The Complutense Journal of English Studies (ISSN 2386-3935, ISSN-e 2386-6624), formerly Estudios Ingleses de la Universidad Complutense, founded in 1993, is a scholarly, double-blind peer-reviewed annual journal which publishes cutting-edge, high quality research papers encompassing all areas in the domain of English linguistics, literature and culture. It promotes lively exchange among scholars in the humanities and related disciplines who hold diverse perspectives on current developments in these fields. CJES operates as a showcase for state-of-the-art work in English Studies and aims to provide a rigorous forum for scholarly debate. The journal welcomes original research articles and book reviews on groundbreaking new contributions. CJES has adopted a continuous periodicity publication. Therefore, authors may send their manuscripts throughout the whole year.
In order to support the global exchange of knowledge, the journal Complutense Journal of English Studies is allowing unrestricted access to its content as from its publication in this electronic edition, and as such it is an open-access journal. The originals published in this journal are the property of the Complutense University of Madrid and any reproduction thereof in full or in part must cite the source. All content is distributed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 use and distribution licence (CC BY 4.0). This circumstance must be expressly stated in these terms where necessary. You can view the summary and the complete legal text of the licence.
Integrating podcasts in the EFL classroom. A case study in 1º E.S.O.
This paper aims to report a podcasting study case while interrogating how useful it can be in the makings of an EFL classroom with positive learning outcomes. It is applied research in 1º E.S.O that operates on the main working hypothesis that there is a significant positive correlation between the use of podcasting and student’s engagement. Likewise, it seeks to preclude the notion that podcasts are a cure-all practice to undesirable learning outcomes. I shall draw from two sources of data to identify this possible correlation. First, an initial recollection of student’s attitudes through qualitative data, namely, questionnaires on two bilingual and a non-bilingual group of 1º E.S.O to comprehensively illustrate the state of the subject. Second, a final teacher’s assessment of the process-performance tasks to ponder grades as quantitative data helpful to uphold the avowed success. Within the field of social constructivism, this case is undergirded by previous literature recommendations on how to use podcasts, which the best integration scenarios are and some pedagogical considerations concerning information processing and how to enhance students’ output in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom.
Mirror Phonological Distributions in L1–L2 Mappings: [d ð ɾ] in L1 Spanish Learners of General American English
The three phones [d ð ɾ] exist in both Spanish and some varieties of English (e.g., General American English). However, their phonological status differs across the two languages, creating a challenge for L1 Spanish learners of L2 English. This study examines the development of allophonic union and allophonic split involving these three phones. In allophonic split, the L1 allophones of /d/ ([d] and [ð]) must be mapped onto separate L2 phonemes (/d/ and /ð/), whereas in allophonic union, the L1 phonemes /d/ and /ɾ/ must be mapped as allophones of a single L2 phoneme (/d/). Ten Costa Rican Spanish speakers completed a production task targeting English /ð/ in word-initial and intervocalic contexts and English /d/ in intervocalic context. The results reveal a complex distribution of the three phones in the learners’ interlanguage, reflecting persistent L1 influence, emerging target-like patterns, and productive phonological processes that cannot be explained solely by either L1 transfer or L2 input.
Copyright (c) 2026 Complutense Journal of English Studies
“Then she spotted me accent an’ said te me, de ye come from the north?”: Analysing the representation of a rural South Derry accent in Frances Molloy’s No Mate for the Magpie (1985)
This paper explores the representation of a rural South Derry accent in Frances Molloy’s No Mate for the Magpie (1985). It aims to identify the pronunciation features used by Molloy to index a rural South Derry identity as well as to assess the authenticity of the features portrayed in the novel. The analysis combines qualitative and quantitative, corpus-based methods to facilitate assessing the authenticity and consistency of Molloy’s portrayal. The qualitative analysis reveals that fourteen dialectal pronunciation features are represented in No Mate for the Magpie through respellings of words and that all of those features are likely to occur in the South Derry area, which contributes to a fairly authentic representation. On the other hand, quantitative findings suggest that the author is consistent in her use of respellings throughout the novel. In addition to providing interesting information about the authenticity and consistency of the literary portrayal, this study affords insights into: (1) the linguistic landscape of rural South Derry, which seems to be considerably influenced by Ulster Scots and (2) Molloy’s ability to create a unique portrayal of a South Derry accented voice by combining traditional respellings with her own Ulster-Scots-influenced respellings.
“You are Equipt I see a la Mode D'Espagne”: Transnational Cross-Dressing and the Performance of National Identity in Mary Pix’s The Adventures in Madrid (1706).
This article examines how Mary Pix’s The Adventures in Madrid (1706) uses transnational cross-dressing to critique national identity and gender norms. Written against the backdrop of the War of Spanish Succession, the play relocates English characters to a caricatured Spain, where English men don Spanish clothing. This theatrical cross-dressing contributes to contemporary debates about emerging national identities, both Englishness and Spanishness and highlights their performative nature. This article argues that national identity is constructed through a series of markers that can be imitated, ridiculed, and ultimately rejected and draws attention to sartorial identities. Spanish fashion—especially the golilla—becomes a symbol of decline, rigidity, and emasculation, while English masculinity is framed as pragmatic and modern. The play’s farcical tone masks a deeper ideological critique: England’s apparent superiority is affirmed through direct (if somewhat timid) praise and through contrast with a decaying Spanish other. Pix demonstrates how Anglo-Iberian relations and emerging nationalism affected women’s lives while she subtly questions whether English liberty, especially for women, is a genuine condition—or merely another seductive performance.
Monsters, Magnates, and Maims: Reading #MeToo Trauma Narratives in Dizz Tate’s Brutes (2023)
Dizz Tate’s Brutes (2023) commences with an ominous “Where is she?”, which reverberates in a narrative haunted by the disappearance of fourteen-year-old Sammy. Noticeably informed by the testimonies that survivors of Jeffrey Epstein’s Palm Springs underage exploitation pyramid (2001-2006) offered during #MeToo, Tate explores the pervasiveness of sexual trauma in the lives of the protagonists. She paints a vivid portrait of a contemporary Florida, parallelly haunted by a lake monster and the ominous presence of showbusiness magnate Stone. Through a close reading based on the affects derived from sexual trauma—namely guilt, shame, and pain—this paper intends to frame this novel as part of the growing literary corpus to be forwarded by the affective forces of #MeToo. It will specifically focus on the notions of disruption, breakage, and disappearance of the self as trauma response, as conceptualized by trauma theorists Cathy Caruth, Judith Herman, and Anne Whitehead; and on the manifestation of trauma through the monstruous and the uncanny, informed by Laurie Vickroy’s theory.
Ana Elvira Ojanguren López. Predications in competition and the rise of serial verb constructions in English: The verbal and nominal complementation of Old English aspectual and manipulative verbs. Lausanne: Peter Lang, 2024. 534 pp. DOI: 10.3726/b21357
Bineolingual upbringing or bilingual upbringing in non-native families: linguistic habits and strategies
The knowledge of additional languages is a desirable value nowadays. Raising a bilingual child yields numerous advantages (Baker, 2014; Bialystok, 2001; Romaine, 1995). In order to help their children acquire and learn a foreign language (FL), mainly English, most parents decide to raise their children in a FL that is also foreign to them and that is not the language of the community. However, strategies and linguistic practices in BiNeoLingual (BNL) Upbringing (or bilingual upbringing by non-native parents) have not yet been studied using a statistically significant sample size to draw generalizable conclusions. There is a need to adequately portray and analyse this emerging sociolinguistic phenomenon (Lozano-Martínez 2019). In this quantitative study, through a simple random sampling, 571 families out of the 2010 that participated in a questionnaire were identified as using English as a FL with their children. Nevertheless, “family linguistic planning is crucial to children’s linguistic development” (Lozano-Martínez 2019, 235). Dealing with strategies, One Parent-One Language (OPOL) is the most well-known but, according to the results, OPOL is not the most followed strategy by BNL families. Statistical tests also show that strategies depend on different factors and are often mixed in the BNL family.
Assertiveness and Crisis Communication: A Multidimensional Analysis of English Varieties during COVID-19
This paper investigates the linguistic implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on different varieties of English, focusing on assertive and non-assertive linguistic markers in crisis communication. Motivated by the convergence of socio-cultural shifts and linguistic change, the study explores variations across Inner Circle (GB, US, NZ) and Outer Circle (SG, ZA) varieties within the Coronavirus Corpus (Davies 2019-). The central hypothesis posits an increased use of assertive markers and decreased use of non-assertive markers during crises. Such markers are taken from Biber’s (1988) multidimensional analysis, specifically from Dimension 4 and Factor 7. Thus, analyzing suasive verbs, conditional subordination, necessity modals, hedging strategies, downtoners, and concessive subordination, the findings reveal distinct patterns influenced by the timing and intensity of COVID-19 waves and the socio-political measures adopted. The results challenge the conventional Inner and Outer Circle dichotomy, emphasizing localized strategies in crisis communication over geographical distinctions, and they also confirm the validity of Biber’s multidimensional analysis nearly 40 years after its publication.
Victoria Guillén-Nieto (2024). The Language of Harassment: Pragmatic Perspectives on Language as Evidence. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, Rowman & Littlefield. 147 pp. ISBN 9781793619075 (cloth), 9781793619082 (ebook).
Attempts to Avoid Traumatic Occurrences through the Posthuman in Don DeLillo’s Zero K (2016) and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021)
Don DeLillo’s Zero K (2016) and Kazuo Ishiguro’s Klara and the Sun (2021) explore the possible outcomes on the path toward a future riddled with artificial intelligence, as they examine the role posthumanism may embody in future societies. Both texts concern themselves with the depiction of characters who attempt to avoid traumatic occurrences through the (ab)use of posthuman proceedings, as well as with the impending hierarchical (re)ordering implicit in the access to posthuman practices. DeLillo and Ishiguro portray worlds in which human beings tamper with science not yet fully explored as they depict the uncertainties that the encounter with the posthuman other entails. Concurrently, both authors theorise that privilege may be abused to avoid suffering and loss, by showcasing attempts at avoiding emotional turmoil. This way, both authors provide an exploration of the future uses posthuman practices may provide, and the possible inherent dangers implied. In so doing, both novels explore the ways in which the approach to trauma and posthumanism may be inextricably linked.
Copyright (c) 2025 Complutense Journal of English Studies
The Use of Emoji Across Age Groups: Insights from the Exchanges of Music Fandom in Twitter/X Discourse
Emoji have recently gained in popularity in digital communication. However, while age has been considered in emoji studies, mainly in relation to frequency and preference, its role in shaping emoji meaning, its connection with the topic in question, position and pragmatic value within Twitter/X discourse remains underexamined. This study addresses the gap by considering how different age groups use emoji in the Twitter/X discourse context of music fandom. Two samples of data are analysed: one consisting of posts from the accounts of three British rappers in their mid-twenties, and the other comprising tweets from three well-known London singers born in the 1950s and 1960s. Findings suggest that age, which has consistently been found to play a significant role in offline communication, also influences the use of emoji in Twitter/X. Indeed, very notable differences here were observed between the two groups. The categories of ‘Hearts’, ‘Music & Films’ and ‘Celebrations’ occur more frequently among the mature adults of the sample, whereas those of ‘Fire’ and ‘Hands & Fingers’ are more commonly used by the younger adults. Additionally, the former group seems to favour ‘standalone’ emoji as responses to previous messages. Pragmatically, subjective functions are more prominent among the participating mature adults, whereas intersubjective functions are more frequent with the younger users.
For Xmas: Motor Cars an' all Zorts for the Childern – Commodification of Devonshire Speech in 20th-century Periodicals
This paper addresses the early commodification of Devonshire dialect in provincial newspapers from a revisionist third-wave sociolinguistic perspective. Johnstone (2009), in the case of Pittsburghese, has shown how locally imagined varieties are circulated via metapragmatic practices that create public awareness about a linguistic variety and index a series of social meanings. During the 19th century, the speech of Devonshire was widely circulated in fiction, drawing attention to a set of frequent linguistic features that were commented upon by natives and non-natives of the dialect. While interest in Devonshire dialect writing in fiction declined over time after the turn of the century, this paper shows how those same recurrent linguistic features were used with a commercial intent in advertisements published in two provincial newspapers, the North Devon Journal (1929) and the North Devon Herald (1930). The commodification of the dialect during the first half of the 20th century seems to prove that Devonshire speech was still enregistered as well as associated with a specific characterological figure: the farmer.
A Pragmatic approach to the mind style of schizophrenia in Fight Club
This article examines the construction of a fictional character’s mind style associated with schizophrenia in Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club (1996) from a cognitive stylistic and pragmatic perspective. It addresses the underexplored role of pragmatic cues in shaping how readers infer and update mental representations of characters based on linguistic evidence. Adopting a qualitative methodology, the study analyses selected passages of the narrator’s discourse through the framework of Grice’s (1975) conversational maxims, focusing on instances of non-observance in both narrative and dialogic contexts. The findings demonstrate that recurrent pragmatic deviations—such as disorganised speech, repetitive structures, topic shifts, and conversational silences—systematically project a distinctive and unconventional mind style. These linguistic patterns function cumulatively as foreshadowing devices, enabling readers to infer the narrator’s cognitive condition prior to its explicit revelation in the narrative. This study contributes to cognitive stylistics by foregrounding the analytical value of Gricean pragmatics in the construction of fictional minds. It further expands the methodological toolkit for mind style research, showing how pragmatic features illuminate the representation of cognitively atypical minds in literary texts.
‘What hath God wrought’: Dystopia, Empathy and Revolution in Naomi Alderman’s The Future
. This article delves into Naomi Alderman’s The Future (2023), a sci-fi feminist dystopia that revisits and updates her previous novel, The Power (2017). Whereas in The Power, a cataclysm turns gender roles upside down, The Future goes further as it seemingly features the end of Western neo-liberalism and civilization. In the Capitalocene envisaged in The Future, there are still a few survivalists, i.e. nomad characters in a pluriversal scenario, who contest the new order (a continuation of its predecessor) and struggle for an ethical one based on a partnership model where empathy and a liberating revolution can replace a hierarchical and exterminist paradigm. Yet, this paper argues, this dystopia recalls Alderman’s previous fiction: it is at once parodic, devastating and especially cautionary because the system which intends to replace the current techno-dystopia can be easily corrupted. As the analysis of the novel shows, a dystopian regime is cyclically replaced by a similar one in the Capitalocene. To explore Alderman’s latest dystopia and its redeeming features, this essay considers Riane Eisler’s “dominator” and “partnership” models, Jeremy Rifkin’s conception of empathy, and Hannah Arendt’s idea of revolution.
When the Puppet Becomes Human: The Gothic Posthumanism of In the Lives of Puppets (2023)
In the Lives of Puppets (2023) reinterprets Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio set in a dystopian future where most of humanity has disappeared. Victor Lawson is a 19-year-old human who lives peacefully with his unconventional family of non-human machines. Their tranquil life in an isolated wood is shattered when Victor finds and repairs an android, Hap, and unintentionally reveals the family’s location to the dangerous robots from the City of Electric Dreams. This paper discusses In the Lives of Puppets through the lenses of posthumanism, Affect theory, and Gothic fiction. Drawing on Rosi Braidotti’s view that posthuman subjects are relational entities defined by connections with both human and nonhuman agents, the story challenges the traditional boundaries of identity. Affect theory emphasizes the fluidity of relationships and emotions, challenging notions of human superiority and suggesting that emotions can transcend human experience. The novel’s connection to Gothic fiction’s exploration of societal anxieties further develops this analysis. Through its depiction of fears related to biotechnological advancement, In the Lives of Puppets reflects contemporary concerns about identity and agency in a machine-dominated world. Ultimately, the novel
Un/Learning the Suffragette in Kate Muir’s Suffragette City and Lisa Evans' Old Baggage
This article focuses on the instructive protagonists of Kate Muir’s Suffragette City (1999) and Lisa Evans' Old Baggage (2018) in what regards their revisionist didacticism of the British suffragette movement. The narrative devices deployed by Muir and Evans will be analyzed as revealing the novels’ double didactic value as pedagogic tools for characters and readers. I argue that Muir and Evans do not seek to gain supporters for a cause already accomplished, but to fill in existent gaps in the historical record about such a crucial part of feminist history. The use of different narrative elements − epistolary fragments in Suffrage City and lectures and speeches in Old Baggage − confer these novels with an educational tone helping readers un/learn certain aspects of the women’s campaign for the vote. Ultimately, I seek to prove that the authors offer an insight of the suffrage movement that stems from the revision and disclaim of wrong assumptions and ideas about the Cause. In this respect, I argue that the novels urge readers to learn about the women’s movement and challenge preconceived notions about this historical period achieving this double purpose by emphasising the role of the suffragette as educator and mentor.
Lexical Analysis of Oral Discourse Among Young Spanish-Speaking Gamers: The Case of Minecraft
The presence of video games is notable and currently constitutes one of the means of socialization among Spanish-speaking youth. This article analyzes the impact that some gamer YouTubers, who create content related to the world of video games, currently have. Based on a selection of Minecraft videos from three gamer YouTubers with millions of subscribers, the type of language they use will be examined. On the one hand, the considerable use of anglicisms and the formation of anglicized neologisms will be examined. On the other hand, the study will delve into the specialized nature of the language they use while playing Minecraft. The results reveal that the use of non-adapted anglicisms and neologisms is very frequent in the oral discourse of gamers. Furthermore, the use of specialized terminology or jargon is evident, contributing to fostering a sense of belonging within the Minecraft player community. Many of the lexical units examined fulfil different pragmatic functions in discourse: referential, expressive, and textual.
Echauri-Galván, Bruno. Polvo eres y en cine te convertirás. Valoraciones y relevancia de la fidelidad en la recepción de crítica y público de la adaptación cinematográfica de Ask the Dust. Bern: Peter Lang, 2023, 184 pp. ISBN: 978-3034346818
Buchan, John. 2025. Los 39 escalones; Mantoverde. Edited by Eduardo Valls. Cátedra. 664 pp. ISBN: 9788437649214
Suggestions: An integrated taxonomy and its pedagogical application in L2 pragmatic instruction
This article presents a unified taxonomy of linguistic strategies and politeness markers for making suggestions in English, alongside guidelines for its integration into second/foreign language (L2) pragmatics instruction. In response to the lack of systematic frameworks for analyzing this speech act in recent decades, the development of such a typology is essential. Drawing on four existing classification systems, the taxonomy incorporates both the inherent features of the speech act and language-related factors, such as directness and mitigation, that influence its realization. The second part of the article proposes an instructional sequence for teaching suggestions in L2 contexts, designed to implement the unified taxonomy while incorporating five key instructional components: input presentation, awareness-raising, metapragmatic instruction, communicative practice, and feedback. This sequence aligns with current conceptualizations of L2 pragmatics, promotes learner agency, and underscores the teacher’s role in supporting learners as they negotiate their identity through pragmatic choices.
Desilla, Louisa. 2025. Translation and Pragmatics. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-032-08150-2
Louisa Desilla’s Translation and Pragmatics: Theories and Applications provides a comprehensive yet accessible insight into the relationship between pragmatics and translation. This review outlines the structure and pedagogical approach of the book, focusing on how Desilla translates theoretical insights into practical activities designed for students and early-career professionals. The review compares this work with other key contributions in the field, emphasizing its value in bridging theory and practice in audiovisual translation contexts.
Metaphoric and metonymic motivation in the Light Verb Construction with GIVE
This article demonstrates that the English Light Verb Construction (henceforth LVC) with GIVE is motivated by generic-level metaphors and metonymies. Following Brugman (2001) and Cetnarowska (2012, 2014), LVCs are defined based on criteria that are notably less restrictive than those outlined by Dixon (2005) and Wierzbicka (1982). The study examines the GIVE LVC as a representative case to illustrate the broader pattern of metaphor-driven LVCs. In an LVC, the light verb evokes the source domain of a conceptual metaphor, while its nominal complement indicates the target domain. Thus, in the GIVE LVC, GIVE evokes the transfer schema. This schema, serving as the source domain of metaphors, is mapped onto the conceptual structures underlying the nominal complements of the light verb. Since event schemas represent distinct types of situations, each characterized by unique configurations of thematic roles, metaphoric mappings occur between these roles. However, in the absence of generic-level metonymies, such metaphoric mappings would not be viable. The Correlation Principle (Ruiz de Mendoza and Santibáñez 2003) and the Mapping Enforcement Principle (Ruiz de Mendoza 2005) facilitate metonymic mappings within the target domain, ensuring that conceptual projection from source to target remains systematically constrained.
Rodríguez-Juárez, Carolina. 2025. Introducción a la alternancia locativa en inglés: Análisis y propuesta de formalización. Colección Lingüística. Editorial Universidad de Sevilla. 175 pp. ISBN: 978-84-472-2629-0
Esta reseña ofrece un resumen y una valoración crítica del libro "Introducción a la alternancia locativa en inglés: análisis y propuesta de formalización" de Carolina Rodríguez-Juárez. En este estudio se ofrece un análisis de la alternancia locativa en lengua inlgesa desde diferentes modelos que comparten una visión comunicativa y construccionista del lenguaje, aunque se centra en aportar un análisis formalizado de este fenómeno gramatical según los principios de la Gramática Formalizada Léxico-Construccional, la cual busca diseñar una gramática construccional basada en procesos de unificación que pueda ser implementada computacionalmente.
On the use of the way-construction with the verb make: A diachronic perspective
Although the English way-construction is reported to have expanded its semantic domain by recruiting an increasing number of new verbs over the last two centuries, the general verb make remains the most common predicate in all periods since the construction was first attested. Notwithstanding this central role, its use and behaviour has gone almost unnoticed in the abundant literature on the way-construction in favour of other semantically richer verbs. In order to fill this gap, this study is intended to offer a detailed characterization of the way-construction with make by focusing on two core semantic features: the implication of difficult movement or overcoming of barriers that the construction is argued to convey and its ability to express not only concrete movement but also abstract motion. The analysis of a corpus of more than 4,000 occurrences from the last two hundred years provides evidence that cast doubts on the notion of difficult movement being an integral component of the construction and suggests that this meaning is not its prototypical sense anymore. Additionally, and despite the increase in its token productivity in the last decades, the construction does not seem to be more open to the expression of abstract movement.
Pedagogical Value of Didactic Audiovisual Translation through English Language Learners’ perceptions
This paper assesses the validity of various modes of didactic audiovisual translation (DAT) in supporting foreign language learning, with a focus on a project conducted throughout 2022 and 2023. Fifty-five participants completed a comprehensive set of tasks, including an Initial Test of Integrated Skills (ITIS), a Final Test of Integrated Skills (FITIS), and a series of 30 piloted lesson plans—15 for B1 and 15 for B2 levels. These lesson plans followed a task-based learning structure and were designed around five modalities: subtitling, voice-over, dubbing, audio description, and SDH, in line with the methodological framework proposed by Talaván and Lertola (2022). Our findings suggest that all DAT modes contributed comparably to the development of language skills, linguistic components, and cross-curricular competences. Notably, revoicing techniques were perceived as particularly beneficial for enhancing oral skills. Participants reported high levels of engagement with the DAT-based project and expressed strong support for its recommendation to other language learners. Although some technical challenges were noted, participants also identified secondary gains in ICT skills. The study offers promising insights into the pedagogical value of DAT methodologies for comprehensive language learning.
Taboo language research in the new millennium: A literature review
Taboo and taboo naming are not single, unified phenomena that can be addressed from a single perspective. Indeed, in the last twenty-five years, linguistic research on taboo avoidance and taboo breaking, that is, on euphemism and dysphemism, has spanned across different, yet interconnected, linguistic fields, including cognitive semantics, discourse studies, pragmatics and sociolinguistics, among others. In this regard, the goal of this paper is to offer an overview of the state of work in taboo-related research in the twenty-first century (2000-2024) in the Anglophone academic context and, by doing so, make the existing work accessible to a wide academic community. This study provides insights into the academic disciplines involved in taboo language research, main publication formats, most cited publications and relevant journals in the field. The literature review shows that discourse analysis, sociolinguistics and pragmatics rank the most relevant research disciplines, followed, at a distance, by cognitive semantics, psycholinguistics and translation studies. Accordingly, the academic journals publishing work on taboo-related language range from those that are general in scope to others devoted to specific research areas or subjects, which shows the interdisciplinary nature of taboo language research in the new millennium.
Manuela Romano. 2024. Metaphor in Socio-Political contexts. Berlin and Boston: De Grouter Mouton. 340 pp. ISBN 9783111001258
Academic review of the volume entitled Metaphor in Socio-Political Contexts, edited by Manuela Romano and published in 2024 by De Grouter Mouton.
Analysing the discourse of knowledge transfer practices: A study of proximity in psychology-related podcasts
This paper offers a study of proximity (Hyland 2010) in knowledge transfer podcasting discourse aimed at broad digital audiences. To do so, ten podcast openings were retrieved from The Psychology Podcast (Kaufman 2014-present), a popularising English-medium channel with an interview-like style. Samples of the podcaster’s and the experts’ discourse were compiled and analysed by adapting Hyland’s (2005) stance and engagement categories to podcast discourse. Results from the manual close-readings of the transcripts showed that Self mentions (SM), Attitude markers (AM), Listener mentions (LM) and Immediate addressee (IA) are particularly frequent in these podcast openings. Moreover, closer examination of the use of these rhetorical devices by the experts and by the podcaster revealed that they perform different roles. Whilst the former functions as a scientist-storyteller, narrating their personal how did I get here story, the latter acts as the main catalyst for drawing the listeners in. Building on available research into popularisations (Caliendo 2014; Scotto di Carlo 2014; Spinelli and Dann 2019; Engberg 2023b; Liu and Jiang 2024), this study will argue that podcasting discourse couples transfer of knowledge with affinity appeals to broad audiences, allowing for the creation of a space based on communication as well as personal connection.
Applauded crime fiction author Louise Welsh published Plague Times, a cross-genre trilogy set in the context of a flu-like pandemic, only a few years prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. The fictional nature of Plague Times feels particularly realistic and ominous when read after enduring an actual global pandemic, due to Welsh’s thorough research on epidemics and her insight into human nature. This interview is articulated around how fiction and reality converged, and this understanding of human reactions in the face of fear. The subjects of solidarity—or lack thereof—and community are key as we approach the main characters, strangers who, following their own storyline in the first two instalments of the trilogy, finally team up in the last novel. Their journey is not only that of personal growth, but also geographical; there is a deliberate choice of locations contextualizing the development of both characters and story. This conversation takes place outdoors, on a sunny day in Louise Welsh’s Glasgow neighbourhood community garden, a coincidental parallelism with the optimistic outlook that permeates an otherwise sombre topic.
Enhancing Foreign-Language Creativity: A Didactic Approach through Audio Description
This paper appraises the potential benefits of didactic audiovisual translation, aiming to enhance learners’ acquisition and proficiency of English as an L2 through audio description techniques. These action-oriented tasks involve two phases: a systematic analysis of the source audiovisual text, and a cross-modal rendering of meaning into a suitable target text, in which learners are required not only to be faithful to the visual information, but also be fluent in the target language to produce an accurate and effective audio description. In this regard, a qualitative study has been conducted to assess the learning outcomes of participants in a course on didactic audio description, particularly in terms of speaking skills and creativity. For this purpose, a corpus has been compiled from the transcripts of their audio descriptions in English. This corpus allows for the exploration of how learners describe orally visual aspects related to actions, physical appearance, and emotions, as well as their competence in expressiveness, utterance, and other communicative skills. The learning outcomes related to speaking skills and creativity are promising, and advocate for a more comprehensive and integrated pedagogical approach to Audiovisual Translation teaching in the Translation and Interpreting and the Foreign Language Education curricula.
Copyright (c) 2024 Complutense Journal of English Studies