Language Play Research Articles

Моделювання мовної гри в друкованих рекламних текстах англомовних видань

This article presents the features of a language game modeling by the author in printed advertising texts of English-language publications. It is proved that multilevel linguistic and stylistic means (puns of various types; replacing a token with the subsequent development of puns; using English units (original or transliterated language units), using lexemes with the same semantics, as a result of which the phenomenon of pleonasm is simulated; representation of generally accepted acronyms with a new variation of their interpretation; a peculiar attraction of antonyms; consonant words modeling) underlie the emergence of a language game. The reason for the emergence of a language game is a non-standard variation in the form or content of language tools. In the context of a language game, various associative valences of a word can be realized ‒ phonetic, semantic, lexical, word-forming, syntactic, which the author uses as one or another mechanism. The language game is present in printed advertising texts of English-language publications primarily to achieve the desired success and create the attracting power of advertising. The study revealed that the linguistic mechanism in the context can be built on allusion; a language play can lead to a “deceived expectancy effect”; a language game modeling can occur at the level of phonosemantic convergence of component words, that is, similarities in the sound of words or phrases. The language game modeling, perceived today as a shock to traditions and norms, will probably lead us to a new ironic worldview in the future and a clear understanding of the genre specificity of language production.

Libras Humor: Playing with the Internal Structure of Signs

This article focuses on humor in Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) used by Deaf children and adults, investigating the relationship between language play and humor in Libras and its role in Deaf culture. Despite research in other sign languages (for example, in American, British, Italian, and Portuguese Sign Languages), academic research has not yet explored this important concept in Libras. Following Bergson's (2003) ideas about the foundations of humor and building on pioneering work on humor in sign languages by Klima and Bellugi (1979) and later Morgado (2011), we explore a range of examples of Libras humor. We consider those created through exaggeration and imitation and through modification of parameters to better understand the fundamentals of humor in Libras. We then apply our understanding of the role of handshape and exaggeration in Libras humor to the creation of short playful stories to serve as educational materials for young Deaf children and those acquiring Libras, considering its role in the construction of their understanding of their world experience as Deaf people. How young Deaf children relate language play to their interpretation of reality shows the importance of introducing them to humorous signing, and it highlights ways to help Deaf children's search for self-representation. We conclude that humor in Libras is a fundamental way for Deaf people of all ages to express their Deaf selves and life experiences.

РЕЧЕВАЯ ЭТИКЕТНОСТЬ СЕТЕВОГО ОБЩЕНИЯ: СЕМАНТИКА И ПРАГМАТИКА НОМИНАЦИЙ ПОЛЬЗОВАТЕЛЕЙ

The article is devoted to the research of one of the most relevant aspects of etiquette in network communication–nominations participants of communication use to refer to each other. Based on a broad understanding of speech etiquette in social networks–as a means of harmonization of speech activity in various communication situations, the authors consider users’ nominations in social networks as markers of constructive or destructive verbal behavior in online communities. The research is based on linguistic and stylistic analysis, which allows: (1) describing the linguistic characteristics of nominations as lexical units in terms of word formation, grammar, and semantics; (2) revealing the peculiarities of the pragmatics of using the nominations in network communication taking into account the linguistic parameters of these nominations; (3) characterizing their stylistic properties that correlate with the goals of communication (common interests, problem solving, tips, causticity) and the selected manner of verbal behavior (solidarity, outrageous behavior, verbal aggression). To guarantee representativeness, the authors took the material for the research from resources created for groups with different principles of formation: gender (“Strana mam”), age (“4chan”) and territorial ones (“Yubileyniy Kvartal i Shuvalovsky”). The analysis shows that the users’ nominations in online communities demonstrate the participants’ solidarity within the relatively closed we-communities as the dominant setting of communication. Within each community, there is a focus on live communication, which activates the use of the phatic speech genres of everyday communication: appeal (generalized or personal), request, advice, comment, call, offer, insult, and so on. The variety of nominations from the point of view of the addressee (generalizing and personal), as well as in terms of communicative orientation (contactestablishing and contact-destroying), is determined by the set of situations of communication, frequent in different communities, and by communicants’ value orientations. In “Strana mam”, a women’s forum focused on the preservation of family values, solidarity is manifested in the desire for a more intimate communication; this activates the use of diminutives, language play, and vocabulary with a positive connotation. In the territorial “Yubileyniy Kvartal i Shuvalovsky” group, the value of community is cultivated, and solidarity is manifested in the imitation of respectful, often close to business, communication, which entails frequent generalizing nominations with a positive attributive component and the use of interlocutors’ full names as personal nominations. In the teenage “4chan” community, solidarity is manifested in the intentional outrageous communication (by using nominations with obscene words), which demonstrates an open violation of family, moral, spiritual, and other values.

ПЕРЕВОДЧЕСКАЯ ИЗОБРЕТАТЕЛЬНОСТЬ VS ЯЗЫКОВАЯ ИГРА ДЖ. ДЖОЙСА: НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ ПЕРЕВОДОВ ВОСЬМОГО ЭПИЗОДА РОМАНА «УЛИСС» 1920–1930-е гг.

ПЕРЕВОДЧЕСКАЯ ИЗОБРЕТАТЕЛЬНОСТЬ VS ЯЗЫКОВАЯ ИГРА ДЖ. ДЖОЙСА: НА МАТЕРИАЛЕ ПЕРЕВОДОВ ВОСЬМОГО ЭПИЗОДА РОМАНА «УЛИСС» 1920–1930-е гг.

Armed conflicts as a source of new formations in the Russian language (on material of the armed conflict in Donbass)

The vocabulary of a language is a variable quantity, it is constantly changing, responding to the needs of life and reflecting its new realities. The events taking place in the South-East of Ukraine since March 2014 have significantly changed the usual picture of the world of the parties involved in this conflict, led to a new interpretation of reality, the emergence of new mental constructs, objectified in the language using a number of lexical innovations, most of which fall under the definition of „hate speech”. The purpose of this article is to try to examine the impact of the armed conflict in the South-East of Ukraine on the emergence of lexical innovations in the Russian language, to identify ways of forming new units and their main thematic clusters. The material for the work was neoplasms recorded in electronic Russian and Russian-speaking Ukrainian mass media, as well as selected from social networks and videos. The analysis showed that in the context of the armed conflict in the South-East of Ukraine, the characteristic manifestations of „hate speech” are mainly numerous new categories-labels with a pronounced conflict potential. The priority in this regard is offensive and derogatory nominations of representatives of the opposite camp, taking into account their worldview / ideological, national / ethnic, territorial / regional characteristics. The military jargon has also undergone a significant update, incorporating not only the reactualized slangisms of the era of the Afghan campaign of 1979-89, but also lexical innovations caused by the military and political realities of the current armed conflict in the Donbas. Neologisms are formed in accordance with the existing methods in the Russian language (word formation, semantic derivation, borrowing). At the same time, non-standard word-forming techniques are also used (language play, homophony, etc.).

Лінгвософська рецепція декодування документального кінотексту (на прикладі фільмів про Лесю Українку)

In the modern information space of the beginning of the XXI century, verbal communication is increasingly combined with various non-verbal ways of transmitting information. Currently in the field of view of researchers heterogeneous texts characterized by a polycode structure. Different recipients decode the same heterogeneous text with varying degrees of depth and adequacy. Traditionally, the following factors influencing the decoding process are distinguished: personal characteristics of the recipient of the heterogeneous text; parameters of the heterogeneous text and the reality reflected in it; the specifics of the situation in which the decoding takes place. Among heterogeneous texts, a special place belongs to film text, the decoding of which is always variant, as it depends on the perception of a particular viewer, and occurs at the level of the text (verbality) and at the level of other means of expression (nonverbality). The polycode nature of modern communication has a powerful influence on the culture of society and linguistic culture in particular, which is primarily manifested in media production. In the broad sense, infotainment is a way of presenting information in an entertainment form based on the hedonistic function of the media and appealing to the audience’s emotions. The most widespread linguistic techniques of infotainment are language play, expressiveness, irony, suspense, dramatization. They are aimed at ensuring the dynamism and creativity of the plot, emotional influence, saturation with means of expressiveness. For linguistic analysis, we consider the term “language marker” of infotainment to be more correct, since linguists deal with a ready-made, already established media product, in which certain language tools mark (indicate, help identify) the format of infotainment, whereas social communication specialists study the mechanisms for creating media products in this format. According to the results of the study, the language markers of infotainment in documentary movies are expressed and concealed, can be correlated or contrast with the video, but they are combined by a pragmatic approach to establish contact with the recipient, to attract and to retain his attention.

Производные с формантом -тека в современном русском языке

The article is devoted to the analysis of word-formation activity of the suffix - teka in modern Russian. The material was the data of modern dictionaries and a card file of the use of lexemes collected by the authors. The relevance of the study is due to the activation of the derivational potential of the formant of - teka in the Russian language. It is shown that there is still no definite opinion among linguistic scholars regarding the status of a component of Greek origin - teka : it is interpreted as a suffix, a connected root, a suffixoid. It is demonstrated by examples that it joins the free and connected foundations of Russian and foreign origin and expresses the meanings ‘collection’ and ‘repository’, metonymically related to each other and not always shared in dictionary interpretations. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of new tokens containing a suffixoid - teka ( pivoteka, lakoeka, enoteka, novoteka, poleznoteka, flirtoteka, etc.). t is noted that the ability of an affixoid to join free roots and the transparency of its semantics lead to the appearance of new formations. The article proves that this formant expands its compatibility in modern Russian. It is shown that it joins the foundations of not only the substantive, but also the adjective and verb type, while the mechanisms of language play are realized.

On the Issue of Language Play Techniques in Fiction for Children

On the Issue of Language Play Techniques in Fiction for Children

Polonisms in B. Akunin’s The Sennight of the Three-Eyed

This article analyses polonisms used in B. Akunin’s novel The Sennight of the Three-Eyed . The paper considers changes in the meaning of loanwords from Polish and the ways they are introduced into the text: without an interpretation, with an incomplete (partial) explanation, with a Russian equivalent in a narrow or wider context; the author resorts to both expanded and single inclusions from Polish into the text. Polish rarely acts as a donor for the Russian language, but more often — as a mediator in the transfer of lexemes from European languages. The example of the Rus. поручик and Pol. porucznik shows the process of a lexeme entering the Russian language in a specific form in detail. The “Polish text” is viewed through the prism of Boris Akunin’s individual author’s style. Polonisms perform characterological and evaluative functions in the novel, describe the historical atmosphere, act as markers of the character’s Polish origin, and demonstrate the diversity of language play. Loanwords from Polish give an aesthetic and ideological evaluation of characters and events and act as coded elements. Among polonisms, there are appellative, onomastic, and precedent lexemes. The Polish people are portrayed as negative characters in the novel, and pejorative elements can be regularly found in dialogues and descriptions associated with them. Polonisms are perceived by readers as clear, familiar words, although their ostentatious “simplicity” can often lead to misunderstandings, since the volume of lexical meaning in loanwords remains the same only in the rare cases when the lexeme was originally borrowed by the Polish language and almost immediately from it — by Russian.

История появления в русском языке дружеских обращений старина и старик

This article explores when and under what circumstances the words starik and starina emerged as terms of friendship in standard Russian language. These terms were often used by male characters in the prose of the Khrushchev Thaw — students, scientists, and engineers. It was initially assumed that these words had become forms of address at that time. Analysis of data from the Russian National Corpus shows that these terms of friendship date back earlier than that. Starik was used to address a male friend in the 19th century and starina in the 1920s—30s. Decades apart, the two words started to function as terms of friendship in a very similar way. Both were used at first to address an elderly stranger. At some point, they turned into means of language play and speech stylisation to finally lose their connection to folk speech and the semantics of age. The first one to complete the transformation was the word starina. As to starik, it apparently began to be used as a term of friendship in lan­guages of groups.

Синтаксична мовна гра в американському гумористичному дискурсі (на матеріалі ситкому "Клініка")

The article is devoted to the study of syntactic language play techniques in humorous discourse, since the phenomenon of language play is closely connected with this type of discourse. The notions of humorous discourse and language play are considered.
 Humorous discourse is based on the principle of transmission of a humorous message from the addresser to the addressee. The purpose of this message is to get away from a serious conversation, reduce the social distance between the conversation participants and form friendly interrelationship. Communicative intension and humorous tonality are key components of humorous discourse.
 Language play means intentional violation of the rules of the language in order to achieve a humorous effect. Language play exists at all levels of language structure: phonological, morphological, lexical and syntactic.
 The article is based on the material of a popular American sitcom “Scrubs” dedicated to the everyday life of doctors. Сases of usage syntactic language play in the speech of six characters of the sitcom (John Dorian, Percival Cox, Christofer Turk, Elliot Rid, Carla Espinoza and Jordan Sullivan) are considered. In their jokes, characters in the majority of cases use lexical language play techniques, but syntactic language play is also quite common. The most frequently used syntactic means (repetition, parcellation, rhetorical questions, tautology, zeugma) are determined. Specific cases of usage language game techniques at the syntactic level are presented.

Foreign and multilingual language play on social sites as an identity marker

ABSTRACT Not being subject to various restrictions common to more formal contexts and thus establishing complete control, users are ready for a considerable investment in the target language use, in this case the English language use, on social sites. Their investment here is motivated by the desire to assume the identity of a global citizen, the identity of unique individuals deserving the attention of the target social group. In that attempt they start playing with language, foreign and multilingual language play presenting appropriate means of creating the desired identity positions. The present study, exploring the use of English by young adult Bosnian speakers on Facebook and Instagram and the reasons underlying it, aimed at investigating the aforementioned claims. Using English the participants tried to show they possess the attributes associated with English as the global language, such as modern, trendy, omnipresent, etc. Moreover, they seemed to find being both local and international, traditional and modern, and above all unique and creative more important than being correct following native-like norms. The study is expected to broaden the understanding of the interrelation between the language use and identity negotiation, and contribute to awakening a stronger interest into the potential of language play.

Proposing a Gaming Language Analysis Procedure to Reveal Video Game Ideology through Ludic Linguistics

This study proposes a procedural analysis on the implementation of ludic linguistics to analyze gaming language with wordplays, the core of focus in ludic linguistics, as the point of departure. To formulate the procedural analysis, theories of language play by Crystal ideology of influence and ludonarrative model by Aarseth, wordplay in gaming context by Paul, intended meaning level by Stiles, wordplay transmission by Winter-Froemel, game interface types by Stonehouse and indexical storytelling by Fernández-Vara were applied as the theoretical foundation. To provide a vivid application of the proposed procedural analysis, wordplays appearing on game assets from Konami’s Metal Gear Solid, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater were taken as examples of analysis. The five steps procedure is able to show how wordplays in gaming context are designed as mechanical cues to help gamers complete the games and as narrative cues to help them comprehend the story. Further, this proposed procedure is able to indicate that the mechanical and narrative cues have particular ideology of influence, which affects gamers in reacting and responding to particular problems presented by the games. The result of this study discloses future research on the roles of wordplays in gaming context, signifying the importance of ludic linguistics as a bridge between language studies and game studies. Keywords: Wordplay; Gaming Language; Ludic Linguistics; Game Dtudies; Metal Gear Solid

CREATIVITY, HOPE, AND EXPECTATION IN A POETRY PROGRAM: RETHINKING WHAT COUNTS AS SUCCESS IN DEMENTIA CARE

Creativity offers liberation from the framework of decline in later life in general, and within the context of dementia specifically. Cohen described the synergy of hope and expectation as ways through which people access their creative potential, especially in the face of loss. This paper explores three case drawn from a qualitative study. Eight residents living in a secure dementia care facility participated in six 30-minute interactive poetry sessions using guidelines from the Alzheimer’s Poetry Project (APP). Observations were conducted at baseline, during the intervention, and one week afterwards. All sessions were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed. Important findings included the positive potential of imagined futures, creative engagement as a tool for building social bonds, and the importance of language play. Overall, these findings point to new ways to consider success in dementia interventions by focusing on the potential to create meaningful and creative engagement opportunities.

Cucuk Lampah: Cooperative Principles Violations to Create Laughter at Wedding Ceremony in Magetan

This research aimed at describing the violations of cooperative principles and the factors that created humor of Cucuk Lampah in the wedding ceremony in Magetan regency. This was descriptive qualitative research. The subjects of this research were all humor discourse conducted by Cucuk Lampah. Meanwhile, the objects were the data that contained the violation of the cooperative principle. The data collection used observation method with the tapping technique, then SBLC or Free Participant Observation technique, note-taking technique, and video recording technique. It used a pragmatic identity method based on utterances by heuristic technique to analyze data. The result shows that in creating humor, Cucuk Lampahmostly violates quantity maxim. It means that Cucuk Lampah prefers less and more information or contribution to the interaction. Cucuk Lampah is free to lie, using taboo, speaking indirectly with pambiwara, and singers. Cucuk Lampah also uses language play by mentioning the unexpected in the utterances to build up taboo words. The violations of the quality maxim, relevance maxim, and manner maxim are also done in less number compare to quantity maxim violations. The nonobservance of the maxims mostly is violating a maxim, flouting a maxim, infringing a maxim, suspending a maxim, and the last is opting out of a maxim

More than a scaffold: Language is a neuroenhancement

ABSTRACT What role does language play in our thoughts? A longstanding proposal that has gained traction among supporters of embodied or grounded cognition suggests that it serves as a cognitive scaffold. This idea turns on the fact that language—with its ability to capture statistical regularities, leverage culturally acquired information, and engage grounded metaphors—is an effective and readily available support for our thinking. In this essay, I argue that language should be viewed as more than this; it should be viewed as a neuroenhancement. The neurologically realized language system is an important subcomponent of a flexible, multimodal, and multilevel conceptual system. It is not merely a source for information about the world but also a computational add-on that extends our conceptual reach. This approach provides a compelling explanation of the course of development, our facility with abstract concepts, and even the scope of language-specific influences on cognition.

Относно фантастичното в китайския филм „Легенда за котката демон“

“Heart of Darkness” is a multilayered but coherent work whose universally acclaimed appeal draws on its thematic preoccupation with the problems of initiation and cognition. The rich variety of interpretations and creative reworks of the novella vary from discussions of its importance as a sample of anticolonial fiction to the acknowledgement of its role as a precursor to contemporary fantastic literature. The first Bulgarian dramatisation of “Heart of Darkness”, screen-written and directed by Valeria Valcheva, is an insightful and successful attempt to do justice to both its contents and the suggestive power of its poetics translated into the language of drama. The performance combines the stylistic features of farce, cabaret, ritual and classical theatre, inserting fragments of Edgar Allan Poe, Vachel Lindsay, Tom Waits, Thomas Eliot and even Pushkin’s poems. Valcheva is particularly concerned with reading Conrad’s work as a “European” collective narrative where the African Other is rendered through the poetic features of mask-wearing and the symbolic “curtain” of the jungle. The performance is likewise accompanied by music that includes the “talking drums” of Congo, and its stage design was apparently borrowed from Orson Welles’s cinematic adaptations. One of the outstanding contributions of the Bulgarian performance to the earlier attempts at dramatising Conrad’s work is the use of a marionette to represent Kurtz’s self-glorified condition. The play likewise foregrounds the biographical aspect of Conrad’s work related to Conrad and Marguerite Poradowska’s correspondence.

„Сърцето на мрака“ – идеи и решения на първата българска постановка

“Heart of Darkness” is a multilayered but coherent work whose universally acclaimed appeal draws on its thematic preoccupation with the problems of initiation and cognition. The rich variety of interpretations and creative reworks of the novella vary from discussions of its importance as a sample of anticolonial fiction to the acknowledgement of its role as a precursor to contemporary fantastic literature. The first Bulgarian dramatisation of “Heart of Darkness”, screen-written and directed by Valeria Valcheva, is an insightful and successful attempt to do justice to both its contents and the suggestive power of its poetics translated into the language of drama. The performance combines the stylistic features of farce, cabaret, ritual and classical theatre, inserting fragments of Edgar Allan Poe, Vachel Lindsay, Tom Waits, Thomas Eliot and even Pushkin’s poems. Valcheva is particularly concerned with reading Conrad’s work as a “European” collective narrative where the African Other is rendered through the poetic features of mask-wearing and the symbolic “curtain” of the jungle. The performance is likewise accompanied by music that includes the “talking drums” of Congo, and its stage design was apparently borrowed from Orson Welles’s cinematic adaptations. One of the outstanding contributions of the Bulgarian performance to the earlier attempts at dramatising Conrad’s work is the use of a marionette to represent Kurtz’s self-glorified condition. The play likewise foregrounds the biographical aspect of Conrad’s work related to Conrad and Marguerite Poradowska’s correspondence.

Analysis of Support Materials in English Language Teaching and Learning

The research paper entitled “Analysis of Support Materials in English Language Teaching and Learning” Focuses on detailing the aspects of support materials in English language such as Cartoons as Support Material, Newspaper Middles as Support Material, Folk Tales and Anecdotes as Support Materials, Riddles, Crossword Puzzles and Jokes as Support Materials, Proverbs, Limericks and Malapropisms as Support materials. And analyses the Though this may be true, yet another truth is that one can use support materials and keenly engage the learners in the language learning process by giving them pleasure. Language play is one of the ways in which English teaching and learning can be made an entertaining as well as worthwhile experience.

Characteristics of Conversations and Possibility of Learning in Novice English Learners’ Language Play

Characteristics of Conversations and Possibility of Learning in Novice English Learners’ Language Play