Open Access Scientific Journals of the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures of the University of Verona
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Constructing Transparency in the Car Transportation Sector: A Corpus-Based Analysis of CSR Disclosures
No full textIn addition to its common definition as the act of openly sharing information, ‘transparency’ has been defined in various ways, namely as information ‘disclosure,’ ‘completeness,’ ‘accuracy,’ ‘clarity,’ ‘availability,’ and ‘visibility.’ Research in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) communication has highlighted the impact of ‘transparency’ on the trust attitudes of stakeholders. Despite the importance of this issue, no linguistic research on CSR disclosures has focused on the discursive construction of the concept of ‘transparency.’ To fill this gap, this research uses the car rental and ride sharing sectors as a case study and analyses a corpus of CSR/ESG reports and news releases published by companies operating in these fields of transportation, combining quantitative and qualitative methods of corpus-based discourse analysis. The results suggest that ‘transparency’ is presented as an ethical value and a tool ensuring accountability, understandability and fairness. In relation to the strategies used to communicate the companies’ approach to ‘transparency,’ the data reveal a plethora of commissive statements, through which they demonstrate their commitment to this issue. Finally, the frequent use of quality assessment verbs or adjectives, nouns with generic use, and vague expressions of degree, suggest that the concept of ‘transparency’ assumes a vague meaning in CSR disclosures.
Doing the Locomotion: Aspects of Trust and Transparency in Railway Communication
No full textIn the last few decades, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has become a priority on the corporate agenda and a pillar of corporate communication. Firms have been increasingly called upon to behave responsibly and disclose information about their ethical values and ‘values translated into action.’ Recently, the growing distrust towards businesses and their CSR practices has prompted companies to reengage with stakeholders and disclose information in a way that is perceived by the general public as transparent and trustworthy. While extensive research on transparency has been conducted in fields such as management, organisational studies and marketing, little work has been done on the role of language in the creation of transparency and as a consequence, of trust. Set against this background, the study focuses on a particular industry sector in which public perceptions of transparency need to be carefully managed and maintained, namely transportation. Specifically, the analysis sets out to investigate how transparency and trust are linguistically and discursively constructed in the CSR reports belonging to a selection of rail companies operating in different geographical areas across the world (Europe, North America and Asia). Special attention is paid to the discussion of issues relevant to the sector, namely environmental impacts. With the support of quantitative and qualitative analysis tools, the sections of the reports covering environmental topics are examined in a variety of lexico-grammatical items and their phraseology. The study sheds light on the discourse strategies adopted by rail companies for trust creation and transparent reporting of information relating to environmental issues
Metaphors in Arbitral Awards: A Corpus-assisted Discourse Analysis across Legal Traditions
No full textThis article investigates the use of metaphors in arbitral awards, examining how these figurative expressions become embedded in legal reasoning and shape decision-making. Drawing on the pervasive role of metaphors in everyday language (Lakoff and Johnson 1980, 3; Semino 2008, 1) and legal discourse (Winter 1989, 1222), the study acknowledges the influence of legal traditions on linguistic choices in arbitration texts (Gotti 2008, 232). It situates its analysis within the broader framework of genre theory, emphasizing the intrinsic link between legal discourse and its institutional and professional contexts (Bhatia, Garzone and Degano 2012, 1; Fairclough and Wodak 1997, 276).
Using a corpus-assisted discourse study (CADS) (Partington, Duguid and Taylor 2013, 10; Goźdź-Roszkowski 2021, 1517), this research employs quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze arbitral awards drafted in English and sourced from the Jus Mundi database. The corpus, covering awards rendered between 2008 and 2023, is divided into two subcorpora reflecting the legal systems governing the arbitration: one consisting of awards governed by the laws of civil law countries (Italy, France, Switzerland) and the other by the laws of common law countries (UK, US, Hong Kong, Singapore).
The study identifies key conceptual metaphors and examines how their usage reflects and reinforces the distinct legal cultures of civil law and common law systems. Findings reveal differences in metaphorical framing of legal principles and procedures, highlighting the nuanced interplay between metaphor and legal culture. By exploring how metaphors shape the discourse and interpretation of arbitration procedures, this research contributes to a deeper understanding of the intersection between legal language and cultural traditions.
Writing with a Reader in Mind: The Rhetorical Gap Between Genuine EFL Student Essays and LLM-Generated Essays
No full textRecent research has highlighted the potential of large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT to support the development of ESP writing skills. However, concerns have also emerged about learners delegating writing tasks to these tools, potentially undermining learners’ motivation and autonomy. LLMs’ capacity to generate human-like text challenges the ability to ensure the authenticity of EFL students’ writing. Some studies have investigated LLM-generated text characteristics, comparing them with student writing. However, research on LLMs in EFL education remains limited. This paper seeks to address this gap and advance critical understanding of LLM-generated text. It reports on a small-scale study comparing three corpora: genuine undergraduate EFL student essays, suspected LLM-generated essays, and texts produced by ChatGPT 4.0 and DeepSeek-V3. The study examined patterns of interactive and interactional metadiscourse in the essays. Combining quantitative analysis with qualitative interpretation, it was found that although interactive features have limited explanatory power in distinguishing between LLM-generated text and genuine student essays, LLMs place strong emphasis on explicit cohesion, coherence and logical organization, favoring an objective and factual style. Most importantly, while they approximate human stance-taking, LLMs show very limited capacity to model audience and engage readers. This pattern was mirrored in the essays suspected to be LLM-generated. In contrast, genuine student writing was found to display a more personal tone and substantially greater reader engagement, regardless of target language proficiency
Translating Tourism. Stefania M. Maci and Cinzia G. Spinzi
No full textReview of Translating Tourism by Stefania M. Maci and Cinzia G. Spinzi.
¿Son todos los libros de caballerías una mesma cosa? La base de datos MeMoRam como antídoto a la ignorancia
No full textAlthough romances of chivalry have been systematically published and studied in recent decades, the truth is that Cervantes\u27 critical opinion that ‘they are all the same’ continues to weigh heavily on them. However, this judgement should not be taken as an excuse for not delving deeper into the study of the more than eighty titles preserved from the 15th to the 17th centuries, but rather as the model of reading that was common at the time. Literary motifs are the backbone of the chivalric genre, and the MeMoRam digital tool allows us to approach chivalric texts based on their motifs, which will enable a more complete understanding of books of chivalry, beyond the differentiating aspects of each one.Sebbene negli ultimi decenni i libros de caballerías siano stati pubblicati e studiati in modo sistematico, la verità è che sul genere continua a pesare l\u27opinione critica del canonico cervantino secondo cui «sono tutti la stessa cosa». Ma, appunto, questo giudizio non va preso come una scusa per non approfondire lo studio degli oltre ottanta titoli che ci sono conservati dal XV al XVII secolo, ma piuttosto come il modello di lettura consueto all\u27epoca. I motivi letterari sono la spina dorsale del genere cavalleresco e lo strumento digitale MeMoRam consente l\u27approccio ai testi cavallereschi in base ai loro motivi, il che renderà possibile una conoscenza più completa dei romanzi cavallereschi, al di là degli aspetti che distinguono ciascuno di essi.A pesar de que en los últimos decenios los libros de caballerías se han editado y estudiado de una manera sistemática, lo cierto es que sigue pesando sobre el género la opinión crítica del canónigo cervantino que «todos ellos son una mesma cosa». Pero, precisamente, este juicio no ha de tomarse como excusa para no profundizar en el estudio de los más de ochenta títulos que hemos conservado de los siglos XV al XVII, sino como el modelo de lectura habitual en la época. Los motivos literarios son la columna vertebral del género caballeresco, y la herramienta digital MeMoRam permite el acercamiento a los textos caballerescos a partir de sus motivos, lo que hará posible un conocimiento más completo de los libros de caballerías, más allá de los aspectos diferenciadores de cada uno de ellosA pesar de que en los últimos decenios los libros de caballerías se han editado y estudiado de una manera sistemática, lo cierto es que sigue pesando sobre el género la opinión crítica del canónigo cervantino que «todos ellos son una mesma cosa». Pero, precisamente, este juicio no ha de tomarse como excusa para no profundizar en el estudio de los más de ochenta títulos que hemos conservado de los siglos XV al XVII, sino como el modelo de lectura habitual en la época. Los motivos literarios son la columna vertebral del género caballeresco, y la herramienta digital MeMoRam permite el acercamiento a los textos caballerescos a partir de sus motivos, lo que hará posible un conocimiento más completo de los libros de caballerías, más allá de los aspectos diferenciadores de cada uno de ello
Daniel Gutiérrez Trápaga y Axayácatl Campos García Rojas, Libros en los universos de ficción. Libros de caballerías castellanos, Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Heúresis, 2024
No full textRecensione di Daniel Gutiérrez Trápaga y Axayácatl Campos García Rojas, Libros en los universos de ficción. Libros de caballerías castellanos, Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Heúresis, 2024.Review of Daniel Gutiérrez Trápaga y Axayácatl Campos García Rojas, Libros en los universos de ficción. Libros de caballerías castellanos, Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Heúresis, 2024.Reseña de Daniel Gutiérrez Trápaga y Axayácatl Campos García Rojas, Libros en los universos de ficción. Libros de caballerías castellanos, Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Heúresis, 2024.Reseña de Daniel Gutiérrez Trápaga y Axayácatl Campos García Rojas, Libros en los universos de ficción. Libros de caballerías castellanos, Ciudad de México, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Heúresis, 2024
Water Agency from Virginia Woolf to Jane Urquhart, Piloted Across the Atlantic by Rachel Carson: “To the lighthouse! If it’s fine tomorrow!"
No full textMoving from Rachel Carson’s studies on Atlantic oceanic currents – which have proven to be disastrous once they crash against the coasts of Great Britain in their circulatory movement from north to south and back eastwards, to the point of creating massive damages to human-made infrastructures, including lighthouses – this contribution analyzes first how this juncture is evoked in Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse (1927), and second how this same theme is presented in the novel by Canadian author Jane Urquhart, Sanctuary Line (2010). Ever since Virginia Woolf iconized weather reports and weather conditions as indispensable frameworks for a day trip to a local lighthouse on the coasts of Britain, certainly long before climate change became a concern and nevertheless anticipating today’s ecological reasonings in an ingenious way, lighthouses have undergone major transformations. For instance, from being man-maintained – if not family maintained, as in Woolf’s novel – lighthouses have been computerized and completely deprived of human presence; above all, they are more and more targets to oceanic – increasingly devastating – surges, as happens in Urquhart’s novel. This matter-of-fact evidence necessitates to be discussed through the framework of the Blue Humanities. Amitav Ghosh with his essay The Great Derangement (2019), Rachel Carson with her Sea Trilogy, and particularly The Sea Around Us ([1950] 2021), and ecocritical blue ecology (Mentz 2024; Oppermann 2023; Regazzoni 2022) are among the references here considered for an ecocritical approach to the texts. This approach corroborates and reinforces Rachel Carson’s intuitions of seventy years ago, while showing their urgency nowadays. In conclusion, the interaction between oceans and lighthouses in the novels here analyzed, particularly if read through the lens of the Blue Humanities, inevitably leads to a new consciousness and a breach in our imagination of rising sea-level and on its more and more serious effects on our coasts
From Protest to Criminal Disruption: A Diachronic Investigation into the Framing of Climate Activism in the UK
No full textThis study investigates how climate activism has been represented in two major British newspapers, The Guardian (2015-2023) and The Telegraph (2020-2023). Drawing on a purpose-built corpus of over 1.4 million words and employing a corpus-based discourse analytic approach, the research explores diachronic shifts and cross-newspaper differences in the portrayal of activist groups Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil. The analysis focuses on the linguistic framing of activists in building the narratives surrounding climate action. Results reveal that The Guardian’s discourse has evolved from event-based reporting towards a more activist-centred and solidarity-driven narrative, increasingly linking climate activism to social justice issues and broadening its evaluative framing to include both supportive and more critical views. The Telegraph, instead, primarily frames activism in terms of disruption, legality, and public order concerns, without much emphasis on the activists’ social or ideological motivations. Word Sketch analyses of the terms activist(s) and protester(s) further confirm the different evaluative patterns and orientations of the two publications. The trends observed point to the need for further critical investigation of the framing of activists in the media and of its role in polarising public opinion, influencing the debate on policies and defining the role of protest in democratic societies
The Category is…“Opulence, You Own Everything!”: The Black Decadent and Ballroom
No full textSites of unique forms of relationality, 1980s ballrooms are portrayed in the tv show Pose (2018-2021) as sanctuaries of non-normative gender and sexual expression where NYC Black gay and transgender people who are shunned by society gather to have fun. In their celebration of the frivolous and the excessive, the balls appear utopian (Muñoz 2009) because they materialize the hopes and dreams of a marginalized collective with the ephemeral instantiations of joyful becoming in its most decadent expressions. Here, decadence does not just signal the utmost devotion to the self in its own search for jouissance, but is in fact the evidence of the abject’s very coming into being, of its dramatized subjectivation (Butler 1993) in an anti-Black world; decadence is a mode of Black queer performance that both encompasses and explodes social death as the ontological status and horizon in which Blackness is inscribed. Standing against the city’s racism and homotransphobia, all of which AIDS exasperates in the pathologization of the infected, the balls’ extravaganza and their obsession for the mundane suggest a turn to the ecstatic as a “pleasurable reckoning with everyday ruin in contemporary Black lives,” a critical invitation “to register and revere rapturous joy in the broken-down present” (Abdhur-Rahman 2018). Through an analysis of various scenes from Pose, this article explores the irreducible proximity of Black queer life and death and proposes a theory of decadence that reads the fabulous, the eccentric and the opulent as the ballroom’s specific response to that proximity, a response that informs not only the aesthetics of bodies, but the very modality of representation in contemporary cultural productions. Rooted in the subculture’s performances of realness, the Black decadent disavows mimetic representations of reality and substitutes its language with a complete surrender to the absurd of the narrative