Respectus Philologicus
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Verses in Motion: exploring sport in Polish and American poetry
Full text linkSport has long been a subject of interest for writers from all over the world. As early as ancient Greek society, athletes who excelled in different sports disciplines were celebrated, a practice that also manifested in written form. This also concerns poets, inspired by the glories and shadows of sporting rivalry, noting its beauty and deep symbolism. The objective of this article was to examine (through historical examples and literary analysis) the phenomenon of sports poetry, a subject that has received scant attention from the research community thus far. The exploration focused on the literature of two countries – Poland and the United States, with a particular emphasis on the works of poets who perceive significant potential in sporting competition, such as – among others – Kazimierz Wierzyński, Krzysztof Zuchora, William Carlos Williams or William Heyen. The research methodology encompassed an examination of numerous volumes of poetry, perusal of publications (books and articles) dedicated to the presence of sport in literature, and an extensive review of the history of sport and literature. The findings show that sports poetry is still alive and remains an important – though academically neglected – segment of literature, embedding sport in the cultural sphere
Strengthening Unity: allusion as a discursive practice in President Zelenskyy’s war rhetoric
Full text linkThis research examines the use of allusion as a powerful linguistic tool employed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his international war discourse. Faced with the urgent need to secure assistance and support from the world community throughout the first year of Russia’s large-scale invasion, Zelenskyy strategically references well-known cultural facts to create a specific mental image of Ukrainians as a nation that upholds humanistic values such as tolerance, equality, and justice. The study analyses five types of audiences targeted by the Ukrainian President in his appeals: national parliaments, collective political bodies, business forums, educational institutions, and cultural assemblies. The findings demonstrate that allusion in his discourse is a key discursive practice tailored to each audience’s specificity. In every instance, the identified allusions reveal their emotional, evaluative, and associative connotations. In President Zelenskyy’s speeches, allusions also function as tactical instruments that yield effective results in his communication with international audiences. The paper concludes that the use of allusion makes the President’s speeches emphatic and his audiences more receptive, showcasing a high pragmatic capacity to craft desired images within foreign linguistic and cultural contexts
The Progressive: a cross-linguistic study of English and Albanian
Full text linkThis study explores the use and distribution of progressive forms in English and Albanian. The English-Albanian analysis is significant as it examines how two linguistic systems organize and encode the progressive aspect, revealing the structural contrasts that define their grammatical frameworks. The theoretical part outlines English and Albanian progressive forms. The research analyses English progressive forms translated into Albanian and Albanian progressive forms translated into English. The paper focuses on the progressive be+verb-ing of English. Research shows that, of the two Albanian progressive forms, the po participle (despite being limited to the present and imperfect) is more common and frequently used than the jam+duke+participle structure. There is a difference in how progressive forms are translated between English and Albanian. While 50% of Albanian po forms correspond to English progressives, 58% of English progressives are translated into Albanian using po, reflecting a nuanced difference in their usage across the languages. In conclusion, this shows that the status of the English progressive aspect differs from that of the Albanian progressive
Vilniečių identiteto atspindžiai maitinimo įmonių pavadinimuose
No full textThis article analyses the variety of identifying parts in the names of food establishments (cafés, restaurants, etc.) in Vilnius and the relationship between identifying parts and the words that define their type, based on language usage. The research material was collected from the public city environment, where all the names of the establishments were photographed, and a database was created. An identifying part of the names was found to be written in English, e.g., The Old Green, Spanish, e.g., Mulo Desnudo, French, e.g., Café de Paris, and other languages. Based on the language relationship between an identifying part and the words defining their type, the names are either monolingual, e.g., baras Begemoto sapnas, or bilingual, e.g., restoranas Café Montmartre (Restaurant Café Montmartre). The use of a single language for an identifying part indicates the necessity to maintain linguistic coherence – it creates an impression of consistency and professionalism, making it clear to the target audience. A wider audience is reached by combining English and Lithuanian, and an image of internationalism is conveyed. The relationship between an identifying part and the words defining its type reflects the dual identity of Vilnius and its society – the city is part of the global world, but ethnicity remains significant. An English-language name adds prestige to the place, while the use of Lithuanian appeals to the identity of residents.Straipsnyje analizuojama Vilniaus maitinimo įmonių (kavinių, restoranų ir kt.) pavadinimo identifikacinės dalies, bei identifikacinės dalies ir tipą nurodančių žodžių įvairovė pagal kalbas. Tyrimo medžiaga rinkta iš viešosios miesto aplinkos – visi maitinimo įstaigų pavadinimai nufotografuoti, sudaryta duomenų bazė. Nustatyta, kad pavadinimų identifikacinė dalis yra užrašyta anglų, pvz., The Old Green, ispanų, pvz., Mulo Desnudo, prancūzų, pvz., Café de Paris, ir kitomis kalbomis. Pagal identifikacinės dalies kalbos santykį su jų tipą įvardijančių žodžių kalba pavadinimai yra vienakalbiai, pvz., baras Begemoto sapnas, ar dvikalbiai, pvz., restoranas Café Montmartre. Pavadinimų identifikacinė dalis, užrašyta viena kalba, atspindi poreikį išlaikyti kalbų dermę – jie kuria nuoseklumo ir profesionalumo įspūdį bei yra aiškūs tikslinei auditorijai. Dviejų kalbų – anglų ir lietuvių – deriniais pasiekiama platesnė auditorija ir kuriamas tarptautiškumo įvaizdis. Pavadinimų identifikacinės dalies, bei jos ir tipą apibrėžiančių žodžių santykis rodo dvejopą Vilniaus ir jos visuomenės identitetą – miestas yra globalaus pasaulio dalis, tačiau svarbus ir etniškumas. Pavadinimas anglų kalba suteikia vietai prestižiškumo, o lietuvių kalba apeliuojama į vietinių gyventojų tapatybę.
Patterns of Chinese Male and Female Poetry: the cicada image from the Pre-Qin period(before 221 BC) to the Song Dynasty (960–1279)
Full text linkThe paper focuses on the patterns of Chinese male and female poetry with the cicada image from the Pre-Qin period (先秦, before 221 BC) to the Song dynasty (宋朝, 960–1279). The relevance of the study is determined by the dearth of works on the cicada image in classical Chinese poetry as well as by the gender bias. This paper fills in the underexplored aspect of the existing literature by tracing the evolution of the cicada image in poetry from the Pre-Qing period to the Song dynasty. The female perspective allows us to reveal the gendered patterns of cicada symbolism in classical Chinese poetry, deconstruct the processes of male dominance and restore the overlooked female contributions. The paper shows that in male poetry, the cicada is considered as a symbol of: 1) resurrection, longevity, and hope of rebirth; 2) hot summer; 3) people dissatisfied with their ruler; 4) an honest official; 5) purity. In female poetry, the cicada image is used as a harbinger of death; a symbol of an official who pursues his own goals and cares only about his benefit; cicadas’ chirping is associated with sorrow, longing, and anxiety. Two groups of female poems were identified depending on the way the emotions are depicted. The “implicit” group includes poems where the cicadas’ chirping becomes an eloquent detail and is associated with sorrow, longing, and anxiety. Still, the emotions of the lyrical persona are not directly mentioned. The “explicit” group includes poems where the cicadas’ chirping acts as a trigger for the uncontrolled emotional reaction of the lyrical persona
Translated Poetry in Late Soviet Latvia: sporadic modernism and the construction of world literature
Full text linkThe article builds upon previous work that has been written about the connection between translation and colonial endeavours (Tymoczko, 1999; Robinson, 2014), as well as the research done in the field of Baltic post-colonialism (Annus, 2018), and focuses on cases of poetic production in Soviet Latvia during the time after de-Stalinization. By surveying data on the publication of books of translated poetry in Latvia after 1956 – when knowledge of Stalin’s terror disseminated, the study reveals how translation was used to strengthen Soviet power in occupied territories. The “world” that was being represented through translation was largely Eurocentric and Russocentric. Simultaneously, from the 1960s onward, several Latvian translators wrote translations and poems that survive both as documents of cultural others, and as testimonies of local noncompliance. These works are imbued with modernist poetics that was unfamiliar to or even condemned by the propagators of socialist realism, the official and ideologically saturated aesthetic promoted by the Soviet regime. The article suggests reading such texts as a kind of sporadic modernism within Soviet Latvia
Wskaźnik nominalności jako element stylistycznej charakterystyki polskich reportaży książkowych z lat 2004–2019
Full text linkThe most characteristic feature of each text regarding the frequency of parts of speech is the participation of nouns and verbs in it. The quantitative relationship between these two classes of words determines the level of nominalization, which can be calculated using the nominalization indicator (Wn). Its value is obtained from the sum of nouns divided by the sum of verbs in the text. The more verbs in relation to nouns, the more dynamic, spontaneous, and far from the orderly written Polish language the text is. The analysis of in contemporary Polish book reportages was conducted against a comparative background of 27 text types – spoken and written. Some of the reportages represent nominal styles (Wn > 3.0) and others present verbal styles (Wn < 1.5). Most texts, however, should be categorized as intermediate styles (1.5 ≤ Wn ≤ 3.0). This group includes the vast majority of the existing contemporary book reportages (the average value of Wn = 1.8), stretched between the life and dynamics of the description of facts and the intellectualization of their interpretation, which manifests itself in nominalization.W badaniach stylistycznych ciekawą cechą tekstu pod względem frekwencyjnym jest udział rzeczowników i czasowników. Decydują one o stopniu nominalizacji, który wylicza się przy wykorzystaniu wskaźnika nominalności (Wn). Jego wartość wynika z podzielenia frekwencji rzeczowników w tekście przez frekwencję czasowników. Im więcej czasowników w stosunku do rzeczowników, tym tekst jest bardziej dynamiczny, spontaniczny, odległy od uporządkowanej polszczyzny pisanej. Analiza we współczesnych polskich reportażach książkowych została przeprowadzona na tle porównawczym 27 typów tekstów – zarówno mówionych, jak i pisanych. Niektóre teksty reprezentują style nominalne (Wn > 3,0), pozostałe zaś – werbalne (Wn < 1,5). Najwięcej reportaży klasyfikuje się do stylów pośrednich (1,5 ≤ Wn ≤ 3,0). W tej grupie mieści się zdecydowana większość tekstów współczesnego reportażu książkowego (średnia wartość Wn = 1,8), rozpiętych pomiędzy dynamizmem opisu faktów a intelektualizacją ich interpretacji
The Screaming Thing: A Material Ecocritical Exploration of Trauma in Aleksandrs Pelēcis’s Poems
Full text linkThis article investigates the intersection of trauma studies and new materialism, offering a fresh perspective on human trauma through the prism of nonhuman forces. Drawing inspiration from material ecocriticism, a paradigm that evolved from materialist and posthumanist ideas and has not yet been brought into contact with trauma studies, the article underscores the significance of considering the embodiment of experience, thus arriving at an extended notion of trauma. This new theoretical framework is tested by examining the testimonial poetry of Latvian writer Aleksandrs Pelēcis, who was deported to Siberia by Soviet authorities in 1946. His poems employ inanimate objects and animals to create metonymical and metaphorical connections between human and nonhuman actors within the context of long exile. By illuminating a shared experiential space, Pelēcis manages to project and diffract traumatic feelings and memories, thus making them more comprehensible to his readers. This, in turn, places trauma studies on a trajectory away from the traditional conceptualisation of the inexpressible and the awkward
Otherness and Alienation in Jana Egle’s Fiction
Full text linkThe Latvian writer and poet Jana Egle devotes special attention in her texts to people who are perceived by society as “others”. Such individuals are frequently regarded as anomalous by those in their immediate vicinity, which often results in a sense of detachment and disconnection. In her short fiction, Egle examines a range of forms of otherness, including individuals from diverse national backgrounds, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and those facing social disadvantage. Adults are frequently influenced by long-standing stereotypes and traumatic experiences, whereas children tend to be more receptive to forming close relationships due to the absence of such biases. This article seeks to examine the manifestations of otherness in Egle’s works through the lens of the self-other binary and the insights gleaned from contemporary researchers on identity issues. Egle adroitly depicts the tenuous and nebulous border between the self and the other by exploring the inner realms and experiences of the marginalised. Through catharsis, she fosters a sense of proximity between these “others” and the reader. Despite portraying tragic scenarios, she maintains a quality of levity that is challenging to articulate but perceptible