Instances of (un)translatability in Ion Creangă’s “Amintiri din copilărie”/ ”Memories of my boyhood”

Author(s): Andra Iulia Ursa / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

These days, writing about untranslatability may seem courageous, as more and more voices associate this issue with translation incapacity and, instead, advocate for creative remedies or even reject such an instance. This study does not deal with a contemporary novel, nor does it have to do with a powerful textual space. However, we believe that translation theories mainly focus on analyses of a certain category of languages, and raise questions of discrepancies between subordinate and dominant cultures, a tendency which derives from the proneness of the international publishing industry to favour certain languages and types of writing. We are not aiming for a debate around the subject of publishing politics or endeavours, but rather we try to cast some light on the ambitious project of rendering vernacular into a powerful language. This paper deals with the work of a great Moldavian storyteller who contributes significantly to the enhancement of expressiveness through linguistic characteristics that occur informally. We hypothesise that the vibrant vernacular writing “Memories of my boyhood” creates potential instances of untranslatability, due to significant differences between the Romanian variety and English, not necessarily in the linguistic inventory but rather in the cognitive structures of the readership. Therefore, the case study focuses on how source text and target text readers infer meaning from interjections and terms of address, originally belonging to the Moldavian modes of expression. Although the translators re-create these short utterances, due to a lack of a similar background from the part of the receiving culture, we witness a limitation on conveying their original intentionality, emotion and plethora of meanings.

Easy-to-read in Romania: current status and future perspectives in a European context

Author(s): Marcela Fărcaşiu,Daniel Dejica,Simona Şimon,Annamaria Kilyeni / Language(s): English Issue: 2/2022

As the European Union’s Strategy for people with disabilities has been extended to 2030, emphasising the need for these people’s social inclusion, which also comprises accessibility to different information and documents, Romania has to align its legislation and best practices in order to solve its problems concerning this topic. Therefore, this paper focuses on an important aspect of social inclusion, namely Easy-to-Read (E2R) language, which is paramount for the disabled people’s access to information, culture and education. It starts by presenting the concept of Easy-to-Read across Europe, its perception and implementation by various countries, to finally delve into the current situation of Easy-to-Read in Romania. By looking at the analysis and reports on the previous governmental strategies regarding people with disabilities (and especially reading disabilities, for the purpose of this paper), it can be said that Romania still faces challenges in this respect and needs to work on making documents and information accessible by first creating E2R guidelines and then implementing them in printed documents (e.g. adapted textbooks, healthcare leaflets) as well as in the electronic information (e.g. government websites). The paper also traces some future perspectives concerning Easy-to-Read in Romania, namely the Train2Validate “Professional training for Easy-to-Read facilitators and validators” (T2V) project, an Erasmus+ programme, a collaboration between various European countries, that Romania is part of, which goes one step further into helping people with reading disabilities and creating professional roles for them, i.e. facilitators and validators, in order to integrate them on the employment market. Moreover, this research will hopefully raise awareness of the importance of conducting other studies on creating Easy-to-Read guidelines and on simplifying the text according to the different target groups of people with reading disabilities or difficulties and to different text types.

Речеви стратегии и пандемията от COVID-19

Author(s): Gergana Dacheva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

The interest in monitoring and analyzing the speech messages in the context of the coronavirus pandemic is due to two hypotheses related to the responsible Bulgarian institutions, some medical workers and media. The first is that they do not have enough knowledge and skills to select and direct useful and correct information in crisis situation. The second hypothesis is that they do not present appropriate mechanisms for the formation of socially useful behavior in moments of required mass mobilization in a certain direction. I look for a reason for both hypotheses in the media messages related to the pandemic. That is why in this article I make the comparison between two French and two Bulgarian newspapers, as the excerpted material was taken only within one day, something like a snapshot. The comparison shows that the French have a unified speech strategy for reaching the reader and forming public opinion, while in the Bulgarian ones it is partially or completely absent.

Функционален подход при конструиране на система от упражнения по български език в средното училище (с оглед на обучението по български език в страната и в чужбина)

Author(s): Angel Petrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

This article provides an overview of existing in the scientific space theses, ideas and classifications (from the general didactic, linguistic and methodical point of view) of the types of exercises constructing the technology of the Bulgarian learning process. It is suggested a systematization of the exercises from a functional point of view corresponding to the contemporary sociocultural and educational realities – exercises for realization of cognitive educational goals, exercises for realization of functional educational goals, exercises for realization of axiological educational goals. The system is an effective instrument for achieving the goals of Bulgarian language training organized in the country and abroad.

Другата руска тройка. Случаят Достоевски

Author(s): Lyudmil Dimitrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 2/2022

This text attempts to trace a hidden archetype in nineteenth-century Russian literature and how it works in Dostoevsky. As much as there is a lot of space in the metaliterature of the Russian troika, understood as a horses driving and its symbolic metamorphosis of a bird-trio in Gogol, the emphasis here is on the topic, which I can call the “other Russian troika (trio)”. It is about the presence of an almost sacred three-dimensional character, who at one point is attacked and overturned against his presumption of holiness by a fourth demonological hero and a serious battle for his re-sacralization is imminent. Set by the three Baroque witches in Shakespeare's “Macbeth”, led by Hekate, this model was first tested in nineteenth-century Russian literature by Pushkin in “A Tale of Tsar Saltan”, and then in two stages, feminized and masculinized, developed by Dostoevsky in “The Idiot” and “The Karamazov Brothers”, respectively, and finally finds its triumphant ending in Chekhov's “Three Sisters”, whose character system parodies that of “The Idiot”. Why is Dostoevsky such an important link in the listed paradigm?

Intellectual Reception of G. Lozanov’s Theory on Suggestopedia in the Pedagogical Discourse of Ukraine

Author(s): Olha Soroka,Olena Klymentova / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2022

The paper is aimed at studying the results of Ukrainian scientists who developed the theory and practice of suggestopedia.The ideas of the outstanding Bulgarian scholar G. Lozanov serve as the foundation of modern linguistics, including the directions of suggestive language didactics, linguistics of influence, psychological and neurological and marketing linguistics. Thanks to Lozanov's contribution, researchers have learned to find suggestive components in political messages, analyze strategic narratives, find hidden aspects in religious texts, better understand the applied nature of some folk genres and more. The special anthropological value of Lozanov's approaches is objectified by the development of neuroscience, where a person is often positioned as a functionary with electronic chips. Instead, Lozanov's man is a free, conscious and loving man. Although research on suggestion is growing in the scientific literature, there is still a significant gap in this topic, in particular on theoretical and empirical developments on the impact of suggestion on various aspects of communication. A review of recent publications on suggestopedic topics shows that the interest in G. Lozanov’s approaches does not fade and is nourished by the pedagogical search for educational paradigms which are adequate to the real needs of life and capable of combining tradition with innovation. The article presents different approaches to Lozanov's discoveries and aims to encourage new discourses into the area of the linguistic programming of personality.

Теория и практика в обучението по български език като чужд в свободноизбираема дисциплина „Български език за медицински цели“

Author(s): Margarita Dimitrova,Hristiana Krasteva,Teodora Todorova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 3/2022

This is not only the general communicative competence, but also professional competence to converse. That gives us confidence to further actively research working pedagogical study models. In the course of one academic year, we have been developing such dynamic model with the medical students (who study Medicine in English), taking part in the freely chosen discipline “Bulgarian for medical purposes”. At this stage we have the following goals: to verify problematic areas in communication in professional environment and during practice; applying together conventional and innovative methods, instruments, and forms of education and proposing ways to improve the educational process; interdisciplinary approach to realize successful communicative competence by creating a direct connection between theory and practice. At the end of the academic year, we thus define the parameters of the results of the communicative competence in Bulgarian for professional communication. Achieving excellent communicative competence of the foreign students for a year is a key factor for checking the results.

Разработка опросника для изучении языковых биографий носителей унаследованного языка

Author(s): Leonid Moskovkin,Bernhard Brehmer,Tatiana Kurbangulova,Tatiana Lypkan / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2022

The purpose of this study is to identify the pieces of biographical information that are most relevant for the study of Russian as a heritage language. It builds on a review of questionnaires for studying linguistic biographies that are currently used in articles and methodological materials by different researchers. We perform a critical analysis and comparison of these questionnaires, which aims at a more systematic and condensed approach to the gathering of relevant sociolinguistic data. This comparison showed that the most relevant types of biographical information are the following: (a) general biographical information, including data on the acquisition and proficiency in the languages of the participants, (b) information on language use in different communicative domains by the informant, (c) data on the attitudes of the informant towards the heritage language, and the language of the country of residence, (d) data on the informant's self-assessment of proficiency in the heritage language in general and mastery of basic skills. The research results can be useful not only for studying heritage languages, but also with a little refinement to studies on second and third language acquisition.

The Benefits of Lexical Approach in Quizlet-Based Vocabulary Learning

Author(s): Olga Chaikovska / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2022

In the present experimental study second-year students majoring in “Agricultural Engineering” and “Electrical engineering” revise for the Unified Entrance Exam to join the Master course. Both groups learn vocabulary through the online vocabulary learning platform Quizlet. In contrast, to control group the experimental group entered not isolated words, but words in chunks according to the lexical approach. To compare students’ progress in vocabulary acquisition the Student’s t-test was used. The results show that the first hypothesis should be taken into consideration: there is a significant difference in the average indicators in the groups. Learning words in chunks had a significant effect on the test scores and, consequently, increases the chances to pass the Unified Entrance Exam and do postgraduate studies.

Gamification in language Teaching at the University Level: Learner Profiles and Attitudes

Author(s): Denitza Charkova / Language(s): English Issue: 3/2022

In instructional settings, the term gamification refers to the use of game-based elements to increase learner motivation and involvement. This study aimed to get insight into how adult learners of English perceive gamified activities incorporated into their English language course, and whether player types as defined by Bartle (1996) - explorers, achievers, socializers, and killers – affect student attitudes to specific gamification elements (rules, time limit, challenges, leaderboard, awards, bonuses, and badges). The results showed a high level of student support (97%) for gamified language instruction. A significant difference was observed between player types regarding their attitudes to certain gamification elements and player types. Challenges were highly rated by the explorers (p = 0.006); leaderboards by the killers (p = 0.049), and time limit by the achievers (p = 0.009). The conclusion is that player types and preferences should be surveyed and considered when designing gamified learning activities.

Чуждоезиковото обучение – цел на инженерното образование и инструменти в образователната среда

Author(s): Tsvetelina Vukadinova,Senia Terzieva,Juliana Javorova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2022

The article presents a study concerning the development and testing of innovative educational approaches for developing language competences of engineering students. The study was carried out among 1st and 2nd year students of the specialty „Technical Mechanics“ at the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM) – Sofia, Bulgaria. An original bilingual educational tool was developed for this purpose. It was designed to support and improve the learning process in specialized foreign language classes.

140 пословици и поговорки от Голо Бърдо, Албания (по материали от с. Требища)

Author(s): Gergana Coneva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 8/2014

Родствена структура и роднинска терминология (с. Требища, обл. Голо Бърдо, Албания

Author(s): Gergana Coneva / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 8/2014

Равнище на езиковата подготовка и култура на студентите педагози

Author(s): Neli Ivanova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 4/2022

The problems related to the level of language preparation and culture of the regular and part time students in the pedagogy degree course from Sofia university “St. Kl. Ohridski’’ as potential future primary teachers are discussed in the article. The analysis is based on a test study data from a research made in February-May 2022. The conclusions and generalizations from the analysis are focused on the further improvement of the students’ language preparation.

Учебните програми по български език в училищното образование – сегашно състояние и перспективи

Author(s): Verka Sasheva,Velin Petrov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2022

The article analyzes the current Bulgarian language curricula in primary and secondary education. A number of problems are pointed out both in the curricula and in the overall process of teaching Bulgarian from the 1st to the 12th grade. Consequently, measures which could significantly improve the quality of the educational process are proposed. The level of the Bulgarian language education at school and in higher education has a leading role in raising the authority of the Bulgarian language, in making the native Bulgarian speakers literate and in preserving the national and the cultural identity of the Bulgarians in the globalizing world.

Pitch Variation for Chinese Syllables of Different Information Load (Based on Commercial and Social Radio Ads)

Author(s): Svetlana V. Androsova,Veronika Karavaeva,Zianwen Zhang / Language(s): English Issue: 5/2022

F0 is an important cue present in all vocalic segments, a parameter to differentiate between voiced and voiceless consonants, a relative phonological feature of syllable in tonal languages and a crucial feature of intonation. This paper aims to investigate pitch variation patterns in Mandarin Chinese depending on the syllable information load (Factor 1) in one type of discourse – advertising with the subdivision into social and commercial ads (Factor 2) considering gender differences (Factor 3). 1249 syllable tokens were selected for acoustic measurements, each syllable occurring twice – in the informative and uninformative utterance parts. The information load was determined perceptually: the syllable was considered informative when agreed by the minimum of 60% of listeners, other syllables were considered uninformative. Depending on lexical tone (T1 – T4 and T0), the measurements included average pitch values, declination/inclination starting and ending points (mean values). These parameters were used to judge about relevant pitch features – average height and declination/inclination slope. As a result, a consistent parameter increase in commercial ads vs. social ads and on informative syllables vs. uninformative ones was observed for all tones except T0 that showed the opposite trend in expressing information-based partition. Another finding was tone substitution that marked both informative and uninformative parts but was more frequent in the latter. Substitute tone frequency ranks did not depend on any of the three factors except for T0. High predictability of pitch variation patterns make them applicable in teaching Chinese as L2 in terms of speaking and listening for general and specific purposes.

Прилагане на мултилингвизъм в чуждоезиковото обучение в съвременното инженерно образование

Author(s): Tsvetelina Vukadinova,Senia Terzieva,Juliana Javorova / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 5/2022

This article examines the results of a study in the discipline “Technical Mechanics”. This study was conducted among 1st and 2nd year students from the University of Chemical Technology and Metallurgy (UCTM), vocational field 5.10 “Chemical Technology”. This paper is the continuation of a previous experiment conducted by the authors, and concerning the study of thesaurus and development of language competences among students from engineering specialties. The present study was conducted during the past academic year at the UCTM. A multilingual educational tool was developed and applied in order to support and improve the learning process in specialized foreign language classes. The motive is to ascertain the effectiveness of the experimental educational tool for the students.

Lühidalt

Author(s): Not Specified Author / Language(s): Estonian Issue: 02/2015

Reviews of: Kirjarahva pildiraamat. Fotosid aastatest 2001–2009. Pildistanud Alar Madisson, koostanud Alar Madisson, Piret Noorhani, Vilve Asmer. Tartu: Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum, Kunst, 2009. [127] lk Kirjarahva teine pildiraamat. Fotosid aastatest 2010–2013. Pildistanud Alar Madisson, koostanud Alar Madisson, Piret Noorhani, Vilve Asmer. Tartu: Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum, 2013. [123] lk. Lev Võgotski. Mõtlemine ja kõne. Psühholoogilised uurimused. Tõlkinud Peeter Tulviste. (Avatud Eesti Raamat.) Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2014. 509 lk. Leo Tolstoi. Mis on kunst? Tõlkinud Andri Ksenofontov. (Avatud Eesti Raamat.) Tartu: Ilmamaa, 2014. 314 lk. Eesti perioodikas ilmunud järjejuttude bibliograafia 1918–1944. Koostaja Kalev Sikk. Väljaandja: Lembit Sikk Pärna talu, 2014. 258 lk + Lisad: Anderomaanid, 6 lk; Errata, 1 lk. Kas sa Tammsaaret oled lugenud? Kirjanduslik eluloovestlus Helga Nõuga. Koostaja Rutt Hinrikus. Tartu: Eesti Kirjandusmuuseum, Eesti Kultuurilooline Arhiiv, 2014. 144 lk. Helga Nõu. Valetaja. Mälestused, tõeotsimised. Tallinn: Eesti Ajalehed, 2011. 280 lk. Martin Klöker. Tallinna kirjanduselu 17. sajandi esimesel poolel (1600-1657). Haridusinstitutsioonid ja juhuluuletamine. Tõlkinud ja eessõna Kristi Viiding. Tallinn: Teaduste Akadeemia Kirjastus, 2014. 679 lk.

Диалектни наименования на пролетните месеци в българския език

Author(s): Vladislav Milanov / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 6/2022

The article is dedicated to an understudied issue in Bulgarian dialectology, namely the names of the months in different Bulgarian dialects. Some specific names of the spring months of March, April and May are examined, tracing the specific marks and processes characteristic of the daily life of the dialect speaker, which lie as a motivating base in the meaning of the words. It is clear from the research that most of the names of the spring months are characteristic of the entire linguistic territory, but there are also some more specific names that reflect activities specific to the calendar time and to the daily life of the dialect speaker. Such phenomena, holidays and various domestic and economic processes are associated with a reference to the women's holiday in the month of March and the changeable weather; with the greening of nature, with the Easter holidays and with the shearing of the sheep in the month of April; with St. George's Day, with the digging of corn and with the first cherries - in the month of May. Keywords dialect vocabulary, names of the spring months in the dialects, lexical wealth of the Bulgarian dialects.

Идея, идеал, идеология

Author(s): Sava Slavchev / Language(s): Bulgarian Issue: 6/2022

The author discusses the emergence and meaning of ideas as a goal and destination of any empirical quantity, and as bearers of ontological completeness. The theses of various philosophers who have considered the idea as a concept are shown. A transition is made to the understanding of the term today, as well as to the attempts for using the ideal for the purposes of various contemporary ideologies. The way in which the ideal has been represented in music and the visual arts is indicated.