An Introduction to the English

Language System

Dott. M. Gatto

Lingue e Culture per il Turismo

Lingua e Traduzione Inglese I

LanguageSystem

Use Structure

Context and culture(situation)(register)

Communicative Functions PhonologyGraphology

LexiconGrammar

StyleLinguistic Variations

LANGUAGE FUNCTIONS

It’s raining…

• Informing?

• Complaining?

• Blaming/Regretting ?

• Request? (an umbrella? a taxi?)

 

How to Do Things with Words (Austin 1962)

SPEECH ACT THEORYThree kinds of acts that can be perfomed by an utterance:

• THE LOCUTION: the formal meaning of an utterance (what words actually mean)

• THE ILLOCUTION: the communicative force (what words actually do: warn, prohibit, suggest, inform, persuade...)

• THE PERLOCUTION: the effect on the hearer or reader (what words actually achieve)

It is necessary to go behind the formal/literal level of what is being said.

It is not sufficient to understand the conceptual meaning of the LOCUTION; one must also understand what the speaker/writer is doing (ILLOCUTION) and what s/he want to achieve (PERLOCUTION)

i.e. the speech act being performed

English

Read these instructions carefully

= warning

= 2nd person imperative

Italian

Leggere attentamente le istruzioni

= warning

= infinitive

English

 

Do not lean out

= prohibition

= 2nd person imperative

Italian

E’ pericoloso sporgersi

= warning

= indicative

Elements of verbal communicationR.JAKOBSON, Linguistics and Poetics (1960)

Addresser Message Addressee

Contact

Context

Code

Expressive Poetic Conative Phatic Referential Metalingual

Addresser > Emotive/Expressive Function

- Ahi!

- Great!

• Addressee > Vocative/Conative Function

• You won’t believe your eyes

• Do not lean out!

• Beware of dogs.

Message > Poetic Function

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,

The furrow followed free;

We were the first that ever burst

Into that silent sea.(from Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,The furrow followed free;We were the first that ever burstInto that silent sea.

Soffiava il buon vento, volava la bianca spumaseguiva libera la scia;I primi fummo che irrompemmoIn quel tacito mare.

La ballata del vecchio marinaio (trad. T. Tommaso Pisanti)

• Context > Referential/InformativeAfter almost half a century of sustained growth, Europe continues to be the world’s top tourist destination. In the last twenty years alone tourism demand has more than doubled. Its economic impact is equally impressive. According to 1998-2000 figures, 12% of Europe's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is generated by tourism and tourism-related activities and over 20 million jobs have been created in this sector, essentially within Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).

Contact > Phatic Function

• Click here

• Nice weather, isnt it?

• See you.

Code > Metalingual Function

àspro, a. 1 (di sapore) sour; tart, bitter […]; 2 (di suono) harsh; rasping; grating. 3 (fig. duro) harsh; hard; bitter; 4 (ruvido) rough; rugged […]; 5 (scosceso) steep; 6 (di clima) severe; raw; harsh. ● (ling.) […] (Il Ragazzini, 1996)

Communicative functions and text types (1)

Expressive or emotive function

Journals

Autobiographies

Letters

Technical reports

Textbooks

Newspapers

Advertising

Political propaganda

Charity appeals

Referential or Informative function

Vocative orconative function

Communicative functions and text types (2)

Poetic function

Poetry

songs

Nursery rhymes

Greetings

Condolences

Good wishes

Grammar

Dictionary

Phatic function

Metalingual function

Guidebooks informative + conative

Dublin is one of Europe’s

most compelling capitals,

and an absolute must on any

list of top 10 European cities

to visit. If you’ve never

visited, make plans to do so;

if you have, you won’t need

us to tell you to return.(The Lonely Planet Guide to Dublin)

Dublino è una delle piùaffascinanti capitali europeetanto che figura sempre fra ledieci città più visitated’Europa. Perciò, se ci nonsiete mai stati potrebbeessere la vostra prossimameta, se invece l’avete giàvisitatata potreste sempretornarci.(Lonely Planet. Dublino)

Do – It – Yourself

IDENTIFY THE DOMINANT FUNCTION IN THE FOLLOWING

TEXTS

12 gennaio 2007

Caro diario, la giornata di ieri è stata veramente fenomenale…

(expressive)

TVUKDB

(phatic)

Sustainable tourism is a form of tourism that follows the principles of sustainability.

(metalinguistic)

(conative – regulative)

My mother wanted me to have piano lessons.My father wanted me to go to Harvard. My teacher wanted me to become a lawyerMy wife wants me to stay at home…

(from a Mitsubishi Advert)

(conative – persuasive) 

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

DIRECTIONS

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

(conative regulative)

To sum up…

From functions > to text types > to genres

From language > to culture

HOMEWORK

M.Ulrych, Translating Texts, Chapter 2