Popular Genre Research Articles

Aspects of style attribution arrangement of cover version of pop-vocal composition

The purpose of the research is to theoretically develop methods of characterisation and attribution of the style of arranging a pop-vocal composition. The algorithm of analytical actions in the process of auditory examination of the specifics of the musical language of the arrangement aimed at identifying the genesis of the style profile of a pop-vocal composition is determined. In this regard, the parameters of tempo rhythm and phonism are defined as the basic criteria for recognising the stylistic dominant of the instrumental component of a song genre composition. The research methodology is based on a comprehensive study of the creative specifics of pop-song arrangements using a systematic typological approaches, inductive and structural-functional methods of analysing musical compositions, and also includes a descriptive auditory method and a method of comparative stylistic characterisation of arrangements, carried out on the principle of contrasting comparisons or comparisons based on the similarity of creative methods of instrumentation, form formation, tempo rhythmic, melodic and thematic and harmonic organisation of the musical material of instrumental accompaniments, is a method of identifying the stylistic dominant (genesis) of a song genre work with a particular direction of popular, jazz, folk or academic music. The research resulted in the theoretical development of a methodology for style attribution of arrangements of cover versions of works of popular song genres.

Рефлексия латиноамериканских социолектов в репрезентации культурно-общного языкового ареала

The article presents an overview of the most widespread Latin-American sociolects (Argentine Lunfardo, Colombian Parlache and Costa Rican Pachuco-Malespin) as well as a comparative analysis of the reflection of social realia based on them. Currently, the existing methodological framework of sociolect studies is being enriched. The emergence, functioning and influence of sociolects as factors of the society’s development are not only indicators of the ethnocultural evolution, but also signs of social transformations, which are reflected in culture and dictionaries, thus requiring turning to the theory of nominative acts. Word formation is represented by various techniques, such as syllabic inversion, truncation and lengthening of a stem, word composition, word doubling, and resemantization. The processes of sociolect dialogical interaction in the thematic lexicons of Lunfardo, Parlache and Malespin are considered. The taxonomy, usage and spread of these sociolects emphasize the social markedness they have acquired as numerous neologisms are produced: from universals to notions of various spheres of human activity. The practice-oriented study of the emergence and development of sociolects confirmed their use as a language-game, a secret language as a strategic tool in wartime, a conspiratorial language as a sign of belonging to a certain closed social group, etc. The functionality of sociolects has led to the creation and updating of specific dictionaries. Another thing Lunfardo, Parlache and Malespin have in common is cumbia, which is а popular genre of folk music in Latin America that originated in Colombia, but gained recognition throughout the continent. Its several variations reflect the identity of social environments, of which particular genres of cumbia are characteristic. The material under study is a rich palette for further interdisciplinary research with its obvious relevance considering the current conditions and trends in international relations.

The curse of the thinking woman: Encoded misogyny in the brilliant female detective

AbstractThe enormously popular contemporary genre of televised police procedurals that feature a brilliant female detective reflects and reifies enduring misogynistic beliefs and attitudes that pervade the cultural fantasies and social mores of our time. In her current form, the prototypical female protagonist of these series adheres to a rigid, stereotypical formulation that limits her capacity for mature, healthy object relations. In particular, her singular devotion to her work badly compromises her maternal function: thus, she is either barren or a bad mother, as well as a bad partner, sister, or daughter. Moreover, her professional excellence is itself pathologized, as the very qualities that make her extraordinary are typically attributable to the quintessential misogynistic trope of mental illness or emotional instability. The Greek myth of the birth of Athena explicates the threat embodied by the brilliant female detective, who, as a revival of the infantile fantasy of the all‐powerful, all‐knowing mother, infringes on the generative capacity of the mind: territory that men have since antiquity claimed in order to guard against envy of female procreative power. In return, she must be divested of her uniquely female powers, “the curse of the thinking woman.”

Popular music as living heritage: theoretical and practical challenges explored through the case of Slovenian folk pop

ABSTRACT Produced, distributed, and consumed in a de-territorialised way, modern popular music presents a set of challenges to cultural heritage policies which largely rely on spatial frameworks, as needs for the preservation of local, regional, or national cultural heritage are typically highlighted. Moreover, certain popular music genres dating back to the mid-20th century are both representations and re-inventions of local and ‘folk’ or ‘traditional’ music and have become a part of many living heritage practices. Slovenian folk-pop (FP) music is a case in point: a modern genre in terms of history and production conditions, nationally registered as intangible cultural heritage. This article offers an analysis of how FP music is integrated into authorised heritage discourse in Slovenia, foregrounding the results of extensive interviews with 14 heritage gatekeepers, such as organisers of FP festivals and curators of thematic museums. The article discusses how operational definitions of FP as heritage, used by various gatekeepers that operate locally, regionally, and internationally deviate from the definition provided in the national intangible heritage register. The analysis traces how discourses about national and cultural identity get intertwined with music and establishes that gatekeepers’ understandings of culture as either territorialised or dynamic significantly impact their heritage activities.

The ritualistic death in (and of) the male friendship: Dismembering embodiments of inter-male homosocial relationships in Beastars

Bromance in media often poses as a farce, but, oddly, also fortifies queer intimacies among men. According to Michael DeAngelis (2014), bromance acts with a dual function: ideologically and mythically. It plays a crucial role in representations of male-to-male friendship through its paradoxical capacity to both reinforce hegemonic norms and refuse heteronormative ideal for men. Imaginative illustrations of the antinomy of bromance is seen in anime, or Japanese animated cartoons whose most popular genre, shonen, depicts the hybridized goal of bromance to solidify male homosociality that often gets borderline homoerotic (if viewed through a queer lens). To demonstrate the hybridized capacity of bromance in media, this study presents a metaphorical analysis of the bromantic inter-male homosocial bonds in Beastars (Matsumi, 2019-2021), an anime featuring anthropomorphic animals. From an analysis based on bromance media studies, three thematic metaphors emerged: proximity, perversity, and concealment. These metaphors illustrate a reverence to “soft masculinity,” an East-Asia-formulated androgynous male performance which indirectly dismantle hegemonic representations of men by preventing the figurative death of the male-on-male friendship at the hands of the heteronormative gaze.

Two centuries of the English novel: A co-authored monograph. In celebration of Prof. B. M. Proskurnin’s 70th anniversary

In focus of this review is a co-authored monograph that examines novels by 19th to 21st c. English authors in order to trace the key evolutionary changes of this world literature’s most popular genre. In his introduction entitled ‘A well-made English novel’ [‘Khorosho sdelanniy angliyskiy roman’], Prof. B. Proskurnin shares several constructive ideas. He mentions that, at the very outset, the single requirement for the contributors was that they should choose the authors who interest them the most and inspire a study of their oeuvre through the prism of preserving the national genre memory and as an innovator of the genre. The volume explores unique artistic characteristics of the selected works which represent milestones in the history of the novel and sheds light on the functioning of the English novelistic tradition, nurtured by the creativity and innovative approach of writers like Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, Antony Trollope, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, E. M. Forster, Virginia Woolf, David Herbert Lawrence, Evelyn Waugh, Iris Murdoch, Ian McEwan, and Hilary Mantel.

Negotiating body, sex, and self-fashioning in Fújì music

A growing body of literature interrogating the voluptuous rendering of human sexuality in popular culture has focused on sex scripting in Western films and the commodification of women and their representations in popular media. However, exploration of how linguistic metaphors and innuendoes are deployed to affirm or contest expressions of desires that are sacred, sensitive, or taboo in Fuji music has received little scholarly attention. Of what significance is contesting social structure on sexuality to Fuji as a Nigerian popular musical genre? This empirical study explores this question while drawing on an ethnographic and interpretive literary analysis. Drawing from Hakim’s notion of ‘erotic capital’, the analyses and discussion operationalize the sexual scripting framework, Black feminist thought, and African/Black revolutionary art. I argue that sexual narratives and connotations in Fuji performance are often generated as powerful resources to contest sexual sensitivity and push back on silence on sexuality, negotiate and solicit artistic identity, and exact influence on public conversations on sexuality. By and large, this article affirms the engagement of sensual lyrical content as constitutive of revolutionary art and a social transformative site in which the body is negotiated as a catalyst for sexonomics in the contemporary ‘ear-tearing pant-and-bra’ musical evocations.

No judgment: value optimization and the reinvention of reviewing on YouTube

Abstract Social media platforms employ algorithmic recommendations to optimize the user's experience and incentivize particular forms of cultural production. While prior research shows that creators respond to these incentives and seek to optimize their content in return, the normative implications of this process are ambiguous and contentious. To examine the values promoted by platforms, this study focuses on YouTube reviews, a popular genre that crosses communities and foregrounds values. Employing content and thematic analyses of 200 videos, I find that creators communicate value consistently: good products are aesthetic, functional, distinctive, and either pleasurable or resonant, while good reviewers are relatable above all else. I develop the concept of value optimization to refer to communicative strategies that appeal to the perceived values of a platform and show how creators’ tendency to qualify their evaluations and avoid strong judgments transforms the historical function of reviewing. Finally, I discuss implications for future research on the platformization of cultural production.

Performers With History of Voice Injury: A Survey Study of Treatment Outcomes and Vocal Function

Past studies show that performers are more susceptible to voice injury, have higher incidence of injury, and experience greater vocal impairment than non-performers. Despite literature demonstrating otherwise, there remains fear and stigma that voice injury is a career-ending circumstance. Much of this is due to a lack of information about post-treatment vocal function. An anonymous online survey was distributed via email, flyer, and social media to a target audience of performers with a history of voice injury. It inquired about occupation, vocal symptoms, professionals consulted, and treatment adherence. Outcome measures included ability to perform, resolution of symptoms, and attitudes about their voices after voice injury. Findings were analyzed descriptively with statistical analysis to determine factors that may be related to favorable outcomes. The survey was completed by 151 performers representing a range of genres, including musical theatre, classical, and popular genres. The most reported vocal symptoms were decreased range, singing voice quality changes, increased singing effort, and vocal fatigue. Most initially sought care from an otolaryngologist, laryngologist, or voice teacher. Diagnoses and recommendations varied, but those who adhered to treatment were more likely to report resolution of voice symptoms (P=0.025). Those with symptoms for 2-4 weeks reported greater vocal confidence than those with a longer symptom duration (P=0.0251). Performers working with a voice teacher were more likely to find treatment helpful (P=0.0174). Those with neurogenic voice conditions reported less vocal reliability than participants with other pathologies (P=0.0155). The majority of participants continued to perform, reported resolved or improved voice symptoms after treatment, and reported positive attitudes about their voices, regardless of their injury or current presence or absence of pathology on exam. Findings of this study highlight a need for continued outreach to voice teachers, education programs, and production teams about vocal function after voice injury.

Creating with ‘voice without subject’: An aesthetic reconceptualization of voice

This methodological paper connects posthuman conceptualizations of voice with artistic research and examines whether it opens toward different registers and levels of embodied and aesthetic forms of knowing that cut across normative accounts of what it means to know. We start from what Patti Lather calls ‘a praxis of stuck places’ and ask how to give voice to experiences such as chronic illness and pain, while at the same time disrupting representational forms of illness and pain. To investigate this, we first critically engage with the popular genre of the health diary and its representational form. Secondly, we explore how Lisa A. Mazzei concept of ‘voice without subject’ can support us in disrupting the normative and representational production of voice, while working with a failing voice. Finally, we analyze the sound installation, A Borrowed Diary—made by M. Broeckmeyer, and explore how it opens up alternative approaches to voice and chronic pain. We will argue that making ‘voice without subject’ work, touch, and resonate can impact the lives of people who often remain unheard, in that it acknowledges experiences and expressions that are mostly not validated. Creating with ‘voice without subject’ makes tangible how personal experiences, however, temporarily, contribute to the bigger picture of how we look at and listen to people with illnesses and/or disabilities.

CINEMATOGRAPHY IN GABRIELE MUCCINO’S THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS (2006)

This study aimed to study cinematography elements presented in Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happiness (2006). To analyse the object of the research, it used cinematography theory by Blain Brown. The study used descriptive qualitative research design. Drama genre is one of the biggest and popular genre in the movie industry, since it shares some empathy, hopes, aspirations, dreams and fears (Editors, 2018). It focused on analysing the dramatic aspect through cinematography using Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) movie. The study found that many cinematography elements in Gabriele Muccino’s The Pursuit of Happiness (2006) are proven using dramatic aspect from both lighting and camera technique. In conclusion, the movie shows a drama genre movie which has cinematography elements that need to be added to deliver the emotion of the story and to increase dramatic elements in the movie. Keywords: cinematography, genre, drama

When Vulgarism Comes through Popular music: An Investigation of Slackness in Zimdancehall Music

In Zimbabwe, popular music, particularly the Zimdancehall music genre, has become a cultural site where Shona moral values clash with explicit sexual lyrical content despite a censorship regime in the country. This article examines the nature and cultural consequences of the moral decadence that emerges in popular Zimdancehall song lyrics by several musicians. The article illustrates how vulgar language popularises Zimdancehall songs in unheralded ways that foster identities laced with cultural ambivalences that may portray the artists as both famous and depraved. This qualitative study does textual and content analysis of 11 purposively sampled songs with sex terms to elucidate the cultural inconsistencies in Zimdancehall song narratives. Analysis is informed by the Neuro-Psycho-Social theory, which recognises how socio-cultural restrictions are challenged by an emerging ghetto culture like new wine in old bottles. Alternative unsanctioned new popular music genres can be used to permeate the sociocultural system.

Scientists say: Patterns of attribution in popular and professional science writing

The research article (RA) has held unparalleled importance in several fields of applied linguistics but is only one genre among many that researchers produce and readers consume. This study compares RAs with a related genre called ‘popular science.’ More linguistic-oriented research of popular science genres is needed to account for the growing body of contemporary popular science discourse. This study collected 400 matching professional and popular science articles published online to compare their use of three lexicogrammatical patterns that often function to perform attribution. Results showed that the popular science texts were denser with attribution, often named human authors within instances of attribution, and utilized reporting verbs with a neutral or positive evaluative stance. This study argues that, while the function of attribution in RAs is to build ethos and build an argument through identifying a gap in previous literature, attribution in science news articles functions to portray study authors as the main actors in research stories and portray popular science writers as objective, though at times supportive, reporters of recent news, highlighting the journalistic function of this variety of popular science.

Transnational dialectics in postwar Japanese crime cinema

ABSTRACT As the beginnings of the popular Japanese crime genre coincided with the end of American occupation, this genre offers a space of historically visible transnationality. Through formal analysis, this research identifies a cultural plurality embedded within crime cinema. Examining the adoption of film noir aesthetics in Japan alongside the development of the nationalistic ninkyō eiga (chivalry film), I argue the crime genre formed as a culturally hybrid genre in tension between these conflicting identities. The crime film demonstrates a dialectical tension between local and international cultural signifiers and cinematic styles, which result in a set of hybrid symbols that repeat on-end the dialectic tension embedded in their formation.

PECULIARITIES OF PROPER NAMES OF MODERN CINEMA FILMS FUNCTIONING

The article is devoted to the study of the proper titles of feature films, through the prism of functioning. The topic under study has been updated by a number of factors, among which is the interest of linguists in the processes of nomination of films, in particular, the activation of typological studies of the proper titles of films as peculiar in terms of functions, structure, derivation, semantic and motivational basis of titles and the development of the Ukrainian film industry. We consider the proper names of feature films to be special, little-studied denotations. We recorded 364 titles of feature films that have been released since 2014.
 In the work, the main tendencies of the functioning of the proper titles of the feature film as a component of ideonymy have been traced. We studied proper names of this type from the point of view of the genre specificity of the researched material. In accordance with this, the following were established: the place and role of the concept of ‘film’ in Ukrainian onomastics, productive types of such names, their structural organization, word-forming potential and semantics of the creative basis of such names.
 Having analyzed such proper names, it is worth noting that, today, drama, in particular – comedy, is one of the most popular genres of Ukrainian cinema. In accordance with the structural organization of films, it is worth noting the high productivity of compound names. Such results, in our opinion, are undoubtedly related to the peculiarities of the functional load of the title-heading as a component of a complete work. Word formation is quite connected with the structure of the name, which is why productivity also gravitates towards lexical-semantic word formation due to the syntactic way of word formation. The semantics of the creative basis of proper names of this type are characterized by the productivity of appellative derivatives, in particular multi-component ones.
 In the future, we see the need to study other classes of filmonyms, as special structural elements of the onymic space of the modern Ukrainian literary language.

Let me take care of you: domestic caretaking fantasies in boyfriend experience audio erotica

ABSTRACT Audio erotica is an increasingly significant sector of the porn industry, yet it has heretofore received little scholarly attention. This article presents research aimed at bridging this gap in the literature. We explore some of the unique affordances of audio erotica through an analysis of Dipsea and Quinn, two of the most popular contemporary apps that host this content. In particular, we present a reading of one of audio erotica's most popular genres: the male-for-female (M4F) boyfriend experience (BFE). The BFE's codes and conventions immerse the implied female listener in an eroticized domestic fantasy in which she is being taken care of by a man. The BFE cocoons listeners in an intimate audio encounter with a fantasy man who is defined by his capacity to engage in eroticized caretaking practices. We argue that these sonic scenes of eroticized masculine care and domesticity present an opportunity to understand contemporary notions of (and trends in) ‘porn for women’. More broadly, drawing from research on porn, erotica, the audio medium, and headphone technology, we offer a framework for understanding some of the alternative pleasures and intimacies specific to audio erotica.

Consumption Habits of Recorded Music: Determinants of Flamenco Albums Acquisition

The article analyses the determinants of acquisition of flamenco albums. Flamenco is a musical genre recognized by UNESCO as intangible heritage of humanity. A methodology divided into three phases has been used for this purpose: firstly, interviews with experts from the Spanish music industry where new variables are identified that can affect flamenco consumption habits; then 586 surveys of flamenco spectators who valued these variables and, finally, the application of econometric models to obtain the coefficients of the variables. The results show how the valuation of the composition, the performer and its virtuosity, of the existing trends, and the sociodemographic characteristics of the spectators directly affect the acquisition of flamenco-recorded music. The article contributes to the scarce empirical literature that relates the determinants of recorded music acquisition with traditional popular genres, by adding never studied before variables, focusing on the case of flamenco. JEL Classification: C2; D2; Z1. MSC2010: 00A65; 00A66.

Representation of Power and Sacrifice in T S Eliots's Murder In The Cathedral

The dramas began to emerge in the 20th century and it became One of the prosperous and more popular genre in the world of literature most of the dramas was previously based on the Christian themes and religions themes the modern drama reached to its peak with the words, imagination, verse and thoughts of T S Elliot. Murder in the Cathedral depicts the conflicts of good and bad, power and sacrifice, truth and untruth it possesses sequences of interlude which describes the before and after portion of the play. Murder in the Cathedral views perfect image and struggle between The Archbishop and The King between the good and the bad.

Деконструкция англоязычных военных терминов в массмедийном тексте

The article examines the process of deconstruction of the English-language military terminological units when used in the mass media text, which appeared due to the rapid development of mass media. The material for the study comprises 550 fragments of the English-language mass media texts published in electronic mass media – newspapers, in particular, The Independent, as well as on information news websites, having direct or indirect relation to military subjects, characterized by the presence of terminological units subjected to deconstructive processes. The authors emphasize the fact that the periodicals that have been analyzed are more of popular scientific genre, rather than highly specialized, since they are aimed at the mass reader who does not fully understand military topics. It is argued that highly specialized military terminological units, unlike general scientific, suprasectoral ones, are deconstructed within the framework of a mass media text according to the frame model or the scenario model. In some cases, a complex version of semantic deconstruction has been used which combines some elements of both models. The authors come to the conclusion that the English-language military terminology in the mass media text and discourse can be presented by both suprasectoral military terms of general scientific nature and having a certain degree of determinologization owing to the mass media and highly specialized terms which require a certain explanation by the author of the text. Highly specialized English-language military terminology is a characteristic feature of printed and online journalistic publications aimed at a trained reader. Due to the orientation of a mass media text to a mass audience, a significant part of highly specialized English-language terminological units of the military sphere is deconstructed in semantic terms, i.e. their meaning is revealed directly in the text to facilitate its perception and understanding by explication or definition.

Virtualising Africa’s Arts, Securing the Future Engendering Africa’s Popular Songs on TikTok’s Enchanted Space

This paper, locating itself within the locus of Southern Perspectives, examines how TikTok, rehabilitating the local memories imbued in the African popular song genre, re-situates African popular knowledge at the centre of dialogues around the human question. The paper used a lit-crit methodology to show how African female content creators, by creatively archiving and curating Black voices into what was the realm of Northern thought, have used TikTok’s space to dissolve epistemological and ontological boundaries. This paper posits that TikTok is the new canvas for espousing indigenous knowledge within popular literary meditations in Africa and provides a veritable space that has placed contemporary African art forms at the centre of transformative possibilities. The paper concludes that African music on TikTok is an epistemological tool that communicates context and community- specific knowledges.