This BA thesis is a quantitative research on the micro- and macrostrategies used in the Dutch and Flemish song translations of the movie Tangled (2010) to determine whether the translators were...Show moreThis BA thesis is a quantitative research on the micro- and macrostrategies used in the Dutch and Flemish song translations of the movie Tangled (2010) to determine whether the translators were more source-oriented or target-oriented. Quantitative research based on Schjoldager‘s et.al (2008) theory of micro- and macrostrategies has been done on three songs. It was determined that the Dutch translator was more target-oriented, while the Flemish translator was more source-oriented. Furthermore, it was determined that further research should be done on other Dutch and Flemish song translations to give a conclusively give an answer to the question whether this is a general statement about Dutch and Flemish song translators.Show less
No matter if one intends to study the Marvel, Star Wars, DC Extended Universe franchise, or medieval and gothic literature, one will find that there is one fundamental element that incites the...Show moreNo matter if one intends to study the Marvel, Star Wars, DC Extended Universe franchise, or medieval and gothic literature, one will find that there is one fundamental element that incites the expected tension present within all of those works: the presence of both a monster and its opponent, the hero, whose interaction serves as the baseline for the plot. In this thesis, the dynamics between the presumed monsters and heroes within two of England’s greatest literary works, Beowulf (Anonymous, ca. 8th-11th century) and Frankenstein (Mary Shelley, 1818), are explored from a number of angles. The objective of this analysis is to comprehend the dynamic between opponent and monster by exploring the notions of monstrosity, heroism, and, ultimately, the relation of both to theology. As Beowulf and Frankenstein were produced in distinct time periods, both works convey and exhibit specific cultural components with respect to these notions. Beowulf, as an Early Medieval text, is a primary example of a heroic epic poem, and is the product of a culture in which Christianity began to manifest itself as a predominant theology in traditional Anglo-Saxon society. Frankenstein, first published in 1818, is written in a tumultuous period with respect to religion and science, as the two seem to be competing in a race for credibility and moral acceptance. Comparing the two works with one another illustrates the gradual difference between the Early Medieval culture and the Late Modern English culture of the 19th century with respect to the ideologies and concerns regarding monstrosity, heroism, morality, and theology. Such a contrastive analysis of both works, to my awareness, has not been made to date. First, the theoretical framework and the historical context of both works are discussed in chapter one. Subsequently, Frankenstein is analyzed in chapter two and Beowulf in chapter three. Finally, these findings are combined and re-evaluated in order to return with a final answer to the initial question that is central within this thesis: to what extent do the dynamics between monster and hero in both Beowulf and Frankenstein reflect the contemporary concerns and ideologies regarding monstrosity, heroism, and theology?Show less
Despite SF’s general underrepresentation both in academia and the publishing world, there are scholars that have turned to this genre and studied it in relation to Lawrence Venuti’s concepts of...Show moreDespite SF’s general underrepresentation both in academia and the publishing world, there are scholars that have turned to this genre and studied it in relation to Lawrence Venuti’s concepts of foreignization and domestication, introduced in The Translator’s Invisibility (1995). Domestication has been considered “especially problematic due to its inventiveness of fictive worlds and the reliance of its estrangement function upon specific language” (Campbell, 2021, p. 6). One of the ways in which this inventiveness is expressed, is through neologisms, as Freedman (2000) explains, “this device being perhaps the most paradigmatic expression of science-fictional diction” (2000, p. 37). One of the scholars that has discussed neologisms in his work is Peter Newmark (1988), whom we will be discussing in this thesis. Newmark (1988) recognizes in his book, A Textbook of Translation, that translating neologisms is a challenging task, as he emphasizes that “neologisms are perhaps the non-literary and the professional translator’s biggest problem” (p.140). The aim of this thesis is thus to study neologisms within the SF genre in relation to Venuti’s concepts of domestication and foreignization. It will do so by conducting a case study on a SF text, namely Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (DADOES) by American writer Philip K. Dick. In the case study, three Dutch translations of DADOES will be compared to each other and the source text: De Elektrische Nachtmerrie (1969) by Frank Visser, Dromen Androïden van Elektrische Schapen? (1979) by Ivain Rodriguez de León and Blade Runner: Dromen Androïden over Elektrische Schapen? (2017) by Irving Pardoen. The research will focus on chapter three and the neologisms in it. The 26 neologisms were classified using Newmark’s (1988) nine categories of translation procedures, with an additional 10th (proposed category) and 11th category to cover instances of omission. The central research question of this thesis then, is whether the translation choices made by the three translators point to a foreignization or domestication-oriented approach, and which of the three translations can be considered the most domesticated based on the findings. As for the hypothesis, it is speculated that the 1969 and 1979 translations of neologisms will reveal a more domestication-oriented approach, whereas the 2017 text is expected to be more foreignized. In writing this thesis and conducting the case study, I set out to give insight into the potential that SF texts hold for academia and the translation field. Campbell (2021) emphasizes how SF is a “powerful means of communication, not only because it can serve to explore and explain the effect of technological developments, whether native or important, but also and more importantly because it can be a powerful means of social criticism” (p.2.). In a world that is constantly evolving as technology advances at a rapid rate, the subjects discussed in SF are more relevant than ever. Therefore, by studying the “inventiveness” (Freedman, 2000, p.37) of the SF genre in the form of neologisms and in how they are translated, we could learn more about the dynamics and developments in our own world as we speculate about the reasons for these translation choices.Show less
In sociolinguistic studies, researchers state that there is such a thing as gendered language. These studies looked at gendered language in discourse and came up with a list of stereotypical...Show moreIn sociolinguistic studies, researchers state that there is such a thing as gendered language. These studies looked at gendered language in discourse and came up with a list of stereotypical linguistic characteristics used by women and men. In other words, certain linguistic features such as emotional adjectives and tag-question are more feminine, whereas judgemental adjectives and directives are said to be more masculine. However, the findings are divided and do not always give a common consensus on the reason behind the phenomenon. The differences could stem from social norms, personal preferences, inherited schemata, or the social setting in which the discourse occurs. For example, specific situational settings could be more likely to induce gendered language than other settings. James Bond movies present settings that are potentially more likely to induce gendered language due to the sexually charged nature of the relationship between James Bond and his women. In these situational settings, men are more likely to behave like stereotypical men, and women are more likely to behave like stereotypical women. Therefore, this thesis will look at the specific sociolinguistic context of the potentially sexually charged relationship between James Bond and various female characters and investigate if the characters use stereotypical feminine versus masculine linguistic features and, therefore, contribute to the sociolinguistic corpus of gendered language and its origin. In addition, it looks at the change over time, taking into account the changing Western society in regard to social norms and gender roles. To summarize, this thesis will look at whether the language in discourse found in the movies reflect findings in previous studies, whether the use of linguistic features changes over time, and if the changes can explain the nature of gendered language. This thesis is divided into five chapters the introduction, methodology, results, discussion, and last but not least, the conclusion. In chapter one, the introduction will give a brief overview of the significant sociolinguistic theories present, their relation to gendered language, what research has been done regarding James Bond movies, and how this research contributes to current discussions of feminism. Chapter one also includes a literature review, which goes into depth about the aforementioned sociolinguistic studies. Last but not least, it will give an overview of the research question. Chapter two will discuss the methodology, how social and linguistic factors were chosen, and which difficulties were encountered. Chapter three displays the results found with the help of graphs and figures. Chapters four and five will discuss the findings, their relevance to the ongoing discussion of sociolinguistics and gendered language, and the study’s main takeaway.Show less
This thesis explores the question of how Andrew Davies’ 1995 BBC serial adaptation and Joe Wright’s 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s homonymous Pride & Prejudice (re)present female desire...Show moreThis thesis explores the question of how Andrew Davies’ 1995 BBC serial adaptation and Joe Wright’s 2005 movie adaptation of Jane Austen’s homonymous Pride & Prejudice (re)present female desire on screen. This research examines and consults adaptation theory to gain a better understanding of what transpires when adapting a concept such as desire from a novel onto a screen. Implicit instances of desire are explored in the novel, so as to contrast those occurrences with how they are translated on to the screen. Close readings of relevant scenes provide insight into the use of camerawork, acting, dialogue and framing and how they enhance the audience’s attention to the depictions of desire, love, attraction and interest. What this research can conclude is that both productions acknowledge the desire present in the novel, be it implicit, and translate it onto the screen in a literalized manner, highlighting on different ways how that desire could be conveyed. Both adaptations recognize the importance of transmitting information through glances and looks – their focus ranging from shared looks between characters to the female’s independent gaze.Show less
This thesis compares two novels in their portrayal of Muslimas. The two novels that are discussed are Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and Nadeem Aslam's Maps for Lost Lovers. The thesis argues...Show moreThis thesis compares two novels in their portrayal of Muslimas. The two novels that are discussed are Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses and Nadeem Aslam's Maps for Lost Lovers. The thesis argues that Rushdie applies inaccurate representations of Islam and Muslimas in his novel. Moreover, his novel misuses Ayesha's historical figure and feminizes several different aspects of the religion. It concludes that Rushdie often writes about women, but never from the perspective of these women. Aslam's novel, on the other hand, allocates a lot more time to the female characters and their perspectives. However, it must also be noted that Aslam's portrayal of Islam - and along with that, Muslimas - is heavily Pakistani-oriented, in its most conservative form. Lastly, evident similarities and differences between the two novels were discussed. Here, the thesis concludes that both novels brought about a similar societal effect - namely heightening feelings of Islamophobia -, despite their different approaches to the subject.Show less
There is little doubt that the dual form in Old English had a secondary function aside from referring to two people. This paper rejects the claim that this secondary function is to imply a familial...Show moreThere is little doubt that the dual form in Old English had a secondary function aside from referring to two people. This paper rejects the claim that this secondary function is to imply a familial or intimate bond between the two referents and asserts instead that the dual functioned to limit the number of referents to prevent confusion. This assertion is given credit by the fact that not all incidences of dual pronouns in Old English gloss, verse, and prose imply such familial or intimate bonds. Old English is in an uncommon position in the Indo-European family tree, because only first and second person pronouns may be duals, but the two referents of the pronoun are permitted to be different sexes and the form is not mandatory when speaking of two people. All of these aspects cause people in intimate relationships to be more common referents for dual pronouns, even if these relations do not cause the dual pronouns to happen.Show less
In this thesis, I analyse and discuss palatalisation of the consonant sequence /tj/, particularly within the context of Dutch diminutives. First, an overview is provided of Dutch diminutive...Show moreIn this thesis, I analyse and discuss palatalisation of the consonant sequence /tj/, particularly within the context of Dutch diminutives. First, an overview is provided of Dutch diminutive allomorphy, palatalisation in general, and about frequency and productivity and their possible effects on sound change. Based on a detailed review of the literature within this topic, the expectation was that frequency would be a major influencing agent of this palatalisation process. In respect of the specific sequence of /tj/, data was elicited by means of a small-scale production experiment, in which I used beetje (a very frequent diminutive) and weetje (a low-frequency diminutive) as target words. The findings indicate that the alternation of what was perceived as the unmarked [tɕ] and the frequency-conditioned, palatal [ç] is no longer sensitive to frequency, and that [ç] is more recurrent than it was expected to be.Show less
During the Early Modern English period, spelling varied a lot, even per person. To reduce linguistic variation such as this, many spelling and grammar manuals were published during that time, in...Show moreDuring the Early Modern English period, spelling varied a lot, even per person. To reduce linguistic variation such as this, many spelling and grammar manuals were published during that time, in order to achieve a set spelling system. Many people at the start of the EModE period did not know how to write "correctly" so when they wrote letters, it usually reflected their speech. However, as the period progressed, more and more people learned how to read and write, and spelling was slowly being regularised. My aim in this thesis is to find out if these individuals used the spelling practices laid out in the spelling and grammar manuals; particularly, if they used these practices in private correspondence. These types of letters are prone to linguistic variation since the authors are not forced to use correct spelling practices.Show less
Donald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and...Show moreDonald Trump was a highly controversial figure in the 2016 and 2020 elections. He presented himself as America’s hero (Mercieca, 2020). Trump's 2016 campaign was marked by an unique and idiosyncratic rhetoric and campaigning style in which social media play a large role and especially his use of Twitter was remarkable (Polak, 2018). Trump’s rhetoric was full of pathos-driven techniques like: America first exceptionalism, hyperboles, repetition, fear appeals, ad populum and ad hominem arguments (Mercieca, 2020) while his rhetoric lacked complexity (Skinnel, 2018). Furthermore, Trump was known to distort facts (Skinnel, 2018). Although Trump was suspended from Twitter, begin January 2021, shortly after losing the election and the storming of the capitol took place, he has recently made a re-entrance on Twitter. The author of this paper wishes to contribute to the current research on Trump’s unique rhetorical style which continues to have a strong influence in America and do so by analysing Trump’s Twitter use during the 2020 elections, making use of a corpus based approach supplemented by a qualitative analysis of his rhetoric.Show less
This thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity...Show moreThis thesis offers a close reading of Yaa Gyasi’s historical fiction novel Homegoing, which is set from roughly the eighteenth century until the end of the twentieth century. It explores identity theories of double consciousness, the white gaze, and generational trauma to examine how historical events have affected the identity of the characters in the American narrative. This essay also underscores how the novel depicts the effects of systemic racism on African American identity. It concludes that the characters' struggle with identification is tied to the loss of their ancestry, which forces them to forge a new culture and identity. Marcus, the final character of the novel, heals the trauma inflicted on his lineage by returning to his ancestral home.Show less
