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The Dialectic of Past and Present
in A Maggot by John Fowles
Majed Hamed Aladaylah
Al-Balqa Applied University, Jordan
Abstract
This paper investigates the importance of historical texts produced in
contemporary fiction and of being displayed in the act of narration. Fowles has not
been tied down to one narrative technique, that he has winnowed the chained
narrative of its conventional techniques. The past permeates the present, just as the
present spins the representations of the past. Fowles thus traces the language, the
texts and the material culture of the past to produce a critical representation of the
past. Such novel disavows the traditional boundaries between historical fact and
fiction. There seems to be a new desire to think historically, and to think
historically these days is to think critically and contextually. Consequently, the
meaning and shape are not in the ‘events’, but in the systems which make those
past ‘events’ into present historical facts.
Key words:
textualization
narration,
conventional
techniques,
historic
facts,
fiction,
The Legal Text – Form of Communication
or Obsessive Discourse?
Simina Badea
University of Craiova
Abstract
Legalese, the language of the law, can be considered a language in itself.
But the legal text, despite its authoritative character, should have communication as
a main purpose, so that both jurists and ordinary people with an interest in the field
could understand it. Sometimes, when writing the law, the legal expert is inclined
to engage in the ‘Master’s discourse’, if it is to apply one of the four discourses
described by Lacan. The communicative aim of the legal text is thus altered by
many factors, among which: the attitude of the all-knowing drafter, the
conservative, even archaic character of the legal language, vagueness and
ambiguity, peculiar lexical and grammatical features etc.
Key words: legalese, legal text, communicative features, obsessive discourse
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Small Talk in the Opening of Informal
Persian Telephone Conversations
Fatemeh Ebrahimi Bazzaz
Azad Islamic University, Iran
Abstract
This paper argues linguistic forms and pragmatic functions of small talk
that happened in informal Persian telephone conversations between male
participants. The study proposes that existing semantic classes of phatic talk based
on English are slightly different from Persian data. Phatic expressions in Persian
telephone conversation openings get a variety of forms; they may describe
relations, structure as well as ratify marked sequences of telephone conversation
openings, and express the purpose of calling in keep-in touch calls. Indexing
multiple contextual factors, such as language use, serves significant discourse and
interpersonal functions.
Key words: phatic talk, conversational routine, discourse and interpersonal
functions
Obsessive Behaviour in Language Classes
Irina Boncea
University of Craiova
Abstract
Obsessions come in many shapes and sizes and it is often the case that we
lack the ability to identify them in ourselves. This paper tries to identify the various
typologies of obsessive discourse in language classes as well as the factors that
generate such manifestations. The focus of this study will be set on the manner in
which teachers sometimes lose their grip on reality by emphasizing explicit
grammar instruction/memorization in various language classes, by obsessing over
some grammatical structures while omitting others, by labeling students on
heterogeneous criteria, by using verbal parasites that later become a true landmark
for a certain teacher etc.
Key words: tipologies, obsessive discourse, language classes, labeling students
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The Difficulty of Acquiring Simple Conversational
Routines in a Foreign Language
Anca Cehan
“Al. I. Cuza” University of Iaşi
Abstract
Starting from the debate over memorisation and imitation as techniques
used in foreign language acquisition, the paper looks at such aspects of
conversational routines as their psychological aspect, ritualisation, meaning,
fixedness vs. structural flexibility, and functions. Teaching conversational routines
is still something new, as the pragmatic aspects of language have long been
regarded as being outside the language, and many foreign language teachers ignore
them. Moreover, conversational routines are difficult to teach because they are
culture specific and their formal description and situational frames are complex.
Key words: conversational routines, time, memory, social constraints, function and
form
Discourse Related Problems
Denisa Cerăceanu
University of Craiova
Abstract
Most important category of communication continuum, the term discourse
refers to the process or act of speaking and producing ideas that materialize with
the help of words or sentences, a mechanism activated by the nerves and muscles of
our body so as to carry out the actually effortless act of speaking. Discourse implies
certain processes as: formulation of thought, adjustment to the discourse situation,
phonation and articulation which together with an appropriate background and rich
vocabulary play a chief role in the way our words are displayed in discourse parts
which stand for the basis of our thoughts. Discourse mechanism is an uneven one
and is influenced by a number of reasons such as emotional states or disturbances,
hence adequacy in thoughts depends on the speaker’s mentally and emotionally
adjustment to the speaking situation.
Key words: discourse, communication, essential skills, language competence and
performance
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A Functional Discourse Approach to a Narrative Text
Mădălina Cerban
University of Craiova
Abstract
In this article we propose an interpretation of a narrative text within the
framework of systemic functional grammar, paying attention to the type, value and
orientation of all instances of modality. We present some general considerations on
the system of MOOD which belongs to the interpersonal metafunction of the
language and is the grammatical resource for realizing an interactive move in
dialogue as well as the classification of modality from a functional perspective. The
text we have chosen to analyze is a dialogue in narrative from Conan-Doyle’s The
Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes because it illustrates a full range of modality
selections, both congruent and metaphoric.
Key words: instances of modality, functional perspective, metaphoric meaning
An Approach to American English Idioms
and Their Origin
Ileana Cristea
‘Lucian Blaga’ University of Sibiu
Abstract
Any language is a living ‘body’ which evolves under the influence of
different factors, and since new concepts and fields have developed, new phrases
are needed, while most of the existent ones get new meanings. Being very flexible,
the English language has enriched its vocabulary with new phrases, thus making it
more colorful. Idioms help language learners understand English culture, the
contemporary life style of English people, and trace back their rich history. Idioms
are used both in friendly meetings and business negotiations. How? It is the
purpose of this paper to show, at least partially, how, when, and why.
Key words: idioms, phrases, origin and uses of idioms
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Higher Education Access and Equity Issues in the
Cultural Capital of Sibiu – 2007
Silvia Florea
“Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu
Abstract
My paper is actually a presentation of my research project carried out within the
Faculty Research Center and it starts from the premise that greater equality of
opportunity and outcomes in higher education are increasingly being recognized as
an important national but also international policy objective. This however requires
an understanding of what widening participation is on the local level–by targeting
under-represented groups and not just increasing their entry, but offering
opportunities to succeed within and beyond higher education. My paper tackles the
project’s background and objectives at a few essential points.
Key words: educational discourses, higher education, policy objectives
English Loans in the New Romanian Orthographic,
Orthoepic
and
Morphological
Dictionary:
Transformations and Their Critics
Daniel Ivănuş
University of Craiova
Abstract
When we intend to analyse and examine language policies, the traditional
distinction we usually make is between decisions concerning the structure of a
language and decisions related to language choice, i.e. corpus planning versus
status planning. The distinction is not easy to set, as Fishman (2001) questioned it.
The present article aims at showing that both are ideologically constructed, at least
partially, and ‘corpus planning is likely to reveal more signs of status aspirations
than has been admitted in the literature’ (p.44). We intend to analyse some of the
English loans present in the New Ortographic, Orthoepic and Morphological
Dictionary (2005) – DOOM – from an ideological perspective and to answer some
questions which arose with regard to the nature, function and origin of orthographic
norms.
Key words: loans, language choice, transformations, uses and spelling
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Found in Translation: Rerouting Islam in Salman
Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses
Mădălina Georgiana Matei
“Transilvania” University of Braşov
Abstract
This paper aims at analyzing the mechanisms of cultural translation in
Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses. Cultural translation is construed as a discursive
reformulation of the metanarratives of existence, in this case of Islam, and also as
an attempt of the migrant to create a new story that could ‘accommodate’ and
reconcile all cultures within his/her own self. This paper will also look at the clash
between two discourses: the Islamic fundamentalist one, pertaining to the Muslim
critics, and Rushdie’s new language in which the modern Cartesian doubt is
manifest.
Key words: cultural translation, discourse reformulation, Otherness, Islam
The Functionality
Conversational Text
of
Discourse
Markers
in
Ioana Murar
University of Craiova
Abstract
This paper investigates some functional features of discourse markers in
spoken language. Considered an important subtype of pragmatic markers, discourse
markers derive from different lexical classes, being structurally made up of single
words, phrases or clauses. Discourse markers are (partially) grammaticalized
elements as they have developed from lexical words and phrases and have
gradually acquired a basically pragmatic function. Markers have a deictic (or
indexical) function being oriented backward or forward in the discourse. This
function is fulfilled by their ability to link segments of the discourse to one another
in ways which reflect choices of organization (opening up and closing down a
conversation, sequencing, etc.), or monitoring the discourse (reformulation,
changes in the conversational topic, etc). Some discourse markers are ambiguous
because they are polysemous, serving multiple functions in discourse.
Key words: discourse markers, textual functions, pragmatic functions
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On English Computer Terms in Romanian –
Part II
Carmen Nedelcu
University of Craiova
Abstract
The number of English loans in Romanian is continually increasing while
nobody could tell how many would survive more than ..... a few years (which at
linguistic level equals .... days). Who prefers them to already existing Romanian
words, to what extent and in what context the loans are felt useful and what current
Romanian users understand when they hear or use them are only a few issues
briefly presented in the paper.
Key words: computer terms, differences and similarities in use
Hollow Rights:
The ‘War on Terror’ & the Changing Work
of Rights Discourse
Bruce O’Neill
Stanford University, USA
Abstract:
How has America’s “War on Terror” changed the place and function of
rights discourse? This paper analyzes America’s extraordinary renditions program
and how these extra-juridical acts of the State have shifted rights claims from
juridical venues to cultural spaces. These cultural spaces include the media, NGOs
and the public conscience. It is the central claim of this paper that forcing rights
discourse to work through these cultural spaces diminishes the efficacy of rights as
a liberal democratic discourse.
Key words: rights discourse, juridical venues, cultural spaces
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The Pragmatic Values of Romanian Personal Pronouns
and Their “Translation” into English
Claudia Pisoschi
University of Craiova
Abstract
The pragmatic values of the deictic elements in a literary text can be
approached from a unified perspective by using the means of cognitive poetics; this
allows the identification of the entity-roles specific to the various deictic fields
making-up the text, together with the establishing of the deictic field boundaries
and shifts and also of the referential domain of the pronouns. The use of pronouns
is determined by pragmatic reasons such as long and complex syntactic structures
which make difficult the understanding of the message, and by stylistic reasons, in
other words the intention to give a pronoun generic pronominal reference or
emphatic values in order to express a broad or narrow contrast.
Key words: deictic elements, cognitive poetics, pragmatic and stylistic strategies
The Status of Relative Determiners: Relative Pronouns
as Relative Determiners and Their Discourse-Linking
Properties
Alina Resceanu
University of Craiova
Abstract
This article is an attempt to answer questions related to the analyses that
should be adopted in deriving Romanian relative constructions, taking into
consideration the possible variations between the structures of different relative
constructions, namely care vs. ce relatives. Moreover, it appears that the two types
of Romanian wh-constructions both qualify as movement configuration, but have
different properties. Further on, we try to define the property that distinguishes the
care wh-element that takes obligatory accusative clitics from ce that precludes
them. Since D-linking is a determining factor in the grammaticality of sentences,
we end our discussion talking about the discourse-linking properties of these types
of relative determiners.
Key words: relative constructions, clitics, quantificational/ non-quantificational
strategies
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Metaphorical and Metonymic Conceptualizations in
English and Romanian Heart Idioms
Ana Maria Trantescu
University of Craiova
Abstract
This paper analyses a series of English and Romanian idiomatic
expressions belonging to the conceptual domain of heart from the cognitive point of
view. Our analysis is based on the cognitive hypothesis according to which idioms
are motivated by conceptual structures: conventional knowledge, conceptual
metonymies and metaphors.
The study proves that English and Romanian have much in common
regarding their phraseological potential. There is a considerable degree of
correspondence between English and Romanian in that there are heart idioms in
both languages which share the same figurative meaning, as well as the same
fundamental conceptual strategies.
Key words: Cognitive motivation, conceptual strategies, conventional knowledge,
conceptual metonymies and metaphors, cultural and linguistic identities.
Non-places as Obsessive Spaces
in Frédéric Beigbeder’s Novels
Alina Ţenescu
University of Craiova
Abstract:
For French anthropologist Marc Augé, non-places refer to spaces destined
to circulation, to professional occupations and to leisure activities: highways,
means of public transport, airports, malls, entertainment centers, discos and
stadiums – transitory spaces which have no memory, but also to the means of
transport which transit these spaces and to the media. According to francophone
media writer Frédéric Beigbeder, non-places are not only a recurrent theme, but
they also become obsessive spaces invading the fictional texts. In this article, we
will analyze the non-places as they emerge on a corpus of novels by Frédéric
Beigbeder such as: Nouvelles sous ecstasy (Tales on ecstasy), Vacances dans le
coma (Holiday in a coma), 99 Francs (14.99 Euros) and establish the impact of
modern mass media techniques and advertising signs on the fictional texts as
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literary language is hybrided with obsessive advertising slogans used by the alter
ego of the author and by the author himself.
Key words: non-places, anthropology, supermodernity, hybridation, francophone
literature
Ready-Made
Competence?
Templates
of
Communicative
Titela Vîlceanu
University of Craiova
Abstract
The paper focuses on communicative rationality, all speech acts being
considered from a functional perspective - underlying a telos or purpose, which,
ultimately, could be reduced to accurate meaning processing on the common
ground of humanity. Understanding the meaning of an utterance is due to the very
understanding of the reasons or the consensually defined ends and generalizable or
acceptable interests. Communicative rationality is a major type of social action,
superseding self-interested instrumental rationality, normative action and
dramaturgical or self-expressive action. Therefore, communicative rationality
means collective reflection on the values to which the society is committedlyoriented.
Key words: communicative rationality, functional perspective, collective reflection
Communicating with the Reader. The Economist Style
Guide Put into Practice. A Critical Analysis
Dieter Wessels
Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Germany
Abstract
“The Economist” is considered to be one of the premium weekly
publications dealing with political and business issues. At the same time many
readers without a good grounding in economics find reading the texts quite a
challenge. This paper aims to look at how the guidelines set down by the editorial
staff at The Economist in the Style Guide (which incidentally has seen quite a few
reprints) impact on the language and style of selected articles. This will be done by
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looking not so much at the content of the articles, but at lexis, phraseology, use of
metaphors, syntax etc.
Key words: theory of “obsessive discourse”, English for Special Purposes (ESP),
Economist Style Guide, Communication in business magazines, imagery in
business magazine texts, language in the “Economist” (lexis and syntax)
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