A rhetorical analysis of modern rhetorical devices used in speeches about the climate crisis given by various politicians and scientists. This analysis has been conducted according to the...Show moreA rhetorical analysis of modern rhetorical devices used in speeches about the climate crisis given by various politicians and scientists. This analysis has been conducted according to the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM) as is described by Hoeken et. al. This shows how these two different groups incorporate rhetorical devices to persuade. Four rhetorical mechanism have been analysed: fear appeal, metaphor and the use of adjectives and statistics. This study showed that both parties were very conscious about persuading according to either the central or non-central persuasion route as is described in Hoeken's theory. Scientists mainly persuaded according to the central route whereas politicians persuaded according to the non-central persuasion route.Show less
Politicians frequently use rhetoric language to refer to immigrants. Regularly, metaphors are used to dehumanise immigrants. This research analyses any potential dehumanising metaphors found in...Show morePoliticians frequently use rhetoric language to refer to immigrants. Regularly, metaphors are used to dehumanise immigrants. This research analyses any potential dehumanising metaphors found in Donald Trump’s Nomination Acceptance Speech. Using the Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit (MIPVU) to locate any possible metaphor-related words, the metaphors are categorised and evaluated. The discovered metaphors are most frequently categorised as animal or containment. Donald Trump evidently uses dehumanising metaphors to refer to metaphors in his Acceptance Speech.Show less
Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987) state that although interaction is co-operative, a person’s face can be unintentionally attacked through face-threatening acts (FTAs). Culpeper (1996) disagrees,...Show moreBrown and Levinson (1978, 1987) state that although interaction is co-operative, a person’s face can be unintentionally attacked through face-threatening acts (FTAs). Culpeper (1996) disagrees, stating that people can also intentionally attack someone’s face, and devised “impoliteness superstrategies” (pp. 356-357) that are used for this purpose. However, little research has been done on intentional impoliteness, and even less on gender and intentional impoliteness. Therefore, the research question is: do men and women use different face-threatening acts, and do they respond to these FTAs differently? I aimed to analyse adult men and women’s language, behaviour and paralinguistic features on FTAs and their responses to FTAs, focusing on the differences. This was done through analysis of a total of ten forty-minute episodes from three different reality television series: Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away! (n.a., 2014-2018), Supernanny (Frost, 2004-2008) and Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance (Frost, 2010-2012), using a schedule based on the FTAs and impoliteness superstrategies by Brown and Levinson (1978, 1987), Culpeper (1996) and Bousfield (2008), respectively. The responses to FTAs were also recorded. Men and women seemed to use similar FTAs. However, the context in which the FTAs were spoken seemed to affect who was expressing which FTAs. A total of twelve different response types were recorded. These results can be used in different contexts (i.e. language teaching) to predict what kind of FTAs might be present in which contexts. They may also be used to add to both politeness and impoliteness theory.Show less
This thesis describes which translation procedures invented by Vinay and Darbelnet have been used while translating the US English legal terminology into the Dutch subtitles of the legal drama...Show moreThis thesis describes which translation procedures invented by Vinay and Darbelnet have been used while translating the US English legal terminology into the Dutch subtitles of the legal drama series Suits.Show less
Brown and Levinson’s (1987) typology of politeness strategies is based on the basic wants of a model person (MP). Their concepts of face and positive and negative politeness have been...Show moreBrown and Levinson’s (1987) typology of politeness strategies is based on the basic wants of a model person (MP). Their concepts of face and positive and negative politeness have been groundbreaking in the fields of pragmatics and intercultural communication. However, their claim of having developed a universal model has been refuted by many scholars (Bargiela-Chiappini 2003; Watts 2003; Hill et al. 1986; Matsumoto 1988; Nwoye 1992; Mao 1994). In this paper, I use a contrastive language guide by Baxter and Baxter (2011) to attempt to analyze [1] how their pragmalinguistic advice relates to Brown and Levinson’s theory of politeness; [2] what influence the sociological variables have had on Baxter and Baxter’s choice of politeness strategies that are incorporated with face-threatening acts (FTAs); and [3] what the key underlying cultural differences are between the Dutch and the British in their choice of politeness strategies. The results of this study indicate that the pragmalinguistic advice relates to Brown and Levinson’s theory by using positive and negative politeness strategies when an FTA is incorporated into an utterance. Furthermore, sociological variables do play a significant role in the selection of politeness strategies, as they adhere to the discernment principles of their respective cultures. The key difference between the Dutch and the British is found in the sociological variable Low context communication.Show less
Subtitling humour while preserving the humour effect is a major challenge because of the linguistic and cultural differences involved in translating humour between TL and SL, added to which are the...Show moreSubtitling humour while preserving the humour effect is a major challenge because of the linguistic and cultural differences involved in translating humour between TL and SL, added to which are the spatial and temporal restrictions imposed upon subtitles. This thesis examines a number of occurrences of wordplay taken from the popular Blackadder series and compares the humour effect between the original dialogues and the corresponding Dutch subtitles.Show less
This thesis focuses on how modality plays an important role in the translation of the Modernist narrative 'Barn Burning'. Translators have to decide whether or not to maintain modal assertions. The...Show moreThis thesis focuses on how modality plays an important role in the translation of the Modernist narrative 'Barn Burning'. Translators have to decide whether or not to maintain modal assertions. The problem that arises when modality is not maintained is that the truth value of the assertion is altered; the translated assertion may then have a different meaning than the original. In this thesis, translation universals and translation procedures are discussed as well. The universals and procedures serve as the theoretical background on which the analysis is based.Show less
This thesis discusses the different rhetorical tools used by Gandhi and Hitler in their speeches; thereby revealing that despite their opposing images they were quite identical in terms of their...Show moreThis thesis discusses the different rhetorical tools used by Gandhi and Hitler in their speeches; thereby revealing that despite their opposing images they were quite identical in terms of their use of rhetoric.Show less
Throughout the decades, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories change. However, this does not mean that discarded theories vanish from the field. This thesis analyses two discarded theories of...Show moreThroughout the decades, Second Language Acquisition (SLA) theories change. However, this does not mean that discarded theories vanish from the field. This thesis analyses two discarded theories of SLA, Contrastive Analysis (CA) and Error Analysis (EA), and then compares and contrasts them to five other SLA theories. The main questions are: where and how CA and EA resurface in other theories, and whether their continuing presence is of a sufficient nature to claim they are still relevant.Show less
The increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic...Show moreThe increasing dominance of English has given rise to various language attitudes and government measures attempting to curb the influence of English on the first language. France is a paradigmatic case of language planning and language policy, and even today many of the measures are still in place as to ensure that the usage of English is kept to a minimum. This thesis investigates the attempts by the French government to limit the use of English in the public domain, and asks the question whether these attempts have an impact on the acquisition of English as a second language in France. By examining not only the historical origins of France’s language management, but also the current dissemination of opinions and attitudes in the media, it can be concluded that many of the negative effects emanating from the government measures, such as relatively low English proficiency, are the result of France’s unchanged linguistic culture predating the French Revolution that continues to fuel France’s language policy today.Show less
