Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics - Volume 35, Issue 1, 2022

Abstract

This study uses both parallel and comparable reference corpora in the English-Polish language pair to explore how translators deal with recurrent multi-word items performing specific discoursal functions. We also consider whether the observed tendencies overlap with those found in native texts, and the extent to which the discoursal functions realised by the multi-word items under scrutiny are “preserved” in translation. Capitalizing on findings from earlier research (Granger, 2014; Grabar & Lefer, 2015), we analyzed a pre-selected set of phrases signaling stance-taking and those functioning as textual, discourse-structuring devices originally found in the European Parliament proceedings corpus (Koehn, 2005) and included in the English-Polish parallel corpus Paralela (Pęzik, 2016). Since our goal was to explore whether and to what extent English functionally-defined phrases reflect the same level of formulaicity and regularity in both Polish translations and native Polish texts, the findings provided insights into the translation tendencies of such items, and revealed – using inter-rater agreement metrics – that the discoursal functions of recurrent n-grams may change in translation.

Abstract

A complex sentence is described as such by virtue of its multiple constituents which vary from clauses, subclauses to phrases. English and Arabic linguistic literature includes references to the issue of syntactic complexity, yet the approaches are different. The present study seeks to investigate how Arab simultaneous interpreters translating from English into Arabic deal with syntactically complex structures. To achieve this goal, the final debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is selected as the test-ground. The study finds that simultaneous interpreters operating from English into Arabic deal with complex structures in different ways by adopting and adjusting their strategies. The dominant strategy is linearization, which is triggered by the need to translate under time pressure. This strategy also unloads the simultaneous interpreter’s cognitive burden. Yet complete linearization is impossible, since omission and compression may interfere as in the case of embedding and ‘that’ structures. Other strategies, particularly addition and chunking, are also observable, being applied when interpreters find themselves faced with asyndetic structures and multiple embedding.

Abstract

Although questions are considered as important linguistic devices employed by lecturers to communicate facts and ideas to students and facilitate the learning process, they have not been a topic of extensive research. With that in mind, this paper explores the types and functions of questions asked by British and Montenegrin lecturers. It examines similarities and differences between two corpora – standard British academic corpora and a specially created corpus of Montenegrin lectures. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies were used to conduct a contrastive analysis of lecturers’ questions. The results demonstrate that the differences in frequency, forms and functions of questions prevail over the similarities, which could be the impact of two different linguistic backgrounds and national academic cultures. The findings of this study could be useful in designing lecture-listening and note-taking courses for students in which they can get familiar with the forms and purpose of questions posed by professors. Research findings could be applied in training courses for novice lecturers and might also be useful to professors who give lectures to students with diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Abstracta

Por las enormes heterogeneidades tanto lingüísticas como culturales entre el chino y el español, es normal que existan numerosas lagunas léxicas chinas en el español y para las causadas por factores culturales se requieren diferentes estrategias traductológicas, o sea extranjerización y/o domesticación, de acuerdo con la finalidad de la traducción o la comunicación y los aprendientes chinos deben conocer las correspondientes técnicas para fomentar su competencia comunicativa e intercultural en español.

Abstract

This variationist study examines the contexts of appearance of the Spanish intensifiers muy (very) and bien (very) in the bilingual community of Tucson, Arizona. Although some descriptive work has been published on these intensifiers (Serradilla Castaño, 2006), little quantitative research has been conducted with the exceptions of studies by Brown and Cortés-Torres (2013) and Kanwit, Terán, and Pisabarro Sarrió (2017). Based on a formal, syntactical analysis of the intensifiers, the present study adds to this research (Pastor and Armstrong, 2016) by establishing possible new conditioning factors such as emphasis and reiteration for the selection of one variant over the other. An analysis of 1,385 tokens in 43 interviews shows an overall use of muy of 81%, a figure that is comparable to the results reported in most previous studies. Verb type, emphasis, and reiteration prove significant in determining which variant is used. A discussion of these results provides a more in-depth description of the characteristics of these intensifiers in the focal bilingual community and offers a position on the debate over whether bien has come to the end of its grammaticalization process or continues to hold a positive value from its past as a modal adverb.

Abstract

This paper analyzes use of and linguistic attitudes toward the Spanish imperfect and pluperfect subjunctive –se form (e.g., tuviese ‘had’ and hubiese tenido ‘had had’, respectively). The study consists of two phases, P1 and P2. P1 is quantitative in nature and focuses on production of the form; P2 is qualitative in nature and centers on linguistic attitudes associated with –se. P1 data come from 24 Spanish speakers and a semi-controlled oral/written interview. P2 data are from 15 Spanish speakers and a questionnaire. Chi-square results were significant for nationality, i.e., Spaniards used the –se form significantly more than Latin Americans. Sex, modality (oral/written), syntactic context, and verb type were all found insignificant. Qualitative comments from P2 suggest an overall negative association with the –se form. A somewhat weak relationship between the form and Spanish nationality emerged from the Latin American cohort, but not strong enough to suggest a definitive stereotype.

Abstract

This study reports on the production of the five Spanish vowels in stressed and unstressed contexts by English-speaking advanced learners of Spanish at two experience levels who differed according to phonological short-term memory (PSTM) capacity. Our findings indicate that learners with higher PSTM capacity were less likely to reduce both stressed and unstressed vowels in Spanish. Consequently, learners with higher PSTM in fourth-year Spanish courses produced vowels that were more native-like than lower PSTM fourth-year learners. On the other hand, higher PSTM graduate students of Spanish produced a Spanish vowel space that was more expanded than that of native Spanish, particularly for /u/, compared to lower PSTM graduate learners, who were more native-like. These findings suggest that PSTM does play a role in second language phonology, even at advanced levels, and may help to explain why individual differences in pronunciation exist even at very high levels of second language proficiency.

Abstract

The current study explores the second language(L2) acquisition of subconsciously held language attitudes. Specifically, we determine whether L2 learners perceive differences between Spanish speakers of four geographic varieties and evaluate them differently, and if these perceptions change with proficiency. Following sociolinguistic methodological practices, we administered a verbal guise task to American English-speaking learners of Spanish from four university enrollment levels. We found that the learners differentially evaluated speakers of these regional varieties across dimensions of solidarity (kindness) and standardness (prestige). We observed development across levels in the evaluation of regional varieties for prestige, while differentiations in kindness ratings remained consistent across levels. We also show that, for our highest-level group, study abroad experience may contribute to patterns of subconscious evaluation. Although one would not expect L2 classroom learners to possess native-like subconscious attitudes, the present study is an essential step in understanding how such attitudes develop in L2 acquisition.

Resumen

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar datos orales obtenidos mediante entrevistas para llevar a cabo una investigación sobre las políticas lingüísticas familiares (PLF) en Galicia. El análisis revela la configuración de dos subtipos de transmisión lingüística intergeneracional: ‘doble desgalleguización’ y ‘regalleguización’. En ambos casos, la primera generación (los padres de nuestros informantes) está representada por hablantes de gallego que utilizaron el castellano en la crianza de sus hijos (nuestros informantes). Hablamos de doble desgalleguización cuando esta segunda generación mantiene el uso del castellano con la tercera (sus propios descendientes), mientras que la regalleguización se define por una recuperación del gallego. El nivel de conciencia sociolingüística de los informantes es muy bajo en el primer caso, que por ello interpretamos como una PLF implícita, guiada por el habitus (Bourdieu, 1991), mientras que la regalleguización se basa en una PLF marcada por la intervención y la planificación lingüística explícita (Bastardas, 2016).

Abstracta

Este trabajo evalúa las percepciones de hablantes japoneses de español L2/LE sobre la alternancia ‘tú’/‘usted’ en la formulación de peticiones. Esta elección regula la formalidad en español, mientras que, en japonés, lo hacen la flexión verbal y determinadas variaciones léxicas que se usan con mayor frecuencia que ‘usted’ en español peninsular. Se plantea que los aprendices japoneses podrían experimentar dificultades en la adquisición de la cortesía española debido a este contraste interlingüístico. Para examinar este fenómeno, se administró una tarea discursiva de selección (MDCT, por sus siglas en inglés) en español a dos grupos de aprendices (L1 = japonés; L1 = otras lenguas) y a un grupo de hablantes nativos de español. Los resultados sugieren que los hablantes japoneses perciben ‘tú’ como un tratamiento menos adecuado en favor de ‘usted’. No obstante, dichos hablantes pueden alcanzar una competencia similar a la nativa conforme aumenta el nivel de competencia.

Abstracta

En este trabajo se describe la evaluación de extracción de unidades fraseológicas especializadas a partir de un corpus español. Tras repasar brevemente diversos estudios en torno a los conceptos de unidad terminológica y unidad fraseológica especializada, así como su identificación y extracción, se presenta un protocolo de evaluación centrado en aspectos de usabilidad y precisión que se aplica a tres sistemas de explotación de corpus. Los resultados confirman parcialmente la hipótesis de que los extractores terminológicos permiten extraer unidades fraseológicas especializadas. Por último, se hacen algunas sugerencias con el ánimo de optimizar el funcionamiento de estos sistemas.

Abstract

This study compares two seminal speeches given by Boris Johnson in the context of Brexit. The first is from 2018 during his tenure as Foreign Secretary, and the second from 2020, by which time he had become Prime Minister. The transcripts of the two complete speeches together constitute a corpus of 7,270 words. The current study applies Hunston’s (2000, 2008, 2011) model of evaluation as a means of testing Johnson’s attitude towards the propositions he develops through his political oratory. Using the concepts of evaluation of status and value, this model allows us to identify Johnson’s degree of alignment with his representation of the world, and to perceive an ideological component in his choices here. It is hypothesized that the changes which took place in the political landscape in the time that separated the two speeches, a period of two years in which Johnson became Prime Minister and Britain left the European Union, may have had an effect on his use of evaluative language. The study reveals statistically significant findings. Johnson is found to have changed from contributing primarily world-creating propositional content in his 2018 speech to a more significant use of world-reflecting statements in his 2020 speech, and to rely in both speeches most importantly on himself as the source of information. The study also reveals a reluctance to display any hypothetical speech behaviour, and a strong preference for truth driven statements.

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