Cultural Semantics of Address Practices (eBook)

A Contrastive Study between English and Italian

Gian Marco Farese (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2018
306 Seiten
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-4985-7928-5 (ISBN)

Infos

This book presents a contrastive analysis of various forms of address used in English and Italian from a cultural semantics perspective. The analysis investigates the different cultural values underlying address practices in English and Italian and emphasizes the risks of miscommunication caused by differences in intercultural interactions.

---

This book presents a contrastive analysis of various forms of address used in English and Italian from the perspective of cultural semantics, the branch of linguistics which investigates the relationship between meaning and culture in discourse. The objects of the analysis are the interactional meanings expressed by different forms of address in these two languages, which are compared adopting the methodology of the Natural Semantic Metalanguage. The forms analyzed include greetings, titles and opening and closing salutations used in letters and e-mails in the two languages. Noticeably, the book presents the first complete categorization of Italian titles used as forms of address ever made on the basis of precise semantic criteria. The analysis also investigates the different cultural values and assumptions underlying address practices in English and Italian, and emphasizes the risks of miscommunication caused by different address practices in intercultural interactions. Every chapter presents numerous examples taken from language corpora, contemporary English and Italian literature and personal e-mails and letters. The book encourages a new, innovative approach to the analysis of forms of address: it proposes a new analytical method for the analysis of forms of address which can be applied to the study of other languages systematically. In addition, the book emphasizes the role of culture in address practices and takes meaning as the basis for understanding the differences in use across languages and the difficulties in translating forms of address of different languages. Combining semantics, ethnopragmatics, intercultural communication and translation theory, this book is aimed at a very broad readership which includes not only scholars in linguistics, second-language learners and students of cross-cultural communication, but virtually anyone interested in Italian and English linguistics as well as in cultural semantics. The approach taken is interdisciplinary and brings together various fields in the social sciences: linguistics, anthropology, cross-cultural studies and sociology.

Autor

Gian Marco Farese is researcher in linguistics and honorary lecturer at the Australian National University and lecturer in English at the University of Naples L’Orientale.

Inhalt

Chapter 1: Analyzing Address Practices from a Cultural Semantic Point of ViewUnderstanding Address PracticesTypes of Words Used for Address PracticesProperties of Words Used for Address PracticesAddress Practices in Discourse: Concordance and ReciprocityThe Social Functions of Address PracticesThe Pragmatic Functions of Address PracticesThe Semantics of Address PracticesThe Culture of Address PracticesA Framework for Cross-Cultural Semantic AnalysisThe Theory of Cultural ScriptsAddress Practices Analyzed in This BookLinguistic Materials Used for the AnalysisThe Importance of a Non-Ethnocentric Linguistic AnalysisChapter 2: “Sorry Boss”: An Unrecognized Category of English Address NounsUsage CharacteristicsThe Interactional Meaning of ‘Doctor’ as a Prototype of the Category‘Professor’: A Case of Double Polysemy‘Boss’ vs. First-Name Address in Australian EnglishChapter 3: “Prego, Signore”: The Semantics of Italian “Titles” Used to Address PeopleGeneric Address NounsSignoraSignoreSignorinaSignoriAddressing People Exercising Prestigious ProfessionsAddressing People Holding Top Positions in an InstitutionAddressing Police OfficersAddressing “Distinguished” PeopleAddressing Priests and NunsAddressing Ambassadors, Monarchs, Bishops, Cardinals, the PopeAddressing AristocratsAddressing Waiters and NursesItalian “Titles” in English TranslationChapter 4: “Hi, How Are You?” Hi in English DiscourseThe Interactional Meaning of Hi Chapter 5: “Ciao!” or “Ciao Ciao”?Ciao in Italian DiscourseSemantic Explication of Ciao Two Variants of CiaoThe Phrase ‘Va Bene’ and the Meaning of ‘Vabbè Ciao’‘Ciao Ciao’ and Reduplication in ItalianChapter 6: “Dear Customers, …”The Meaning of the Adjective DearDear in Address PracticesThe Meaning of Dear Compared With the Meaning of (∅)Chapter 7: “Caro Mario,” “Gentile Cliente,” “Egregio Dottore”The Meaning of the Adjective Caro/aCaro/a in Address Practices Use and Meaning of Gentile in Address PracticesUse and Meaning of Egregio in Address PracticesChapter 8: “Best Wishes,” “Kind Regards,” “Yours Sincerely”“Best Wishes” and Its VariantsFrom Best Wishes to BestAll the Best and All BestWarmest Wishes and the Semantics of ‘Warm’“Regards” and Its VariantsFrom Regards to Best RegardsKind Regards and the Semantics of ‘Kind’Adverbial Closing ExpressionsYours SincerelyYoursSincerelyChapter 9: “Distinti,” “Cordiali,” “Affettuosi Saluti”The Cultural Semantics of ‘Saluto/i’ and the Meaning of ‘Saluti da ~’The Interactional Meaning of ‘Saluti’ as a Closing ExpressionDistinti SalutiClosing Expressions With the Word ‘Cordiale’Affettuosi Saluti and the Semantics of ‘Affettuoso’From Plural to Singular: Closing Expressions Containing ‘Saluto’From Saluti to Un SalutoFrom Saluti to Un Caro SalutoA PrestoUn BacioChapter 10: Italian Cultural Scripts for Address PracticesCultural Scripts Related to TitlesThe Cultural Salience of Titles in ItalyThe Address Practices of Italian Speakers in Two Specific SituationsSpoken Interactions Between People Meeting for the First TimeE-mail Exchanges Between University Students and LecturersNegotiating Address Practices in Italian: ‘Darsi Del Tu’Cultural Scripts Related to Address PronounsChapter 11: Australian Cultural Scripts for Address PracticesFirst-Name Address in Australian EnglishSituational Contexts of UseThe Interactional Meaning of First-Name AddressCultural ScriptsThe Address Practices of Australian English and Italian Speakers ComparedChapter 12: Address Practices in Intercultural CommunicationThe “Please, Call Me Alice” Request from a Lecturer to an International StudentThe “Call Me Andy” Request in a Cross-Cultural EncounterAddress Practices in an International Political ContextConcluding Remarks

Produkt-Details

• Zusatzinfo: 5 Illustrations including: - 5 Tables.
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Wörterbuch / Fremdsprachen
• Themenwelt: Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Ethnologie
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie
• Schlagworte: address practices • Cross-Cultural Communication • Cultural Anthropology • ethnopragmatics • Greetings • honorifics • Intercultural communication • Italian studies • linguaculture • Pragmatics • Salutations • Titles • Translation theory
• ISBN-10: 1-4985-7928-0 / 1498579280
• ISBN-13: 978-1-4985-7928-5 / 9781498579285