The Cultural Semantics of Address Practices
Lexington Books (Verlag)
978-1-4985-7927-8 (ISBN)
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.
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.
Chapter 1: Analyzing Address Practices from a Cultural Semantic Point of View
Understanding Address Practices
Types of Words Used for Address Practices
Properties of Words Used for Address Practices
Address Practices in Discourse: Concordance and Reciprocity
The Social Functions of Address Practices
The Pragmatic Functions of Address Practices
The Semantics of Address Practices
The Culture of Address Practices
A Framework for Cross-Cultural Semantic Analysis
The Theory of Cultural Scripts
Address Practices Analyzed in This Book
Linguistic Materials Used for the Analysis
The Importance of a Non-Ethnocentric Linguistic Analysis
Chapter 2: “Sorry Boss”: An Unrecognized Category of English Address Nouns
Usage Characteristics
The Interactional Meaning of ‘Doctor’ as a Prototype of the Category
‘Professor’: A Case of Double Polysemy
‘Boss’ vs. First-Name Address in Australian English
Chapter 3: “Prego, Signore”: The Semantics of Italian “Titles” Used to Address People
Generic Address Nouns
Signora
Signore
Signorina
Signori
Addressing People Exercising Prestigious Professions
Addressing People Holding Top Positions in an Institution
Addressing Police Officers
Addressing “Distinguished” People
Addressing Priests and Nuns
Addressing Ambassadors, Monarchs, Bishops, Cardinals, the Pope
Addressing Aristocrats
Addressing Waiters and Nurses
Italian “Titles” in English Translation
Chapter 4: “Hi, How Are You?”
Hi in English Discourse
The Interactional Meaning of Hi
Chapter 5: “Ciao!” or “Ciao Ciao”?
Ciao in Italian Discourse
Semantic Explication of Ciao
Two Variants of Ciao
The Phrase ‘Va Bene’ and the Meaning of ‘Vabbè Ciao’
‘Ciao Ciao’ and Reduplication in Italian
Chapter 6: “Dear Customers, …”
The Meaning of the Adjective Dear
Dear in Address Practices
The Meaning of Dear Compared With the Meaning of (∅)
Chapter 7: “Caro Mario,” “Gentile Cliente,” “Egregio Dottore”
The Meaning of the Adjective Caro/a
Caro/a in Address Practices
Use and Meaning of Gentile in Address Practices
Use and Meaning of Egregio in Address Practices
Chapter 8: “Best Wishes,” “Kind Regards,” “Yours Sincerely”
“Best Wishes” and Its Variants
From Best Wishes to Best
All the Best and All Best
Warmest Wishes and the Semantics of ‘Warm’
“Regards” and Its Variants
From Regards to Best Regards
Kind Regards and the Semantics of ‘Kind’
Adverbial Closing Expressions
Yours Sincerely
Yours
Sincerely
Chapter 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 Expression
Distinti Saluti
Closing Expressions With the Word ‘Cordiale’
Affettuosi Saluti and the Semantics of ‘Affettuoso’
From Plural to Singular: Closing Expressions Containing ‘Saluto’
From Saluti to Un Saluto
From Saluti to Un Caro Saluto
A Presto
Un Bacio
Chapter 10: Italian Cultural Scripts for Address Practices
Cultural Scripts Related to Titles
The Cultural Salience of Titles in Italy
The Address Practices of Italian Speakers in Two Specific Situations
Spoken Interactions Between People Meeting for the First Time
E-mail Exchanges Between University Students and Lecturers
Negotiating Address Practices in Italian: ‘Darsi Del Tu’
Cultural Scripts Related to Address Pronouns
Chapter 11: Australian Cultural Scripts for Address Practices
First-Name Address in Australian English
Situational Contexts of Use
The Interactional Meaning of First-Name Address
Cultural Scripts
The Address Practices of Australian English and Italian Speakers Compared
Chapter 12: Address Practices in Intercultural Communication
The “Please, Call Me Alice” Request from a Lecturer to an International Student
The “Call Me Andy” Request in a Cross-Cultural Encounter
Address Practices in an International Political Context
Concluding Remarks
| Erscheinungsdatum | 10.05.2021 |
|---|---|
| Verlagsort | Lanham, MD |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 157 x 238 mm |
| Gewicht | 644 g |
| Themenwelt | Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Erwachsenenbildung |
| Schulbuch / Wörterbuch ► Wörterbuch / Fremdsprachen | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Sprachwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-4985-7927-2 / 1498579272 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-4985-7927-8 / 9781498579278 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
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