Research master thesis | Linguistics (research) (MA)
open access
Metaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path...Show moreMetaphors effectively explain a complex (scientific) topic in terms familiar to the non-expert audience. However, metaphors also affect attitude. This thesis investigated the effects that the path metaphor and the wildfire metaphor have on the personal control people experience over the further course of the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, participants received a text about the ongoing yet hidden threat of COVID-19, in which a new outbreak was either described as a wrongly taken path, as a wildfire flaring up, or without a metaphor. To measure the experienced amount of personal control, the participants were asked about their feelings of fear and control of the virus and the measures, and how they would bring these feelings into practice by reacting to multiple scenarios involving the risk of COVID-19 transmission. Statistical testing revealed no significant effect of the metaphors on the participants’ responses, potentially due to (amongst others) the time frame of the research. It is necessary to research in which circumstances a metaphor does and does not affect attitude. Then, it can be determined how and when a metaphor can best be employed in daily life to influence the hearer’s perception of a message, for example in the contexts of climate change, disease, and politics.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
The present study addresses the translation of metaphors in dubbed song translation and presents a comparative analysis of eight songs from eight Disney movies along with the Dutch translations of...Show moreThe present study addresses the translation of metaphors in dubbed song translation and presents a comparative analysis of eight songs from eight Disney movies along with the Dutch translations of the dubbed version of these movies. The metaphoric units in the lyrics were analyzed using Steen et al.’s (2010) Metaphor Identification Procedure Vrije Universiteit, or MIPVU, a refined and extended version of the Pragglejaz Group’s (2007) Metaphor Identification Procedure, or MIP. After analyzing the songs, it was found that the metaphoric units in the translated songs were mostly deleted or explicitized, and that only a small number of metaphors were transferred from the ST to the TT. The study revealed that the visuals of the movies and the constraints of song translation often limited the translators in their translation of the metaphoric units that occurred in the English songs.Show less
Bachelor thesis | Afrikaanse talen en culturen (BA)
closed access
The present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part...Show moreThe present study seeks to investigate the body part nomenclature and partonomy of the Bantu language Xhosa and to explore its semantics by looking at the conventionalised ways these body part terms are used figuratively, in metaphorical and metonymical expressions. This is done in order to discover and document the richness of the way this language uses its body part nomenclature while simultaneously analysing to what extent the patterns that are found in the partonomy and the metaphorical use of body parts agrees with universal patterns found in previous research and to what extent it is culturally specific. First, the literature on the topic of body part nomenclature, partonomy and on metaphorical uses of body parts in African languages will be reviewed. Then, the methodology employed and data collected on Xhosa body nomenclature and partonomy and the metaphorical expressions will be presented. Thirdly, the body parts and their metaphorical uses that were collected will be described and analysed. Fourthly, the data collected will be compared to cross-linguistic data and data from similar studies performed on African languages. These components will finally accumulate to a concluding discussion on Xhosa body part nomenclature, partonomy and its metaphorical uses by exploring the ways in which Xhosa speakers conceive of body parts semantically and conceptualise them linguistically, with a special case study of the terms iminwe (fingers) and iinzwane (toes).Show less
Song translation is a relatively under-researched field in Translation Studies (Susam-Sarajeva, 2008, p. 187). Most studies that do exist revolve around singability (Low, 2003; Stopar 2016),...Show moreSong translation is a relatively under-researched field in Translation Studies (Susam-Sarajeva, 2008, p. 187). Most studies that do exist revolve around singability (Low, 2003; Stopar 2016), singability and rhyme (Low, 2008), or fidelity to the source text (Franzon 2005). The combination of song translation theory and metaphor theory, however, is a virtually unresearched combination of fields. Low (2017) states: “[s]ong lyrics are often rich in metaphor” and he recommends that song translators, more than 'regular' translators, should “attempt to maintain the richness of metaphor” (p. 34). This thesis analyses three songs from musicals that have been translated from English to Dutch. These musicals are of different genres and for different audiences, to include the influence that these factors might have had on the choices of the translators. The musicals used in this study are drama musical Les Misérables (E: 1985; D: 1991), animated film musical Anastasia (1997) and romantic comedy musical Hairspray (E: 1988; D: 2003). Using the MIPVU (Metaphor Identification Procedure VU University Amsterdam [Steen et al., 2010]), this thesis analyses the metaphors in the three songs, in both the English source text and the Dutch target text. Subsequently, it attempts to establish how the translators dealt with the metaphors, and, ultimately, to see whether the fact that the target texts are singable translations of a song had any influence on the choices of the translator. This is endeavoured by answering two questions. Firstly, can the translations of the metaphors in songs be analysed by means of Newmark's (1981) and Schäffner's (2004) categorizations of procedures used in metaphor translation? Secondly, can singularities be explained through Low's pentathlon principle (2005) for song translation?Show less
This thesis aims to analyse the frequency and nature of metaphor use in rulings of the English House of Lords (Supreme Court) and the Dutch Hoge Raad. The metaphorical words found in these rulings...Show moreThis thesis aims to analyse the frequency and nature of metaphor use in rulings of the English House of Lords (Supreme Court) and the Dutch Hoge Raad. The metaphorical words found in these rulings were identified, categorised, and compared. This area of study was interesting, because it currently is an unexplored area of study. The analysis of this area of study might thus contribute to the existing literature on metaphors in legal discourse.Show less
