A touch of color: A linguistic analysis of the use of color terms in the language of tourism

In contemporary linguistics, color is an important area of investigation since it provides insights into human cognition and categorization of reality. Drawing on Berlin & Kay (1969) and the theories developed after their seminal work (MacLaury 1995, Wierzbicka 1996), this study aims at analyzing the evolution of color naming approaches across time and assessing the impact of color terms in their context of use, namely in the language of tourism, while bringing to the forefront the methodological difficulties behind a linguistic study of color terms based on corpus studies. The focus of the study is on describing language in use, in a contextual perspective and by means of a corpus-based analysis of such parameters as collocation, colligation, semantic preference and semantic prosody (Sinclair, 1991 and 1996). It also evidences cases of diachronical changes in semantic preference and suggests potential applications in the area of language learning and translation studies

Translating stones: a corpus-based linguistic and lexicographic study in specialized terminology

This study originated from the real-world need to provide a lexicographic reference work for the specialized field of stone processing. Very little is available on this specific niche of the lexicon. This contribution will offer lexicographers and terminologists a first insight into the identification and designation of materials, activities, and processes related to the quarrying and processing of stones. The study was conducted on the data collected to build a pair of comparable corpora, each containing a variety of texts – from brochures to technical specifications – in one of the source languages investigated: English and Italian. The methodology employed derives from the report on a Council of Europe project (see International Journal of Lexicography vol. 9, n. 3, 1996). To advance the inquiry, a number of term candidates were identified – based on the frequency and keyword lists generated from the corpora – and analysed in their contexts of use to eventually formulate hypotheses of equivalence in both languages. This work is the result of the growing convergence of different approaches to meaning, all harnessing corpus evidence

Translation in CLIL: Mission Impossible?

Translation in CLIL? It may seem a contradiction in terms. CLIL means Content and Language Integrated Learning, and is based on the assumption that content is taught through the second/foreign language (or an additional language). Little or no room is left to the learners’ mother tongue, which is either declared off limits or used in very limited cases. So, what’s the role of translation in CLIL? Is there any place for it at all? Drawing on current research on CLIL (Aiello, Di Martino and Di Sabato, 2017; Baker, 2014; Coyle, Hood and Marsh, 2010; Dalton-Puffer, Nikula and Smit, 2010) and on the pedagogical uses of “the 5th skill” (Cook, 2012; Gaballo, 2009c), this study sets out to investigate how translation can be integrated into language and content learning. The methodological approach that underlies this analysis essentially combines several models which contribute to explaining the complex nature of the problem at issue (i.e. using translation to teach both language and content in the CLIL class), with its multiple variables to be taken into account. The pedagogical framework describes the implementation of the ensuing model’s design within CLIL contexts: examples are drawn from courses taught since 2005, inspired by social constructivist pedagogy (Vygotsky, 1978; Kiraly, 2000; Gaballo, 2009b) in a networked learning environment (Dirckinck-Holmfeld, Hodgson and McConnell, 2012; Gaballo, 2014), and a collaborative translation approach (Gaballo, 2009a)

Language and culture in minor media text types: A diachronic, intralinguistic analysis from fanzines to webzines

The aim of this study is to focus on the relationship between the macro phenomenon “culture” and the micro analysis of text structures of a specific genre – fanzines – to provide empirical evidence of how the genre ascribed to a social group reflects specific, culturally shaped world views. The study also investigates the diachronic, intermedia dimensions of a specific genre – punkzines – providing evidence of anticipated forms of the language used in current text messaging and arguing whether the virtualization of the cultural and social spaces related to the evolution of fanzines into webzines has left their social function unchanged while affecting our understanding of “culture”

The umbilical cord cut: English as taught in translator-training programs

With this study we pursue a three-fold objective. First, we want to re-assert the specific quality of the language taught in translation classes while contrasting the peripheral role of translation in EFL methods. Second, we intend to advocate interaction between translation theories and pedagogical theories, so that translation as a learning tool and as a linguistic (or interlinguistic) skill may be reconsidered in the light of the latest advances in theoretical and applied research on foreign language learning, and translation studies. Third, we want to focus on the concept of translation competence, and its sub-competencies, to formulate a definition that incorporates emerging approaches and models (Pym 2003, PACTE 2003)

The e-Factor in e-Collaborative Language and Translation Classes: Motivation, Metacognition, Empowerment

Over the past two decades, the growth of the Internet and the development of newer computer-mediated communication (CMC) technologies have multiplied opportunities for communicating in other languages beyond the traditional educational settings. Learners are stimulated by the sheer amount of contacts they can make with people all over the world, and are more motivated to acquire the cross-linguistic and cross-cultural skills they need to participate in global communication spaces. This study analyses the forms of interaction, collaboration and co-construction of knowledge learners experienced online, as filtered through quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques applied to the data collected from learners\u2019 interactions and reports. The analysis focuses on the metacognitive awareness raised, motivation enhanced and empowerment fostered in the e-collaborative language and translation classes offered in the past fifteen years. The suggestion is that social practice in virtual environments can provide a theoretical lens that allows researchers to examine language and translation learning in ways that other perspectives do not

Improving EFL competence by triangulating CLIL, CMC and Network Learning

1This study investigates the effects of the concurrent use of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL), Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) and Networked Learning (NL) on EFL competence in Multimedia Communication MA courses. It illustrates the theoretical tenets and methodological approach underlying the course design, and critically reviews the results obtained in teaching/learning CMC collaboratively in an e-learning environment, where EFL learners actively participated in co-constructing knowledge while experiencing the role of both CMC users and analyzers.noneV. GaballoGaballo, Vivian

Translation in CLIL: Mission Impossible?

Translation in CLIL? It may seem a contradiction in terms. CLIL means Content and Language Integrated Learning, and is based on the assumption that content is taught through the second/foreign language. No room is left to the learners’ mother tongue, which is either declared off limits or used in very limited cases. So, what is the role of translation in CLIL? Is there any place for it at all? In the past few years, there has been a series of hectic efforts put in by schools and universities to organise CLIL programmes and teacher training courses, and a number of studies have appeared to help with the process. In spite of the wide support that is now being given to the use of the first language in language learning, CLIL proponents tend to neglect the role of translation in content and language learning. Drawing on current research on CLIL, this study sets out to investigate the nature of the contribution that translation makes to language and content learning. The work is grounded on research conducted on empirical data drawn from CLIL courses taught since 2005, inspired by social constructivist pedagogy in a networked learning environment, and a collaborative translation approach

CIRCLEs (Centres for Intra-/intercultural Research, Communication and LEarning)

Overall objective: Drive growth and foster social inclusion through the development of human capital in the culture industry via the CIRCLEs (Centres for Intra-/intercultural Research, Communication and LEarning) Specific objectives: 1) promote intra-/intercultural dialogue, gender equality and the diversity of cultural expressions through capacity building and professionalization; 2) improve employment, income and social inclusion of vulnerable groups, through a novel approach to partnership and the development of new professions in the cultural sector; 3) provide a vehicle whereby stakeholders can contribute and share knowledge in the achievements of their respective goals