Mosaic Of Languages Research Articles

Song and poetic text Bella ciao in a mosaic of languages, cultures and arts

The development of textology and intertextuality opens up new perspectives in the interpretation of famous texts, including the song of the Italian Resistance participants Bella ciao . Its numerous polymodal representations in different languages and arts account for the need to systematize them on uniform methodological grounds. The material of the article is the song and poetic text in Italian dialects and in the common Italian neo-standard, its translations into Romance languages, interpretations in Russian, Caucasian and other languages, as well as multimedia and polychannel versions. The goal of the article is to discuss intertextual, semantic and semiotic parameters of the text; to establish the parameters of internal and external intertextuality of the versions of the original text; and to characterize the precedent phenomena serving as the basis for the development and transformation of their aesthetics. The study aims to build and interpret the precedent links and associations of the song Bella ciao in its intertextual transformations; to determine its specificity in the semiocultural conditions of reading and interpretation and at the same time to evaluate its place in the context of Italian and world culture. The methodology is based on a set of methods at the intersection of linguosemiotic, functional and semantic approaches focusing on such parameters of the text as precedence, variation, correlation of linguistic and non-linguistic codes, comparison of the original and translations, polycode, polymodal and translation transformations. The study has established that, as a result of numerous intertextual transformations, the original text expressing unique Italian cultural meanings acquires new interpretations acting as a starting point or the development of both precedent and new plots. It is used as a polycoded intersemiotic model for the creation of new interpretations and, in the long term, becomes a tool for the preservation and reproduction of cultural memory.

Translations of books for children and young adults in Poland 1918-1939 (a research reconnaissance)

Based on the bibliography method (mainly Bibliografia literatury dla dzieci i młodzieży 1918-1939. Literatura polska i przekłady, by B. Krassowska i A. Grefkowicz, Warszawa, 1995), the article presents the extent of foreign literature for young people translated into Polish, edited in Poland in 1918-1939. The most popular languages, literary genres, bestseller authors and titles, the intensity of publishing in periods, the biggest publishers, and the most popular series are analyzed. Besides classics, many foreign light titles were published, because of the lack of such literature in the Polish book market. They were attacked by literary critics and educators, but very widely-read in fact. The abundance and variety of foreign literature for children and young adults in 1918-1939 are emphasized. Language mosaic and author-subject diversity of these books had never been repeated after World War II, mainly due to political reasons.
 
 

English in advertising in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo

AbstractIn the last few decades, the linguistic landscape in Lubumbashi, the second largest and most economically important city in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has grown into a big mosaic of languages and colors as many Anglophone mining and trade multinationals established themselves and implanted their foreign identities. For example, of the more than 1,000 advertisements counted in a small section of the city centre, English numbered up to more than 40% of them. Yet, English has remained alien in the country's everyday transactions. The main reason for its presence is that it has become a ‘global language’ (Crystal, 1997), spreading to ‘nearly every corner of the earth’ (Sonntag, 2003, p. xi). The main functions played by this mixture in which English plays a prominent role is to serve for cloning (or pirating), commercial purposes, corporate identity, cosmopolitanism, hybridization, imitation, and snobbism. This ubiquity of English is in sharp contrast with the infinitesimal use of English in intra‐national transactions.

On the difficulties in translating the language mosaic of the novel by S. Dovlatov “Pushkin Hills” (“Zapovednik”) (on the example of translation into the Serbian language)

On the difficulties in translating the language mosaic of the novel by S. Dovlatov “Pushkin Hills” (“Zapovednik”) (on the example of translation into the Serbian language)

THE PROBLEM OF EDUCATIONAL SPREAD’S FORMATION AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST COUNTRIES (CASE STUDY OF ISRAEL)

The present article investigates a very specific language situation, language policy and its implementation in the educational process in Israel, that is a country in the Middle East where there is a whole palette of languages (over 32 languages) and cultures. The authors carried out a thorough analysis of the development and domination of the todays’leading languages in Israel (Hebrew, Arabic, English), dwelled upom historical factors that had influenced and shaped language dynamics in the country. The current research based on and supported by other similar reseaches in this area presents a unique case study of a dying language (Hebrew) revilatisation in the XXI c. as well as the domination of English, Arabic in the region, which in their place have pushed other existing languages (Ladino, Yiddish) to the edge of their extinction. The current research argues that such a ‘language mosaic’ is not specifically driven by any pre-planned by the state language policy, but is a reflection of extra-linguistic factors which shape the objective reality in Israel. Keywords: Language policy, language situation, Israel, Hebrew, Arabic

Levels of authorial presence in Anonymus Londiniensis (P.Brit. Libr. inv. 137)

In the autograph manuscript of the so-called Anonymus Londiniensis (P.Br.Libr. inv. 137), an isagogic text on medicine and the causes of disease, we have an interesting case study to focus on how an ancient author composed a new work by compiling a handful of written sources. In particular, through the text's analysis, my aim is to recognise, within the language mosaic, an ‘authorial’ language or layer that basically expresses the writer’s doctrinal choices.

Reconstructing the Population History of European Romani from Genome-wide Data

The Romani, the largest European minority group with approximately 11 million people, constitute a mosaic of languages, religions, and lifestyles while sharing a distinct social heritage. Linguistic and genetic studies have located the Romani origins in the Indian subcontinent. However, a genome-wide perspective on Romani origins and population substructure, as well as a detailed reconstruction of their demographic history, has yet to be provided. Our analyses based on genome-wide data from 13 Romani groups collected across Europe suggest that the Romani diaspora constitutes a single initial founder population that originated in north/northwestern India ~1.5 thousand years ago (kya). Our results further indicate that after a rapid migration with moderate gene flow from the Near or Middle East, the European spread of the Romani people was via the Balkans starting ~0.9 kya. The strong population substructure and high levels of homozygosity we found in the European Romani are in line with genetic isolation as well as differential gene flow in time and space with non-Romani Europeans. Overall, our genome-wide study sheds new light on the origins and demographic history of European Romani.

Reprinting Robert Morrisons Dictionary: Producers, Literary Audience, and the English Language Market in Nineteenth-Century Shanghai

By examining the four reprints of Robert Morrison’s Wuche yun fu (Five wagonloads of words) produced during the second half of the nineteenth century, this paper outlines the emergence and evolution of Chinese-English bilingual dictionaries and their role in spreading standard English to a wider literary audience in the treaty port of Shanghai. In the language mosaic of treaty port society, bilingual dictionaries highlighted the gap between spoken pidgin and written English, demarcating two linguistic repertoires commanded by two different groups. In exploring the socio-historical background of the publication history of these dictionaries, this paper also sheds light on the publishing market, especially English study aids in late nineteenth-century Shanghai.

Social remarks on the history of Spanish

If one takes a birds-eye tour of the social history of the languages spoken in the Iberian Peninsula, from the Antiquity to the present, there are several key features that can be clearly perceived. Latin, for instance, stands out in this timeline for its role as protagonist during a period of 2000 years. One can also note the importance of linguistic demography, the cycles of which determine the social presence of languages as well as how we view them, since it is these cycles that affect the configuration and extension of the geographic varieties of each language. Linguistically speaking, Spanish history demonstrates the influence that France has had in different times and diverse areas: the importance of Provencal literature, the arrival of European culture by way of the Camino de Santiago and through ecclesiastical reforms, the Medieval re-population movements, or the influence of the French model in linguistic politics of the eighteenth century. Nevertheless, what stands out most clearly when considering the mosaic of languages that have come together in the Peninsula over the course of time is the naturalness and normality with which these languages have co-existed on an everyday basis, whether neighboring languages, co-offcial languages sharing the same territory, mixed languages, or languages that mutually influence each other. The case of the Basque Territory is particularly representative due to its secular bilingualism, with the co-existence of extremely different languages from Indo-European and other varieties in the Pre-Historic Age, to modern-day Basque and Castilian. We should not lose sight of the fact that it was a bilingual monk who penned what we consider some of the first testimonies of the Basque language. The aim of this article is to present some of the most important moments in the social history of the Spanish language as it relates to its neighboring languages.

Challenges facing the EU institutions in dealing with an extended press network

The low turnout at the recent European elections is testimony to the political apathy invading Europe at the moment. At the same time, ten new countries, with different languages, histories and traditions have joined the EU club. Communications professionals working in Europe have no option but to take these new elements into account in campaign planning – making an already difficult science even more complicated. A new mosaic of languages is one barrier; another, the use of euro‐English that obscures rather than clarifies complicated issues. PR and press officers alike also have to battle against an ingrained cynicism in the press corps. This paper argues that classic communications strategies can be honed and adapted to the new Europe, and that PR has a duty to help Europe’s citizens understand the maze that is the European Union.

Language mosaic. Developing literacy in a second–new language: a new perspective

This article presents a new approach to examining second language writing among young learners, which I define as “Language mosaic”. It offers a new perspective on the process of writing development and examines how and what children do in the writing process while developing an additional language.

Power, ethnicity, and the remarkable rise of Lingala in Bukavu, eastern Zaire*

The linguistic Situation in Bukavu (Zaire) is fairly complex, for over 40 languages are spoken among the 240,000 inhabitants of this multiethnic town. Still, this language mosaic constitutes a relatively fluid System in which negotiation of Status, authority, and control can be smoothly accomplished. In recent years, Lingala has become very prominent in Bukavu and is increasingly being used as an additional lingua franca. This is quite remarkable given the fact that three lingua francas already exist (viz. French, Swahili, andlndoubil). An attempt ismade to outline the particular place of Lingala within the overall sociocultural space and to account for its appearance on the Bukavu scene.

Kibalele: Form and function of a secret language in Bukavu (Zaire)

The linguistic situation in Bukavu (Zaïre) is fairly complex, as over forty languages are spoken among the 240,000 inhabitants of this multi-ethnic town. This language mosaic constitutes a relatively fluid system in which negotiation of status, authority, and control can be smoothly accomplished through the use of the indigenous languages on the one hand, and the three lingua francas (Swahili, French, Indoubil) on the other. The main purpose of these lingua francas is to neutralize the negative effects of ethnicity. It is argued that also Kibalele, a secret language, has a specific function within this system. Furthermore, an attempt is made to capture the basic structure of Kibalele and to determine its particular place in Bukavu's overall socio-cultural space.

Languages and Literatures of Indochina

French Indochina presents a veritable mosaic of languages, among which are representatives of all the major language families of Southeast Asia. This country has long served as a geographical cul-desac for the continental mass of Asia and thus has received a variety of cultural and linguistic influences, producing one of the most complex ethnological pictures to be found anywhere in the world. Within its confines may be found languages belonging to the Mon-Khmer, Malayo-Polynesian, Annamese-Muong, Thai, Kadai, Miao-Yao, Tibeto-Burman, and Chinese stocks. Generally the centers of distribution for these language stocks lie outside Indochina, which has received only a trickle of speakers from linguistic spillage across its borders; only one of these stocks (Annamese-Muong) is an exclusively native product of Indochina. Little is known of most of these languages, and even the more important among them (Annamese, Khmer, Lao) have not yet received adequate modern linguistic treatment. The main outlines are sufficiently clear, however, and afford us data on the cultural history of the country.