Revista Española de Lingüística Aplicada/Spanish Journal of Applied Linguistics - Volume 37, Issue 2, 2024

Abstract

This paper investigates the collocations produced by a set of fictive motion verbs found in a specialized corpus representing the language of adventure tourism. Since our ultimate aim is to contribute to the characterization of this specialized language, we defined two specific objectives: (1) to analyze the motion verbs and their meanings extracted from the Advencor corpus, and (2) to identify the collocates of these verbs as well as the semantic roles they express. After the application of our methodology, eight motion verbs produced 35 collocations satisfying all the established criteria. The results focus on different aspects: (1) the verbs convey distinct meanings, such as motion on a vertical axis or direction towards a destination; (2) the most recurrent combination is noun + verb, where the former describes the inanimate entity that seems to perform motion; (3) collocation production and collocation strength are not correlated; and (4) the collocates accompanying the verbs under analysis shed light on the argument structure of these verbs, for they represent one of the participants. In conclusion, this work provides relevant information about the phraseology of fictive motion verbs in the language of adventure tourism and proves the specialization of this domain.

Abstracta

Este estudio aborda la alternancia modal inherente a las oraciones valorativas encabezadas por el artículo neutro. Se ha constatado la coexistencia de teorías mutuamente excluyentes: unas plantean la incidencia del modo en el plano informativo; según otras, el segmento subordinado siempre representa el rema, independientemente del modo de su verbo. Para corroborar una u otra, se han analizado 4222 ocurrencias en el Corpes XXI y se ha determinado con qué frecuencia indicativo y subjuntivo aparecen en el patrón sintáctico-semántico de interés con diversos adjetivos y verbos. Se ha detectado una simplificación del sistema por la que uno u otro modo es usado cada vez más de forma exclusiva según la semántica y la frecuencia del adjetivo o verbo que los induce. Tal constatación no solo es compatible únicamente con la función de rema del segmento subordinado, sino también con los presupuestos teóricos secundarios relativos a las estructuras estudiadas.

Abstract

English reflexive anaphora in cases of VP-ellipsis may allow for strict and sloppy readings. A few L2 studies (Epoge, 2012; Park, 2016; Ying, 2005) have focused on determining the role that L2 proficiency may exert on learners’ choices in bare, referential, and non-referential contexts. This paper provides data from 104 Spanish learners of English (A2, B1, and B2 levels) and 32 native speakers of English. Results showed that participants tended to interpret reflexives sloppily in bare and non-referential contexts, whereas strict readings prevailed in referential ones. There existed significant differences in the interpretation of learners versus native speakers, whilst the differences among the three learner groups were not so marked. However, the least proficient group differed most from native speakers. Findings partially confirm previous research and discrepancies may be tentatively ascribed to extraneous variables (e.g., the learners’ L1, the range of the proficiency levels, or the characteristics of the control groups).

Resumen

En el último siglo, la lingüística cognitiva ha llamado la atención sobre la relevancia de la metáfora como fenómeno cognitivo a la hora de comprender la realidad, a la vez que sobre su capacidad para proyectar una determinada imagen acerca de los conceptos de los que hablamos. De aquí la importancia de su papel en la construcción de los discursos políticos, ya que, con ella, puede mostrarse una visión interesada de lo transmitido. Conscientes de ello, en este estudio hemos analizado las metáforas cognitivas utilizadas por los distintos líderes políticos españoles en sus intervenciones en el Congreso de los Diputados durante la primera ola de la pandemia en 2020. Hemos estudiado las distintas metáforas cognitivas empleadas en sus discursos por los representantes de cada grupo político, y las hemos relacionado con su postura frente a la actuación llevada a cabo por el Gobierno como respuesta a la extensión del coronavirus en nuestro país, especialmente en relación con la declaración del estado de alarma. Así, hemos comprobado cómo los distintos usos de la metáfora se empleaban para legitimar por parte del Gobierno las decisiones tomadas, y por la oposición para estructurar las críticas vertidas frente a las propuestas gubernamentales.

Abstract

The present article contributes to research on evaluation by addressing two complementary objectives: first, we present a protocol for the identification and annotation of evaluation in English discourse and, second, we show the results of the implementation of the protocol in the annotation of evaluation in a sample of a corpus of four genres. We first describe the protocol by discussing the theoretical and methodological grounding of the annotation scheme, the criteria, the categories, the steps for the implementation of the protocol and an illustrative example of the application of the protocol to a short extract. We subsequently provide the preliminary results of a pilot study with the frequency of evaluative expressions across the four genres. Results show that while adjectives and non-metaphoric evaluative expressions are overall more frequent, there are differences regarding the preference for positive or negative value and regarding the frequency of function.

Abstract

Disagreement, while generally seen as an act threatening interlocutors’ face, is indispensable in particular contexts. Based on an in-depth linguistic and paralinguistic analysis of 12 cases of disagreement from a Chinese venture capital reality TV show We Are the Hero, we found that in this special context disagreement was a ‘dispreferred’ moment, but also an informative, educational, and amusing occurrence with multiple functions. While disagreements were frequently initiated (particularly by the investors), they were mostly indirect, carefully mitigated by participants with linguistic devices such as explanations, private verbs, questions, humor, as well as paralinguistic devices such as friendly facial expressions and movements. Furthermore, disagreements, especially aggravated ones, were often interactively mitigated by both on-stage participants (particularly the host) and the post-production team in an interestingly cooperative way. The interactive process of mitigating disagreements not only saved the interlocutors’ face, but also contributed to the multiple purposes of the show. Our findings suggest that politeness, as an invisible hand behind communicative acts, is still present despite the ‘conflict’ that characterizes this form of TV show.

Resumen

Es investigación buscó establecer si los hablantes adultos no nativos de inglés interpretan los verbos frasales aspectuales a partir de la posición continua o discontinua de la partícula que los acompaña y si esto tiene relación con su nivel de dominio de inglés como segunda lengua (L2). Se diseñó una tarea de selección de imágenes que fue aplicada a hablantes adultos nativos y no nativos de inglés, estos últimos fueron divididos en cuatro grupos a partir de sus horas de exposición a la lengua meta (100–200 h, 300–400 h, 600–700 h, +1000 h). Los resultados sugieren que la posición de partícula puede afectar ocasionalmente la interpretación de los verbos frasales de inglés por parte de hablantes no nativos; sin embargo, esto no ocurre de igual manera en todos los verbos frasales, ya que la interpretación está también ligada a la categoría semántica de los verbos frasales y a la partícula presente en cada verbo frasal. Finalmente, los hablantes no nativos de inglés con mayor número de horas de exposición a la lengua meta tienen un desempeño no significativamente diferente al de los hablantes no nativos en la interpretación de verbos frasales, aunque en algunos casos las diferencias son pronunciadas.

Abstract

This study investigates the written production of direct object (DO) anaphora in L2 Spanish by adult English native speakers. It focuses on the use of clitics and full DPs in topic continuity, where highly salient topics are typically recovered by clitics in native Spanish. A combination of pragmatic factors in subject anaphora resolution (referential ambiguity and distance) and morphosyntactic factors in the acquisition of clitics (gender and animacy) was analyzed in 5 subcorpora from the CEDEL2 (Corpus Escrito del Español L2). Following Learner Corpus Research methodology, 773 anaphoric DOs and their antecedents were tagged across 150 texts (from low-intermediate to upper-advanced proficiency). Results showed that as learner proficiency increases, the predominant anaphoric strategy shifts from redundant DP overuse to felicitous pronominalization. Clitic avoidance is the general strategy intimately related to clitics’ morphosyntactic deficits at advanced levels, but also to pragmatic principles supporting the Pragmatic Principles Violation Hypothesis (Lozano, 2016).

Abstract

This study provides evidence to support the need for student-translators to be systematically exposed to analyzing and translating texts that give them the opportunity to observe how implicit agent se-constructions need to be used when translating from English into Spanish. A corpus of scientific abstracts was analyzed to compare the frequency of implicit agent se-constructions in abstracts written originally in Spanish and abstracts translated from English into Spanish. Both corpora tools and t-tests were used for comparing data. The results indicate that the abstracts written originally in Spanish feature a more frequent use of implicit agent se-constructions than the abstracts translated into Spanish. The researchers propose the use of scientific abstracts, both originally written in Spanish and translated into Spanish, as pedagogical instruments to model how implicit agent se-constructions operate, thereby promoting student-translators’ accurate use of such constructions, which are frequently used not only in scientific abstracts but also in a wide range of language domains in the Spanish language.

Abstract

This article applies the mid-Atlantic English approach described by Michael Henry Heim (2014) to the context of Spanish in literary translation. After describing Heim’s approach, it seeks to establish common points between this approach and a mid-Atlantic variant of Spanish. This is followed by a discussion of the background and attitudes towards neutral Spanish, and the potential advantages of a mid-Atlantic variant for the translation of dialectal language. Finally, it proposes a list of features from different Spanish variants to create potential geographically neutral variants of Spanish, in line with Heim’s features for his regional mid-Atlantic English.

Abstract

The role of healthcare interpreters has attracted much interest over the years, with particular emphasis on the distance between an invisible, uninvolved prescribed behaviour that contrasts with the interpreters’ behaviour in practice as active participants. However, much of the existing literature focuses on unfolding medical consultations where providers, patients and interpreters are simultaneously present, often overlooking situations when interpreters are left alone with patients. This involves areas of special role complexity in which interpreters must choose whether or not to become visible to the patient in what has been defined as the in-between (Shaffer, 2020). This contribution aims to observe the healthcare interpreter’s role beyond the very act of the medical interview. Inspired by Shaffer (2020), we examine 66 moments “in-between” involving a sample of six interpreters (including four student interns) that took place prior, mid and end of consultations in a Spanish hospital. Rather than staying invisible, our analysis reveals that interpreters of the sample often participate in moments in-between (89.39%) to enact different roles (i.e., companion/confidant, advocate for the profession, mediator, institutional navigator, and healthcare ambassador). Among other aspects, triggers for role adoption in the in-between space include preventing conflict and deploying empathy. In this study, the behaviour of interpreters has demonstrated to influence the subsequent development of medical consultations (e.g., saving time or facilitating history taking). In light of preliminary findings that must be interpreted considering our research context, the next step is to examine how the healthcare interpreter’s behaviour in the in-between zone can facilitate interprofessional collaboration to provide patients with quality-care.

Abstracta

Nuestro objetivo es relacionar los rasgos lingüísticos, la calidad lingüístico-discursiva, la evaluación disciplinar y la percepción de autoeficacia en escritura en el género Ficha Clínica. En este estudio correlacional, se analizó un corpus de 52 Fichas Clínicas, producidas por estudiantes de Medicina de una universidad chilena, quienes, además, respondieron un cuestionario de percepción de autoeficacia en escritura. La evaluación disciplinar se obtuvo a partir de la calificación del texto por parte de médicos-docentes. Para el análisis de la calidad lingüístico-discursiva se diseñó y validó un instrumento específico (Rúbrica para Evaluar la Calidad Lingüístico-Discursiva de Textos Disciplinares en Medicina). Los resultados muestran correlaciones estadísticamente significativas entre la evaluación realizada por los médicos y la calidad lingüístico-discursiva. La percepción de autoeficacia no presenta correlaciones significativas con ninguna de estas variables. En conclusión, la investigación representa un avance importante en la descripción del género Ficha Clínica desde una perspectiva multidimensional e interdisciplinaria.

Abstracta

Esta investigación analiza el proceso de traducción comunitaria realizada por un grupo de fans hispanoamericanos de un libro de la saga de literatura fantástica juvenil Cazadores de sombras (CDS). El fandom de CDS criticó la traducción al español de una editorial transnacional por alterar el contenido y demorar al traducir. Frente a la mala recepción de esta traducción, algunos miembros del fandom decidieron organizarse en Facebook para generar una traducción que los satisfaga. Este proceso se reconstruye mediante la etnografía digital. Se describe cómo el colectivo de traductores generó espacios de coordinación para el equipo y de encuentro con la comunidad, que funcionarían como espacios de literacidad. En estos espacios, se construyó un método de traducción coherente con los objetivos sociales del fandom al realizar una traducción rápida mediante un proceso con etapas simultáneas, fomentar el aprendizaje de los miembros, y mantener la motivación y el compromiso mediante comunicación afectiva.

This article reviews Analysing Digital Interaction978-3-030-64921-0