Issues of Identity in and across Cultures and Professional Worlds Rome, September 2007 Drifts in the priming of Anglicisms in business communication Sara Laviosa University of Bari

Introducing a new study of Anglicisms whose aim is … to become clearer about the extent to which translation protects linguistic specificity and cultural difference by resisting the influence of English in professional communication to become clearer about the extent to which translation protects linguistic specificity and cultural difference by resisting the influence of English in professional communication

The theoretical framework draws on the convergent similarity among … Michael Hoey’s (2005, forthcoming) theory of lexical priming Michael Hoey’s (2005, forthcoming) theory of lexical priming studies of Anglicisms (e.g. Anderman and Rogers 2005) studies of Anglicisms (e.g. Anderman and Rogers 2005) Gideon Toury’s (1995, 2004) laws of translational behaviour Gideon Toury’s (1995, 2004) laws of translational behaviour Christiane Nord’s (2005) theoretical model for translation-oriented text analysis Christiane Nord’s (2005) theoretical model for translation-oriented text analysis studies of translation norms (Nord 1991; Toury 1995, 1998; Chesterman 1993, 1997; Hermans 1999) studies of translation norms (Nord 1991; Toury 1995, 1998; Chesterman 1993, 1997; Hermans 1999)

Michael Hoey’s theory of lexical priming it draws on cognitive psychology and builds upon the work of John Sinclair it draws on cognitive psychology and builds upon the work of John Sinclair it is a lexically-driven theory of language that “would seem to offer a dynamic mechanism for change worthy at least of exploration” (Hoey 2005: 188) it is a lexically-driven theory of language that “would seem to offer a dynamic mechanism for change worthy at least of exploration” (Hoey 2005: 188)

Priming in cognitive psychology a technique that allows one to study the manner by which the interconnections in the human word-store known as the mental lexicon are constructed (Rumelhart and Norman 1985: 29; Aitchison 1987: 24) a technique that allows one to study the manner by which the interconnections in the human word-store known as the mental lexicon are constructed (Rumelhart and Norman 1985: 29; Aitchison 1987: 24) a basic priming study consists in presenting subjects with two strings of letters asking them to decide as rapidly as possible whether each is a word or non-word a basic priming study consists in presenting subjects with two strings of letters asking them to decide as rapidly as possible whether each is a word or non-word

Typical pairs of items are … nurse plamebread butterbread nurse nurse plamebread butterbread nurse if the two words are related the recognition time is significantly shorter than if they are unrelated if the two words are related the recognition time is significantly shorter than if they are unrelated the interpretation of this result is that the reading of the first word preactivates the reader’s attention, facilitating the processing of the related word the interpretation of this result is that the reading of the first word preactivates the reader’s attention, facilitating the processing of the related word this preactivation is known as “priming” this preactivation is known as “priming”

Lexical priming the process whereby “[a]s a word is acquired through encounters with it in speech and writing, it becomes cumulatively loaded with the contexts and co-texts in which it is encountered, and our knowledge of it includes the fact that it co-occurs with certain other words in certain kinds of context” (Hoey 2005: 8) the process whereby “[a]s a word is acquired through encounters with it in speech and writing, it becomes cumulatively loaded with the contexts and co-texts in which it is encountered, and our knowledge of it includes the fact that it co-occurs with certain other words in certain kinds of context” (Hoey 2005: 8)

while in cognitive psychology the focus is on the relationship between the priming and the primed (or target) word, in lexical priming the focus is shifted towards what is primed, so that “what is primed to occur [in the presence of a priming word] is seen as shedding light upon the priming item” (Hoey 2005: 8) while in cognitive psychology the focus is on the relationship between the priming and the primed (or target) word, in lexical priming the focus is shifted towards what is primed, so that “what is primed to occur [in the presence of a priming word] is seen as shedding light upon the priming item” (Hoey 2005: 8)

Lexical priming is a mental process “a posited feature of language acquisition and use […] that is differently actualised by every language user” (Hoey 2005: 14) “a posited feature of language acquisition and use […] that is differently actualised by every language user” (Hoey 2005: 14) “the ‘personal’ corpus that provides a language user with their lexical primings is by definition irretrievable, unstudiable and unique” (ibid.: 14). “All that a [computer] corpus can do is indicate that certain primings are likely to be shared by a large number of speakers” (ibid.: 15) “the ‘personal’ corpus that provides a language user with their lexical primings is by definition irretrievable, unstudiable and unique” (ibid.: 14). “All that a [computer] corpus can do is indicate that certain primings are likely to be shared by a large number of speakers” (ibid.: 15)

Lexical priming offers an explanation for a considerable number of linguistic features through a series of claims concerning... the collocational, semantic, pragmatic, colligational, grammatical and textual primings of every word in the lexis of a language the collocational, semantic, pragmatic, colligational, grammatical and textual primings of every word in the lexis of a language co-hyponyms and synonyms differ with respect to their collocations, semantic associations and colligations co-hyponyms and synonyms differ with respect to their collocations, semantic associations and colligations when a word is polysemous, the collocation, semantic associations and colligations of one sense of the word differ from those of its other senses (Hoey 2005: 15). when a word is polysemous, the collocation, semantic associations and colligations of one sense of the word differ from those of its other senses (Hoey 2005: 15).

a drift in the priming of a word, hence a shift in meaning and/or function, occurs when a word is introduced in an unfamiliar context or co-text or if the language user chooses to override its current primings in his/her own use a drift in the priming of a word, hence a shift in meaning and/or function, occurs when a word is introduced in an unfamiliar context or co-text or if the language user chooses to override its current primings in his/her own use drifts in the priming of a word, occurring for a number of members of a particular community at the same time, provide a mechanism for temporary or permanent language change drifts in the priming of a word, occurring for a number of members of a particular community at the same time, provide a mechanism for temporary or permanent language change

A drift in the priming of a word may occur … when a word migrates from one domain to another in the same language when a word migrates from one domain to another in the same language when the receptor language borrows a word from the donor language (e.g. in bilingual text production) when the receptor language borrows a word from the donor language (e.g. in bilingual text production) when a word in the source language is translated with an equivalent word in the target language when a word in the source language is translated with an equivalent word in the target language

Objectives make a contribution to our understanding of the domain-specific and text-type-specific primings of Anglicisms in translational and non-translational business Italian, as well as in English and Italian as donor and receptor languages make a contribution to our understanding of the domain-specific and text-type-specific primings of Anglicisms in translational and non-translational business Italian, as well as in English and Italian as donor and receptor languages become clearer about the nature of translation as a posited potential source of drifts (Hoey forthcoming) become clearer about the nature of translation as a posited potential source of drifts (Hoey forthcoming)

A new study of Anglicisms: main features object of study object of study descriptive hypotheses descriptive hypotheses research model and methodology research model and methodology

Object of study lexical primings of Anglicisms in a composite English-Italian comparable and parallel corpus of articles from The Economist and Economy lexical primings of Anglicisms in a composite English-Italian comparable and parallel corpus of articles from The Economist and Economy norms that govern the production of non-translational texts in the receptor language norms that govern the production of non-translational texts in the receptor language norms that govern translators’ choices norms that govern translators’ choices

What is a norm? “A regularity in behaviour, together with the common knowledge about and the mutual expectations concerning the way in which members of a group or community ought to behave in certain types of situation” (Hermans 1999: 163)

Translational norms initial norm, preliminary norms, operational norms (Toury 1995: 65-66) initial norm, preliminary norms, operational norms (Toury 1995: 65-66) expectancy (or product) norms, professional (or process or production) norms (Chesterman 1993: 9, 1997: 64-70) expectancy (or product) norms, professional (or process or production) norms (Chesterman 1993: 9, 1997: 64-70) constitutive conventions, regulative conventions (Nord 1991: ) constitutive conventions, regulative conventions (Nord 1991: )

Research hypotheses English loan words in Italian are differently primed from the original English words, hence they shift in meaning across the donor and receptor languages English loan words in Italian are differently primed from the original English words, hence they shift in meaning across the donor and receptor languages the translator has the choice of either preserving the primings of the target language or importing the primings of the source language or a mixture of the two the translator has the choice of either preserving the primings of the target language or importing the primings of the source language or a mixture of the two the norms governing translational texts differ from those concerning non-translational texts of the same type the norms governing translational texts differ from those concerning non-translational texts of the same type

Research model and methodology comparative research model comparative research model bilingual comparable corpus bilingual comparable corpus bilingual parallel corpus bilingual parallel corpus monolingual comparable corpus monolingual comparable corpus information about the extratextual factors of the communicative situation (or translating event) information about the extratextual factors of the communicative situation (or translating event)

Extratextual information sender, intention, audience, medium, place, time, motive, communicative function of the target text (Nord 2005: 42, 158) sender, intention, audience, medium, place, time, motive, communicative function of the target text (Nord 2005: 42, 158) metatexts, e.g. statements and comments made by translators, editors, publishers and other persons involved in the production of the target text (Toury 1995: 65) metatexts, e.g. statements and comments made by translators, editors, publishers and other persons involved in the production of the target text (Toury 1995: 65)

Corpus analysis & processing tools identify all the Anglicisms contained in the translational Italian subcorpus, using frequency lists retrieved with the WordList facility provided by WordSmith Tools identify all the Anglicisms contained in the translational Italian subcorpus, using frequency lists retrieved with the WordList facility provided by WordSmith Tools analyse the primings of each Anglicism by examining KWIC concordance lines produced by the Concord facility provided by WordSmith Tools analyse the primings of each Anglicism by examining KWIC concordance lines produced by the Concord facility provided by WordSmith Tools

Assess the divergent similarity between … these primings and those contained in the non-translational Italian subcorpus these primings and those contained in the non-translational Italian subcorpus the primings in the non-translational Italian subcorpus and those in the original English subcorpus the primings in the non-translational Italian subcorpus and those in the original English subcorpus the primings in the translational Italian subcorpus and those in the original English subcorpus so as to identify the translators’ choices (using ParaConc) the primings in the translational Italian subcorpus and those in the original English subcorpus so as to identify the translators’ choices (using ParaConc)

Conclusion descriptive corpus studies of translation fully recognize that “[d]escription is not enough. It has to serve a purpose, such as explanation. This requires that phenomena are put into context, and that we have an apparatus to bring that context into view.” (Hermans 1999: 102) descriptive corpus studies of translation fully recognize that “[d]escription is not enough. It has to serve a purpose, such as explanation. This requires that phenomena are put into context, and that we have an apparatus to bring that context into view.” (Hermans 1999: 102)

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