Narrative Tone Research Articles

Exploring the use of Language in Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Focus on Social Class and Patriarchal Mindset of Victorian England

Tess of the d’Urbervilles written by Thomas Hardy explores the complicated social structure and patriarchal injustice existing during the Victorian era. In this novel, Hardy uses refined and colloquial language for characters belonging to different classes in order to portray social differences and highlight power and position.Tess, being a girl from lower class was a subject of exploitation and received physical and mental abuse from Alec, Angel and overall, the society. Alec often abused her verbally using words reflectinghis ownership over Tess while Angel and the society blamed her for her rape. This paper aims to examine the role of language in Tess of the d’Urbervilles that represents the deep-rooted domination based on gender and class. Through Hardy’s narrative style and variation in linguistics pattern themes of male dominance and abuse, possession, control, victim blaming, identity, social class. and the patriarchal mindset of the society has been explored. The findings are basedon the primary and secondary data collected from the text Tess of the d’Urbervilles and other journals, articles, research paper of various scholars respectively. Besides, it also focuses on the sympathetic narrative tone of the writer where he expressed his compassion and presented Tess as a tragic character to the readers, who had gone through all sorts of sufferings due to her gender and class. The paper also presents a connection between Tess and the women of all ages who have similar experience and how language has always been an instrument of oppression and control over women by men. Hardy’s use of language is a reflection of the social and gender oppression during the Victorian era and how words can be a way of humiliating women.

Studying the impact of profitability, bankruptcy risk, and pandemic on narrative tone in annual reports in an emerging market in the East

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether the narrative tone of annual reports is influenced by profitability, bankruptcy risk, and pandemic in the context of Vietnam. The study applies the necessary regression analysis steps such as ordinary least squares (OLS), random effects model (REM), fixed effects model (FEM), and feasible generalized least squares (FGLS). Bootstrapping and System Generalized Method of Moments (SGMM) methods are used to test the robustness and address endogeneity and dynamic relationships in the data. The findings show that net tones increase while negative tones decrease in companies with high profitability. Companies at risk of bankruptcy use more negative tone and less net tone than companies that are not at risk of bankruptcy. The study also affirms that bankruptcy risk moderates the relationship between profitability and negative tone. During the COVID-19 pandemic, companies used more positive and negative tones than they did before the pandemic. After the COVID-19 situation stabilized, positive tones were used more, and negative tones were used less than during the outbreak. The research results also recognized that companies do not intend to hide information through impression management when faced with difficult economic conditions. This study has practical implications for investors and information users when considering management disclosures through the narrative tone of annual reports. To our knowledge, this is the first study (1) in an emerging market in the East—where there are fundamental cultural and linguistic differences compared to Western countries, (2) to build a list of Vietnamese words and phrases expressing emotional nuances used in finance and accounting, and (3) refers to the narrative tone of annual reports across different groups of companies.

Tracing Trajectories: Qualitative Visualizations of Migrant Death in South Texas, 1993–2020

Executive Summary This paper explores how qualitative information may be used to enhance understanding and inform recommendations for improved accounting of migrant deaths along the Texas-Mexico border. While border crossing related deaths affect jurisdictions throughout the US’s Southwestern border states and Northern Mexican states, Texas has unique challenges that merit specific examination. In short, the management and investigation of unidentified migrant decedents in Texas is severely fragmented and often noncompliant with Texas Criminal Code Procedure. I explore a way to improve accounting of migrant deaths leveraging qualitative information, local newspaper articles from South Texas and Northern Mexico, by using descriptive summaries coupled with Sankey Diagrams and a programmatic technique, qualitative spatial representation (QSR). QSR enabled me to identify under-recognized stakeholders (South Texas locals, Mexican consulates) and under-supported counties (i.e., those with migrant deaths that do not share a border directly with Mexico). I found that local English-language newspapers obscured the prevalence of migrant deaths and that their narrative tone of “business as usual” normalized the occurrence of such deaths. The Spanish-language articles better represented the diversity of agencies and individuals that were involved in the various aspects of migrant remains management and forensic investigation, most notably residents of South Texas themselves (or situational participants who first found the remains) and Mexican consulates. Finally, I noted that the collaborations among Texas counties and between Texan and Mexican jurisdictions, when they were described in the newspapers, highlighted that the phenomenon of migrant deaths penetrates beyond the dividing line of the Rio Grande/Río Bravo River. Migrant deaths must be accounted for in a way that reflects a regional experience in which people may perish as far as ~100 miles into Texas’ interior. Considering these observations, I have two policy recommendations. First, the Office of the Texas Governor should establish funds distinct from the Operation Lone Star program for the management of unidentified human remains. Currently, grants through the Operation Lone Star Program are the only funds available in Texas to support identification of migrant decedents. However, this program is explicitly designed to further border security operations in the state of Texas, which can contradict efforts around recovery and identification. The documentation and forensic investigation of the unidentified deceased can be eclipsed or neglected under the larger deterrence aims of Operation Lone Star. Second, to improve accounting and increase documentation of migrant deaths, a Regional Identification Center should be established in South Texas. Not every county in Texas has or has access to a Medical Examiner’s office, including the means to transport and pay for autopsy or other forensic services. The Center would provide training, store extra equipment such as mobile refrigerated morgues, and hire personnel to inventory cases, and report information to the state (e.g., vital statistics) and to foreign consulates. A Regional Identification Center would counteract the challenges highlighted in the local newspaper summaries and QSR by decreasing the isolation of counties experiencing migrant deaths and serve as a documentary and communication hub for stakeholders in Texas and Mexico.

Narrative Tone and Facial Emotion Management of Risk Disclosure in Crowdfunding

Narrative Tone and Facial Emotion Management of Risk Disclosure in Crowdfunding

Translation of English Modals in the Novel Entitled Deck The Halls

This study analyzes the translation of English modals into Indonesian within the context of the novel "Deck the Halls" by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark. Modals, such as "can," "could," "may," "might," "should," "would," and "must," are crucial in expressing nuances of possibility, necessity, permission, and ability. Their accurate translation is vital for preserving the narrative's tone, intent, and subtlety. This study examines how these English modals are rendered in Indonesian, highlighting translation strategies employed to convey the original meaning effectively. The analysis reveals that modals are often translated through literal and contextual approaches. For instance, "must" is translated as "harus" to convey strong necessity, while "might" is rendered as "mungkin" to express uncertainty. The study also explores challenges such as nuance loss and context sensitivity, which arise due to structural and cultural differences between English and Indonesian. The effectiveness of the translation is evaluated based on how well it retains the original modals' meanings and narrative functions. Overall, this analysis demonstrates that while translating English modals involves navigating complex linguistic and cultural factors, the strategies employed in "Deck the Halls" generally succeed in preserving the narrative's intended tone and meaning.

“DISGRACE” BY J.M. COETZEE AS A POSTMODERN VARIATION OF THE NOVEL ABOUT A MUSICIAN

“DISGRACE” BY J.M. COETZEE AS A POSTMODERN VARIATION OF THE NOVEL ABOUT A MUSICIAN

Forward-looking disclosure tone in the chairman’s statement: obfuscation or truthful explanations

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of a firm’s financial performance on forward-looking disclosure (FLD) tone and assess whether managers are engaging in impression management or providing truthful explanations when their companies have good or poor performance.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the content analysis method to measure the tone of FLD in the chairman’s statements of Omani financial institutions for the period 2014–2018. Regression analysis is then used to test the research hypotheses.FindingsThe authors found that good-performing firms are disclosing more good news, whereas poor-performing firms disclose more bad news. The results provided evidence that managers in Oman are providing truthful explanations in their narratives.Practical implicationsThis study offered interesting policy and practical implications for policymakers, managers and stakeholders. This paper provided insights to policymakers regarding the FLD tone practices used in the chairman’s reports in Oman. Policymakers should be aware of the importance of the chairman’s reports in the eye of multiple stakeholders and, therefore, need to set guidelines on the type and quality of non-financial voluntary information that should be disclosed in such reports in the context of emerging economies. For academics, evidence has been provided by this study’s results regarding the impact of corporate performance on disclosure tone.Originality/valueThis study offered a novel contribution to disclosure studies by being the first to examine the performance-disclosure narrative tone relation, in the context of Oman.

A Prologue to apology and futurism: Projections of nineteenth-century American Historicism in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “The Custom-House”

Distracted by the contesting political debates between aristocratic republicanism of the Revolutionary era and democratic republicanism of the Antebellum; Nathaniel Hawthorne’s narrative tone in his prologue, “The CustomHouse” carries out the ideological assets of nineteenth-century American historicism in accord with which he laid ahistorical fictional elements failing to portray the entirety of early colonial New England in his 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter. In this respect, “The Custom-House” portrays Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Romantic projections aimed at consoling the contemporaneous polarization on the futurity of the nation as much as his redemptive quest for his ancestral past in colonial Salem. Thus, as the dean of American Renaissance authors and a fervent Romantic, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s concern for an absolute-oriented moral vision, his apologetic perspective of the past, and his affirmative tone for the futurity of American democracy are most out loud in his writing. This study aims to focus on Hawthorne’s apologetic and futurist projections of nineteenth-century American historicism in his prologue, “The Custom-House” for his 1850 novel, The Scarlet Letter, concerning his responses to the anxieties of Antebellum America.

The progression of disclosures in the basic materials industry of South Africa

AbstractConsidering debates surrounding the usefulness of integrated reporting for decision‐making, this exploratory study uses objective measures to investigate the quality of disclosures other than financial in the basic materials industry of South Africa. Annual and integrated reports for the basic materials and consumer discretionary industries are evaluated over 12 years, from 2008 to 2020 for a total of 1204 firm‐year observations to investigate whether (1) integrated reporting brought positive change and (2) whether reporting improved over time. Readability and narrative tone analyses are conducted, and non‐parametric Kruskal‐Wallis tests are used to investigate the development of these measures over time. The results show that corporate reports in the basic materials industry decreased in quality over time in that the reports have become longer, less readable, and use specific narrative tones, which can create biases. The findings reveal that the declining quality of reports in the basic materials industry could mislead or deter investors, challenge regulatory oversight, and ultimately, impact firms' social licence to operate. Thus, they offer actionable insights for firms to improve disclosure by reducing complexity and length and adopting a neutral narrative tone to mitigate biases, thereby making these reports more accessible and useful for a wider stakeholder audience. In addition, investors ought to demand better reporting, and regulators should tighten guidelines.

The readability and narrative tone of risk and risk management disclosures for South African listed companies

PurposeRisk information provides information to enable stakeholders to make informed decisions about a company. Corporate communications should be readable and unbiased so as not to hamper disclosure usefulness. This study assesses whether risk disclosures in the integrated reports are readable and unbiased.Design/methodology/approachThe readability and narrative tone of South African listed companies' risk and risk management disclosures as disclosed in their integrated reports are analysed using automated software for the Top 40 JSE listed companies from 2015 to 2019.FindingsThe results show that risk and risk management disclosures are unreadable and lack any improvement in readability during the period. Additionally, these disclosures are biased toward narrative tones signalling communality and certainty.Originality/valueThe study adds to the literature on the readability of corporate reports, by focussing on the readability and narrative tone of risk and risk management disclosures during a period of increased scrutiny over the content of such disclosures. Also, by analysing risk disclosure and risk management disclosure separately, and by performing trend analysis to determine whether requirement changes related to content (specifically King IV) affect readability and narrative tones.

An Investigation into the Stylistic Functions of Misplaced Modifiers in John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"

This paper explores the impact of the purposeful use of misplaced modifiers in John Steinbeck's Novella to create certain effects on the readers. In the narrative, George and Lennie, migrant workers during the Great Depression, pursue their dreams, with misplaced modifiers adding intrigue and character depth. George, practical and astute, continually corrects his mentally challenged yet kind companion, Lennie. Steinbeck employed this technique to infuse his writing with charm and captivation by placing descriptive phrases in unexpected places within the sentence, adding complexity, seizing attention, and nurturing thought-provoking reading. In "Of Mice and Men," these modifiers contribute to the growth of key characters, increasing tension, surprise, and irony, evoking emotions and setting the narrative tone. This empowered Steinbeck to express his unique style, displaying linguistic prowess. The paper sheds light on that linguistic phenomenon in Steinbeck’s novel, exploring his skillful manipulation of language, and how he uses it to create specific effects on the readers.

Narrative tone and earnings persistence

This study contributes to the accounting literature on the intersection between earnings quality and the linguistic features of firms’ financial disclosures. Specifically, it examines the relationship between earnings persistence as an attribute of earnings quality and the tone of United Kingdom annual reports. The expectations-adjustment hypothesis suggests that firms with more persistent earnings streams have incentives to signal their superior earnings quality to capital providers by increasing the positive tone of financial disclosures. Consistent with this hypothesis, this study provides evidence of a positive association between the annual report tone and earnings persistence. Additional analysis reveals that this association is less pronounced in technology firms than non-technology firms. Separating the sample into profit firms and loss firms suggests that the tone is positively associated with the persistence of profits but exhibits no association with the persistence of losses. Disaggregating the tone into positive and negative components indicates that negative tone has a stronger and more negative association with earnings persistence than positive tone. Further, negative tone is negatively associated with earnings persistence in both profit firms and loss firms. In contrast, positive tone is not associated with earnings persistence in profit firms but is negatively associated with earnings persistence in loss firms.

Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo

Reviewed by: Mr. S by Monica Arnaldo Kara Forde Arnaldo, Monica Mr. S; written and illus. by Monica Arnaldo. Tegen/Harper Collins, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063003958 $19.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 4-8yrs On the first day of school, the kindergarteners in room 2B know that something is amiss when they see only a stack of papers, a steaming cup of coffee, and an “impressive looking” sandwich at the desk where a teacher would normally be. As the kids collectively realize they are unattended, half proclaim the lack of teacher means no rules, and the other half vehemently disagrees. A sudden sound of a ruler falling to the floor (for no apparent reason) alerts them to the large “Mr. S” written on the board, indicating that the sandwich—Mr. S—will be their instructor. Reassured about the presence of presumed teacher Mr. Sandwich, the kids confidently proceed through the day’s lessons (with a few quirky variations—cue “Mary Had a Little Ham” for the musical activity), but doubts about the viability of a sandwich teacher creep into class conversations until finally a grown-up bursts through the door. Dramatic tension builds as two concurrent storylines unfold in the illustrations: a parking lot scene is visible through the classroom windows, and an unidentified adult endures the comically tragic destruction of their car in a storm. A saturated, warm color palette, dynamic shifts in perspective, and highly exaggerated facial expressions combine to make Arnaldo’s art central to this story’s appeal. Faithful to the cheeky narrative tone of Are You a Cheeseburger? (BCCB 05/21), [End Page 319] this story gleefully leans into absurdity, with a dash of epistemological musings. Young skeptics will be surprised by the true identity of the teacher of room 2B in a twist that makes this a standout among first day of school titles. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate

Reviewed by: The One and Only Ruby by Katherine Applegate Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Applegate, Katherine The One and Only Ruby; illus. by Patricia Castelao. Harper, 2023 [240p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780063080089 $19.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780063080102 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 3-5 Little Ruby, the baby elephant featured in The One and Only Ivan (BCCB 02/12) and The One and Only Bob (BCCB 05/20) has come a long way since her time as a roadside attraction at The Exit 8 Big Top Mall and Video Arcade, and she's flourishing now in the care of her adopted herd at the Wildworld Zoological Park and Sanctuary. Lately, however, she's been plagued with worries about her upcoming Tuskday, when the other elephants in her herd will celebrate the arrival of her tusks. She's not interested in being the center of attention or having to give a speech—at [End Page 285] least, those are the reasons she gives to others about her anxiety. The truth, however, comes from a place of deeper trauma, and it's only revealed when she's encouraged by Ivan and Bob to talk about her experience as a baby on the African savanna. Applegate yet again shows her ability to explore grief and its lifelong ripples with a subtle tenderness, balancing the joy of Ruby's current life and relationships with the fact that Ruby only lives in the sanctuary because she lost a mother to poachers and was forcibly relocated multiple times (eventually to the U.S., where readers of previous books will know she lost yet another maternal figure). The direct narrative tone gives depth to her personality: Ruby can be as mischievous and playful as she is stubborn and sometimes angry. Ivan, Bob, and Ruby all share terrible experiences at the hands of ignorant and even cruel humans, and while Applegate shows their current caretakers as compassionate people, she never offers redemption to those that hurt the friends and acknowledges the traumas that will stay with the trio for a long time. An elephant glossary is provided in frontmatter while an author's note discussing conservation, ecotourism, and elephant endangerment concludes the book. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke (review)

Reviewed by: Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief by Ben Hatke Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Hatke, Ben Reynard's Tale: A Story of Love and Mischief; written and illus. by Ben Hatke. First Second, 2023 [80p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781250857910 $22.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 7-10 Hatke takes a deft hand to his contribution to the stories of Reynard the Fox, the trickster at the center of a trove of medieval tales, bringing in familiars from the original sources and adding his own creations and sardonic edge. Readers first meet Reynard settling in around a campfire just as summer ends in the Borderlands, "that precarious space between civilization and the True Wild." A messenger crow and summons from the king, however, sets Reynard on the run, who first finds refuge (and wine and a good time) at the Inn at the Edge, but then flees again with the Clockwork Conjurer, facing memory stealers, Death herself, and eventually a lover he left behind. The pace is quick, the characters are memorable, and the narrative tone is a careful balance of folkloric formality with a gentle earnestness, allowing Reynard to be both tricksy and sympathetic. Hatke's signature art is all languid lines and loose angles, with crosshatching bringing textures and composition underscoring emotion: Death is elegant and looms large upon her arrival, for example, but her subsequent efforts to get Reynard into bed have a desperation as the scene homes in on the two. The target age is a bit ambiguous, as the writing itself skews young but the content older, but it would certainly make an entertaining and lovely companion to class units on medieval literature or folklore, while fans of Hatke's previous works will find his signature wit here. The final chapter sees Reynard tamed—at least temporarily—by the most unexpected of sources, a little child with a fox tail: "Love is like that, isn't it? … Always a surprise. Always a mystery." Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Quantifying investor narratives and their role during COVID‐19

SummaryThis paper elicits and quantifies narratives from open‐ended surveys sent daily to US stockholders during the first wave of the COVID‐19 pandemic. Using textual analysis, we extract 13 narratives and measure their prevalence over time. A validation analysis confirms the behavioral and economic relevance of the retrieved narratives. Moreover, we find that the narratives contain predictive information for future excess stock and bond returns, and this predictability remains when controlling for contemporaneous information stemming from news and social media. Finally, we find evidence that political identity is reflected in the narrative tone.

Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang

Reviewed by: Last Flight by Kristen Mai Giang Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Giang, Kristen Mai Last Flight; illus. by Dow Phumiruk. Levine Querido, 2023 [56p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781646140862 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 5-8 yrs Saigon is a busy, bustling place, sometimes overwhelming our protagonist, but she and her family still call it home, even when new sounds add to the din: “Heavy boots. Warning whistles. Booms that sounded far but felt near.” Life becomes increasingly challenging as the Vietnam War rages on, and when the fall of Saigon seems inevitable, the little girl’s father’s employer, Pan Am, promises to fly the family out to safety. Bureaucracy puts things on hold, however, until President Gerald Ford declares an emergency rescue flight, and soon the family is on a plane to a new but hopefully safer home. Giang’s affecting, powerful recounting of her family’s escape from Saigon in 1975 renders a largely unexplored moment in history intimate and urgent. The narrative tone is appropriately childlike, with simple, direct text relaying some specific information but mostly focusing on the experience of being [End Page 221] powerless in an increasingly scary situation, particularly as it becomes clear that even the adults are struggling to figure out how to keep themselves and their children safe. Figures lack movement, and scenes in the mixed media illustrations are often flat, but facial expressions portray moments of worry, terror, and sometimes a determined cheerfulness. An author’s note gives further detail but also emphasizes how her memories are cobbled together from her own experience and her family’s, which could spark a discussion about how people remember a shared trauma and how each experience is valid. Flight facts and a bibliography are included in the backmatter. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Reviewed by: Julia and the Shark by Kiran Millwood Hargrave Kate Quealy-Gainer, Editor Hargrave, Kiran Millwood Julia and the Shark; illus. by Tom de Freston. Union Square, 2023 [224p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781454948681 $18.99 Paper ed. ISBN 9781454948698 $9.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781454948704 $8.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6 Of all places, Julia’s dad’s programming job has brought the ten-year-old girl and her parents to a remote, failing little lighthouse in Shetland so he can reprogram the light. The seaside setting is also a perfect place for her marine biologist mother to look for the elusive Greenland shark, so while Dad is preoccupied with a stubbornly malfunctioning light and Mum is off on a charter boat each day, Julia is pretty much left to her own devices. The summer of family togetherness has turned into a solitary retreat as her mother pulls away, her father grows frustrated, and they both start fighting more often than not. With her loneliness only increasing, Julia comes to believe if she can just help her mom find the shark, her family will be whole again. The narrative tone and the gorgeous artwork of this UK import come together to present an authentic, compassionate look at a girl flailing in rocky familial waters; Julia is old enough to recognize the storm for what is but not experienced enough to steer herself and her family toward calmer seas. The dreamy illustrations underscore the emotions with deft subtlety; dappled shades of yellow and black background the text, eventually shaping into Julia, the shark, and the rough waves she must travel. The depictions of her mother’s struggles with mental health are realistic but tender, placing that condition within the wonderful, caring wholeness that is Mum. Honest but still hopeful, this makes a strong readalike for Allen’s The Line Tender (BCCB 4/19) or Kelly’s Song for a Whale (BCCB 2/19). Copyright © 2022 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

The Storytelling Image and the Ages of a Character: Yasunari Kawabata, The Sound of the Mountain (山の音・Yama no oto, 1949-1954)

The present study aims to analyse the novel The Sound of the Mountain (山の音・Yama no oto, 1949-1954), by Yasunari Kawabata (1899-1972), beginning with a storytelling image, or an image that automatically produces a story. The image under scrutiny is auditory, an image of a mysterious, strongly affective intimacy, which sets the narrative tone and generates the function of the

Narrative resilience in the cross-regional support of healthcare workers during the COVID-19 outbreak: The Chinese experiences of cultural input

The healthcare staff who supported Wuhan's rescue work were the first batch of cross-regional supporters during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. To determine the cultural factors that affected their mental health and resilience, as well as the processes that organizations and individuals underwent to transform cultural resources into benefits. This study collected narrative materials in the form of national and individual statements and used Social Ecology of Resilience theory to analyse them. It identified and analysed the cultural factors of resilience in macrosystems, mesosystems, and microsystems according to four themes, namely: cognition, emotion, will, and behaviour. Altogether, it was found that the national voice adopted an optimistic narrative tone reminiscent of that used during the context of war and that the personal or public voice approved of it. The study revealed that the party and government's use of moral narration derived from its heritage culture and its belief in its continuity in new China's culture served as a mechanism of cultural resilience and mobilisation. The above is the experience of the operation of living culture (LC) and cultural heritage (CH) mentioned in Culture Based Development (CBD). In light of this, it was concluded that the predominant form of cultural input during China's national public health crisis has been storytelling with narrative resilience.