in addition to others like sarcasm, irony, satire, criticism, juxtaposition, and locality. Intertextuality played a significant role in the structure of humorous posts, especially those related to specific countries. Additionally, it shows that although research on COVID-19 humour on social media is still in an early phase, several findings appear stable across various studies included in this review. Moreover, most humour studied is not only about the virus or the disease itself, but also focuses on absurd situations individuals found themselves in due to the pandemic and the lockdown that followed.

ROMGLOBISH - THE DYNAMIC CODE OF ROMANIAN YOUTUBERS

Author(s): Anamaria Radu,Alexandra Cotoc / Language(s): English Issue: 24/2021

Our study provides a multifaceted discourse analysis of young Romanians tackling different topics on YouTube vlogs. As the explicit goal of the vloggers under focus is to raise awareness on social and political problems, on the Romanian music or culture, on travels and leisure time activities, gadgets, technology, sports etc. we will pursue an in-depth analysis of their discourses, focusing on the way their discourse is shaped in order to be catchy and liked by their followers. The dynamics of the Romanian language is manifested today in its most obvious forms in the language of Internet users, especially vloggers. We will analyze the influence of Globish and English in the new created code of Romanian YouTubers. The Romanian language constitutes a matrix in which English and Globish are poured and they become part of a new dynamic code, destined to be changed at all levels: lexical, morphological and syntactical.

Flirting with the Israeli prime minister, humorously

Author(s): Galia Hirsch,Pnina Shukrun-Nagar / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

This article examines a specific type of supportive, make-believe, playful humour called here flirting humour, which serves to create a positioning of symmetry and intimacy, while posing a mitigated threat to the face of the addresser and addressee. We focus on two sub-categories of this humour prevalent in online readers’ comments to Facebook posts published by the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the March 2020 electoral campaign: (1) humorous confessions of lust and love by women, even marriage proposals; (2) humorous gestures of camaraderie, mostly by men, including informal social invitations and friendly requests for favours – all directed to Netanyahu. We suggest that this humour reflects characteristics identified with the Israeli Sabra individuals (e.g., directness, openness, easy-goingness, mischievousness) and the Israeli society (camaraderie, informality). Furthermore, we argue that flirting humour, which is particularly dominant among Netanyahu’s supporters, is associated with his dual self-positioning: while the symmetrical and intimate scenarios his supporters humorously create reflect Netanyahu’s positioning as “one of the guys”, the humorous framing reflects awareness of his hierarchical superiority, and acceptance of his self- positioning as a great leader. Thus, flirting humour contributes both to the solidification of Netanyahu’s supporters, and the reinforcing of his position among them.

Laughing at political opponents:

Author(s): Orest Semotiuk / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

The paper is devoted to the analysis of the discursive dimension of the standoff between supporters of 6th Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and those of his predecessor Petro Poroshenko. This dimension is implemented in Internet memes as one of the forms of political satire. Memes can be defined by their goals, frame of reference and means. The discursive practices used in memes aiming at the symbolic defamation of a political opponent and his electoral base are considered, taking into account the target, the focus, and the presentation of political satire about the protagonists Zelensky and Poroshenko. The corresponding parameters (goal-target, frame of reference-focus, means-presentation) constitute the analytical framework for the examination of the interrelations between political participation, political humour, political satire, and political discourse in this paper.

“The General Said”:

Author(s): Desislava Cheshmedzhieva-Stoycheva / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

Times of trial require resorting to new methods for venting up the tension. Internet memes during the first outbreak of the pandemic proved to be the necessary outlet, while, at the same time, provided a platform for the public to share their opinion, albeit in a humorous way, on the measures imposed, the people involved in the fight against the virus, and basically on everything that determined their everyday lives. The latter has been fostered greatly by the fact that humour is a generally relatable phenomenon. At the same time though, it can also be culture specific and some peculiarities of the embedded message can remain hidden for the general public. In order to trace these opposing aspects in the creation of internet memes, the paper analyses a corpus of 84 memes circulated on Facebook and Instagram in the period of 13 March 2020 – 30 May 2020. The subject in all these memes is General Ventsislav Mutafchiyski, who was in charge of the struggle with COVID-19 pandemic in Bulgaria, and the main methods of analysis are Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and Multimodal Discourse Analysis. The focus is on intertextuality and the paper argues that some of the intertextual links used in the creation of the memes might be left misunderstood by the general public due to the specificity of the message carried or the images that have been selected by the authors of these pieces of digital humour. Thus, mediation, i.e. the time needed to decode the message, would be longer for people who are not familiar with the images or ideas used, while smaller for those aware of them. Additionally, the paper argues that the age of the recipients as well as their personal preferences are also of significance for the proper understanding of the message a meme carries. Furthermore, the analysis also proves the fact that although some images might be used simply as a background and do not carry substantial information, without them one cannot understand the full array of ideas the author/ poster of a particular meme is trying to convey.

Book review

Author(s): Jessica Milner Davis / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

Book review

Author(s): Bartholomew Chizoba Akpah / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

Book review

Author(s): Theodora Saltidou / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2023

THE THEORY OF TONOMYMIC FIELDS. THE CASE OF JIJIA UPPER VALLEY

Author(s): Bogdan Constantin Archip / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 27/2021

Our research will reveal a series of particularities, specific for the theory of tonomymic fields and the correlation between the awareness of speakers’ affiliation to a certain geographical region and their methods to translate this affiliation into toponymic terminology.

TOPONYMS WITH A GEOMORPHOLOGIC DESIGNATION. JIJIA UPPER VALLEY

Author(s): Bogdan Constantin Archip / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 27/2021

Our approach aims the classification of toponyms based on their designation degree within the geomorphology specific for Jijia Upper Valley, Botoșani county.

Политики на превода

Author(s): Jana Damianova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2002

Опитомяването на Дерида: превод, пренос, препис на автора

Author(s): Dimitar Kambourov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 1/2002

LATIN APHORISMS AND PHRASES: VALUES AND PRINCIPLES

Author(s): Eugenia Mincu,Dorina Macovei,Natalia Rotari,Cristina Negru / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 28/2022

Some researchers name Latin a "dead language" which saves the living. However, we consider the phrase a dead language to be untrue, because the perpetuation of the Latin language is demonstrated and ensured, first of all, by Latin aphorisms and phrases, which reflect human existential values and assume the role of Genus Universalis. This article proposes the analysis of Latin aphorisms and phrases from the three-dimensionality perspective: ontology, gnoseology and deontology. At the same time, criteria for classifying Latin aphorisms and phrases are proposed.

ARGUMENTATION BASED ON SEMANTIC FIGURES IN THE TELEVISION INTERVIEW

Author(s): Loredana-Aurelia Alexandrescu,Maria Alexandrescu / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 28/2022

Our study focuses on argumentative techniques based on semantic rhetorical figures (metaphor, comparison, metonymy, oxymoron), in the current interview type Romanian television discourse. The analysis is performed on four television shows: Professionals, broadcasted on TVR1, moderated by Eugenia Vodă (interviews with Monica Macovei, Andrei Pleşu, Dem Rădulescu, Father Ilarion and Father Bartolomeu Anania); Breakfast with a champion, broadcasted on TVR 2 and TVR2 HD, hosted by Daniela Zeca-Buzura(interview with Corina Chiriac and Andrei Pleşu); Nocturnes, on TVR1, TVR HD and TVR +, moderated by Marina Constantinescu (interview with LiviuCiulei); Let's cultivate gratitude, on Trinitas TV, made by Eveline Păuna (interview with Daniela Zeca-Buzura); we mention the fact that in the analyzed interviews all the typological discursive formscan be found, from the legal discourse (Monica Macovei), with descriptive and narrative structures, to the religious discourse (Fr. Ilarion from the Monastery “The Cross”, Father Bartholomew Anania) or philosophical (Andrei Pleșu).

„Червените Eви“. Съветската eманципация нa страниците на полската междувоенна преса (Встъпително проучване)

Author(s): Anna Sobieska / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 30/2023

The paper focuses on observation of the Polish interwarpress (Catholicnationalist, left-wing, feminist journals) in terms of itsinterest in the topic of female emancipation through workin Soviet Russia. The analysis of the images of Soviet women appearing in these journals, the way of seeing an devaluating the transformations in the Soviet Union after 1917 show the patriarchy and Catholic traditionalism of Polish culture.

MIXED COUPLES, BILINGUAL CHILDREN – BILINGUALISM IN THE FAMILY, IDENTITY AND CULTURAL ISSUES

Author(s): Simona GRIGORAȘ / Language(s): French Issue: 32/2023

Bilingualism is still at the heart of the debates; we define several types (early, simultaneous, consecutive, late, compound, additive, neutral, subtractive) and we begin to agree that a perfect mastery of both languages is not possible. The bilingual child or adult benefits from these advantages, but he must also overcome the disadvantages of his status. The family has an important role in the transmission of a language; it is necessary the will of the parents, especially the mothers, and rules inside the house for the use of the codes are needed. The parents use real language strategies. Bilingualism has consequences on the identity and cultural level, because words are linked to our intimate existence and our personal history. At the social level, the principle “one language, one people” has not always imposed itself; today there are still differences between the different linguistic communities that coexist, because language is not only a tool of communication, but also a vision of the world, an image of oneself, an object to be defended. Despite the language policies of the European Commission, national education systems are less prepared for linguistic diversity. In a still standardizing society, bicultural identity seems to have become a reality that should be accepted as enriching, without attaching negative representations to it.

THE PRINCIPLE OF LINGUISTIC POLITENESS IN THE TELEVISED POLITICAL DISCOURSE DURING THE PANDEMIC

Author(s): Robert Claudiu Bălăiasa / Language(s): Romanian Issue: 32/2023

This paper refers to the classification of the types of politeness in one of the most watched categories of speeches, the political one. The reference area of this type of speech focuses on the televised political one, of the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, during the coronavirus pandemic. The speech analysis, of the first man in the Romanian political society, is seen from the perspective of the system developed by P. Brown and C. Levinson, the emphasis being on the difference between the concepts of positive politeness and negative politeness. The main topics of politeness analysis dividing in the Persuasive Force of the Imperative, Thanking Presentation, Avoiding disagreement, Using the optative-conditional mode or Indirect speech act formulation.

FROM HUMOR TO SUBTLETY: USING IDIOMS IN THE PRESS TO CAPTIVATE READERS

Author(s): Mădălina TOADER / Language(s): French Issue: 33/2023

This scientific article examines the use of idiomatic expressions in the press as a means to captivate readers. Idiomatic expressions are phrases or linguistic constructions specific to a given language, whose meaning cannot be understood literally. They add a humorous, subtle, and lively dimension to press articles, thereby attracting and retaining readers' attention. In this article, we explore how journalists use these expressions to create catchy headlines and impactful formulations, and we analyze the different nuances of humor and subtlety they convey. We also study the impact of these idiomatic expressions on how readers perceive and interpret the information presented in the articles. By using concrete examples from the press, we highlight the importance of appropriately using idiomatic expressions to arouse readers' interest and engagement.