Projects / Programmes
Theoretical and applied linguistic research: contrastive, synchronic and diachronic aspects
January 1, 2004
- December 31, 2008
| Code |
Science |
Field |
Subfield |
| 6.05.01 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Languages - research |
| 6.05.02 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Theoretical and applied linguistics |
| Code |
Science |
Field |
| H350 |
Humanities |
Linguistics |
Linguistics, modern languages, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Slovene; classical languages; text linguistics, discourse analysis; contrastive analysis; lexicography and lexicology, phraseology; phonology, acoustic phonetics, functionalism, pragmatics, stylistics, rhetoric, general linguistics, sociolinguistics, languages in contact, multiculturalism, language policy, psycholinguistics, theory of linguistic naturalness, generative linguistics; cultural and linguistic specificity in a Slovene context, Italian in the bilingual area of the Slovene Coastland; foreign language teaching, language-teacher training; translation and interpreting, subtitling.
Researchers (29)
Organisations (1)
Abstract
Presupposing that language as a societal phenomenon is the historical result of spontaneous and planned conventions of use as well as of continual modifications of these conventions, we attempt to identify and describe the regularities and tendencies in the development of formal aspects of individual languages and groups of languages (in our case primarily French, Italian, Spanish) and to study and explain their functioning in concrete communicative situations. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to consider single linguistic phenomena within concrete textual networks of which they are part and within the situational context at large, which implies that the orientation of our research agenda will be genuinely textual. Our reseach questions will fall within the scope of the following branches of linguistics: text linguistics and discourse analysis, stylistics and rhetoric, pragmatics, contrastive grammar, applied linguistics, diachronic and comparative studies of Romance languages and the relation of these languages to Slovene, word formation, lexicology and lexicography, semantics, phonology and phonostylistics, language teaching, and translation theory and practice.
Our intention is to study general and specific features of Romance languages as well as contrastive aspects of these languages on the one hand and of Slovene on the other. For centuries, the Slovene language has been in intense contact with the two neighbouring Romance languages, i.e. Italian and Friulian (in the bilingual area of the Slovene Coastland, the former has the status of an official language), but the presence of French and Spanish - especially through literature and culture in general - has also been very high. In view of Slovenia's recent entrance in the EU, the importance of the Romance languages at the economic, political, and cultural levels is now greater than ever before, and it is our task as researchers to study selected aspects of these languages and, ultimately, to transfer our results to an applied level by enabling linguistic experts (language teachers, translators, interpreters) to improve their professional practice. Apart from theoretical, descriptive and contrastive studies, we are also planning to continue work on lexicographical projects (bilingual French, Italian and Spanish dictionaries), set up a bilingual French-Slovene corpus, to prepare language and culture textbooks for learners of Romance languages at different levels, and to provide resources for translator and interpreter training.
Significance for science
Most of our research work has been carried out in areas in which members of our research group are internationally recognized experts. Judging from the responses of the international linguistic community, it appears that the results of our work have been found useful and relevant in various subdisciplines of linguistics. Apart from shedding new light on various grammatical and textual aspects of the languages studied, from functional as well as from formal points of view, our research has also contributed to the study of those languages as foreign languages from a contrastive perspective thus also offering new insights into the textual functioning of Slovene. Within English and Romance linguistic studies our major contributions continue to be related to the following areas: contrastive research of English and of Romance languages (French, Italian, Spanish) as well as of Latin and Greek on the one hand and on the other of Slovene (and in part of other Slavic languages) at all levels, from the textual to the phonological level; lexicographic and translation-related projects; sociolinguistic research on bilingualism (particularly in relation to the bilingual Slovene-Italian area of the Slovene Coastland and of the Italian region Friuli Venezia-Giulia); diachronic research on language variation and change (made possible by the observation and study of the contacts between Italian and Slovene /in Friuli Venezia-Giulia/ and between Spanish and Slovene /in Argentina/), etc. Our researchers working in general linguistics have strived to develop further the theory of natural syntax, at the same time contributing to research in linguistic typology and in psycholinguistics. The results of their work are applicable to the study of modern and ancient languages as well as to research in several other areas such as sociolinguistics, applied linguistics and computational linguistics. In view of the highly interdisciplinary nature of our research, it is expected that its findings will be of use also to a number of neighbouring disciplines such as sociology, psychology and philosophy.
Significance for the country
Given that the development of Slovenia essentially depends on our ability to communicate crossculturally in effective ways – in English as the primary means of international communication as well as in other languages used in business, politics, science and culture – the results of our research work have potentially a very far-reaching effect and are of fundamental importance for this country. They contribute to a better understanding of the phenomena observed in the languages studied (also in combination with Slovene), which has a direct impact upon the use of those languages – through the application of the research results to language teaching, translation, literacy education, etc. By producing dictionaries (in paper and in electronic form), language textbooks and other language manuals we have contributed to the creation of language resources which are indispensable for effective language teaching and learning and for self-confident language use. As far as English but also other languages are concerned, our work in lexicography and terminology is of particular importance and will help achieve greater efficiency in language teaching and learning at all levels, also by improving the quality of academic writing and of foreign language editing. Our results were made possible through rigorous application of the methods of functional and as well as of contrastive linguistics and through an effort to foster translation research from a theoretical and practical perspective. In Slovenia, research of Romance languages is also of great importance – not only because of the need to communicate well in these languages but also because it can contribute to the preservation of the global balance between different languages and cultures, which has been heavily endangered through the supremacy of English. In view of the special status Italian has in the bilingual and multiethnic area of the Slovene Coastland, we are convinced that it is up to the Slovene linguistis to undertake comprehensive contrastive research on Italian and Slovene, which should ultimately encourage the preservation and the advancement of bilingualism and multiculturalism. Our research has also contributed to the preservation of the classical Latin and Greek heritage through the development of classical studies (descriptive presentations of the two languages and of various grammatical questions related to them; production of new bilingual dictionaries) and through researching the role of these languages in the Slovene culture.
Most important scientific results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
Most important socioeconomically and culturally relevant results
Final report,
complete report on dLib.si
